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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Concerning “Finger Flapping”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 7, 2013

S I HAVE SAID in the past, I find it extremely difficult to write blogs about the great pianists. Every time I sit down to post a blog, I fail. Why do I fail? Because once I start selecting excerpts, I get really excited. I listen to piece after piece, saying, “Oh, I just have to talk about this.” Then I say, “Wow, this is the greatest. Oh, except for that one. Oops, I guess this one is the best. Oh, I can’t forget this other section.” By the time I’m finished, I end up not posting a single thing, because I feel “guilty” not posting a billion other fantastic, unbelievable, magnificent excerpts. It’s quite frustrating.

A Franciscan priest used to tell us, “The problem with some of these young priests is that every time they preach a sermon they feel compelled to tell the congregation everything they know.”

Therefore, I will try to do a better job in the future when it comes to the great pianists. I will attempt to “contain myself” and not feel compelled to share “everything I know” in each blog post. But just know this: there’s a ton more awesome stuff out there!

HOSE OF US who have spent our entire lives being obsessed with the Golden Age Pianists know that there is so much to “listen for.” We listen to the same masterpieces over and over again, always finding new things which amaze us. “Oh, listen to what he does with the left hand here,” we say. “Oh, listen to how she shapes this long phrase,” we say. And so on and so forth.

What I find hilarious is listening to the really great masters. On the one hand, they’re supreme musicians (not just technicians): musicians of the highest order. On the other hand, their fingers can blow every other “finger flapper” out of the water, even when they’re old! I love thinking about how every young pianist in the world can sit in front of a piano for a billion hours, yet never play thirds as fast or as clear as, say, Josef Lhevinne. Notice that I said “clear.” It’s not just about speed. It’s also about articulation.

Let’s start with a little excerpt by Josef Hofmann. Hofmann was being recorded live (as he almost always was) celebrating 50 years since his debut. The guy had already stopped practicing 30 years ago, mainly so he could focus on his inventions (he had many patents to his name, several of them of epic importance to the world). Yet listen to how he can still play left hand passages faster than every youngster in the world (toward the end of the excerpt):

      * *  Excerpt: Rubinstein Concerto “live” [Mp3]

By the way, you probably noticed that Fritz Reiner’s orchestra was (oddly) not even close to staying together.

OK, let’s consider another example. Listen to how Hofmann’s supreme fingers allow him to not use pedal, where almost every other pianist would:

      * *  Excerpt: Chopin Polonaise “live” [Mp3]

For the record, that’s the first time that passage appears. Each time it reoccurs, he grows stronger and more powerful. By the final repeat, he actually does use more pedal in that section. Hofmann was quite an “architect” when it comes to the overall shape of the piece. The elderly Hofmann does the same thing in his “live” recording of the Waldstein Sonata. Each time the theme returns, he adds more pedal and grows stronger (using other effects). Here’s the very first time the section appears, and note how very little pedal is used:

      * *  Hofmann “live” Waldstein (Last Movement) [Mp3]

Not bad for a guy who stopped practicing thirty years prior! Nice left hand! I’ve been talking about this very thing (and, indeed, showing people excerpts about this) since I was about 10 years old, and it’s still amazing. Harold Schonberg was right when he talked about the fact that all other pianists sound “thick” compared to Hofmann. For another example, just listen to the elderly Hofmann play this cadenza:

      * *  Excerpt: Beethoven Concerto “live” [Mp3]

When Horowitz was “on,” he was doubtless up there with the very best of them, musically and as a technician. I laugh when people say, “Horowitz was a great technician, but he wasn’t a true musician, like Claudio Arrau.” I laugh when I hear such nonsense. Arrau was a nothing, a nobody, a small person compared to Horowitz as a technician and a musician. Recordings prove this to anybody who cares to listen. By the way, speaking of Horowitz the technician, here’s Vladimir proving that his repeated notes are faster and more articulate than all the young “finger flappers” combined:

      * *  Excerpt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 “live” [Mp3]

Finally, listen to how even after 50 years before the public, Hofmann can still “storm the gates” with the best of them:

      * *  Excerpt: Concerto by Hofmann’s Master “live” [Mp3]

Uh oh. It’s happening again. There is so much more I want to share . . . sonatas, nocturnes, more concerti, ballades . . . I better stop for now. But, God willing, I will have an opportunity to share much, much more soon!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Josef Hofmann Pianist Extraordinaire Last Updated: June 13, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    (Part 2) • Did they simplify this hymn?
    Choirs love to sing the resplendent tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1929, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. Their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1929 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. As always, the Germans added an organ INTRODUCTION. For the record, I posted a different harmonization a few months ago which was downloaded more than 2,000 times.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “Lectionary Comparison Chart”
    Various shell corporations (in an effort to make money selling Sacred Scripture) have tinkered with the LECTIONARY texts in a way that’s shameful. It’s no wonder Catholics in the pews know so few Bible passages by heart. Without authorization, these shell corporations pervert the official texts. Consider the Responsorial Psalm for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year A). If you download this PDF comparison chart you’ll notice each country randomly omits certain sections. Such tinkering has gone on for 60+ years—and it’s reprehensible.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Monsignor Klaus Gamber Speaks!
    An interesting quotation from the eminent liturgist, Monsignor Klaus Gamber (d. 1989): “According to canon law, a person’s affiliation with a particular liturgical rite is determined by that person’s rite of baptism. Given that the liturgical reforms of Pope Paul VI created a de facto new rite, one could assert that those among the faithful who were baptized according to the traditional Roman rite have the right to continue following that rite; just as priests who were ordained according to the traditional Ordo have the right to exercise the very rite that they were ordained to celebrate.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants because he is free from disordered attachments. Our Church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture.”

— Fr. Thomas Rosica (31 July 2018)

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  • (Part 2) • Did they simplify this hymn?
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