Rafael Joseffy

"Of the grace and finesse of Joseffy's Chopin, the clarity of his Bach, the depth of his Brahms and Beethoven, of the wide catholicity of his taste, resulting in interpretations of Mozart and Liszt, of Schubert and Tschaikowsky that were equally true in conception and beautiful in execution, of all this alone a little volume might be written."

"He was an indefatigable worker at his technical studies and his editions of piano compositions, even during the heated months of the year."

"He must be familiar with the entire pianoforte literature, must be able to illustrate at the second piano everything that he teaches, and must possess such a highly developed analytical faculty that he is able to recognize and impart the all-important "how" in distinction from the "what." The mere playing of a piece at the second piano with the remark, "I do it this way," he considered of little help to the pupil, unless the very necessary explanation of the process were also forthcoming."

"At his own lessons Joseffy was a great source of inspiration to his pupils. When he felt that he had a responsive intellect at his side, he spared himself no pains in the careful elucidation of his points. His ideas on fingering were illuminating and his methods of practise for overcoming specific technical difficulties in the study matter were quite invaluable. Although he laid great stress on matters of technical detail, he was not to be dazzled by a merely technically brilliant performance. When a new pupil came to him and tried to make an impression with some showy composition he would ask for a Bach Prelude or a Mendelssohn Song without Words. "You may be able to play that technically difficult composition," he would say, "and still not be able to play the piano. From a Bach Prelude or a Mendelssohn Song without Words I can tell right away just how much of a musician you are." Pupils who at the first interview tried to foist upon him an unripe performance of such works as the Appassionata or the E minor Concerto of Chopin as samples of their pianistic prowess did not usually succeed in earning anything better than his deep disgust."

"He emphasized most strongly the importance of combining technical practise with the study of pieces, his idea being to take the most difficult passages and construct even more difficult technical studies from them."

"There are probably few modern pianists who have gone into the matter of fingering with such minute detail as Joseffy. With him fingering was almost an art in itself. At the lessons, in his books of technical studies, and in his editions of pianoforte works this matter was always uppermost in his mind. Fingering and tone quality he considered inseparable, the latter depending almost entirely on the former."

"Joseffy's own playing underwent a marked change during the years following his coming to America. Those who heard him in the earlier part of his career describe the dainty elegance of his performances, the wonderful grace and the unequalled technical perfection of his style. They gained for him the sobriquet of the "Patti of the piano.""