Violin Mastery - ARTHUR HARTMANN - Part 6
DEBUSSY’S POÈME FOR VIOLIN
“Debussy came near writing a violin piece for me once!” continued Mr. Hartmann, and brought out a folio containing letters the great impressionist had written him. They were a delightful revelation of the human side of Debussy’s character, and Mr. Hartmann kindly consented to the quotation of one bearing on the Poème for violin which Debussy had promised to write for him, and which, alas, owing to his illness and other reasons, never actually came to be written:
“Dear Friend:
“Of course I am working a great deal now, because I feel the need of writing music, and would find it difficult to build an aeroplane; yet at times Music is ill-natured, even toward those who love her most! Then I take my little daughter and my hat and go walking in the Bois de Boulogne, where one meets people who have come from afar to bore themselves in Paris.
“I think of you, I might even say I am in need of you (assume an air of exaltation and bow, if you please!) As to the Poème for violin, you may rest assured that I will write it. Only at the present moment I am so preoccupied with the ‘Fall of the House of Usher!’ They talk too much to me about it. I’ll have to put an end to all that or I will go mad. Once more I want to write it, and above all on your account. And I believe you will be the only one to play the Poème. Others will attempt it, and then quickly return to the Mendelssohn Concerto!
“Believe me always your sincere friend,
“Claude Debussy.”
“He never did write it,” said Mr. Hartmann, “but it was not for want of good will. As to other transcriptions, I have never done any that I did not feel instinctively would make good fiddle pieces, such as MacDowell’s To a Wild Rose and others of his compositions. And recently I have transcribed some fine Russian things—Gretchaninoff’s Chant d’Automne, Karagitscheff’s Exaltation, Tschaikovsky’s Humoresque, Balakirew’s Chant du Pechêur, and Poldini’s little Poupée valsante, which Maud Powell plays so delightfully on all her programs.”
Violin Mastery
Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers
by Frederick H. Martens
Published 1919
