older methods of touch and technic.

"The vital thing in piano playing is to bring out the composer's
meaning, plus your own inspiration and feeling. You must study deeply
into the composer's idea, but you must also put your own feeling,
intensity and emotion into the piece. And not only must you feel the
meaning yourself, but you must play it in a way to touch others. There
are many pianists who are not cultured musicians; who think they know
their Beethoven because they can play a few sonatas. In music 'knowledge
is power.' We need all possible knowledge, but we also need to feel the
inspiration. One of the greatest teachers of our time holds that
personal inspiration is not necessary; for the feeling is all in the
music itself. All we have to do is to play with such and such a dynamic
quality of tone. Like a country doctor measuring out his drugs, this
master apportions so many grains of power for _forte_, for _mezzo_, for
_piano_, and so on. This plan puts a damper on individuality and
enthusiasm, for it means that everything must be coldly calculated. Such
playing does not really warm the heart.

"I believe in teaching tonal contrasts and tone color even to a
beginner. Why should not the child form a concept of _forte_ and
_piano_, and so get away from the deadly monotony of _mezzo_? I have
written some little descriptive piano pieces, and my small boy learned
one of them to play for me. There is a closing phrase like this," and
Mr. Ganz illustrated at the piano; "it is to be played _forte_, and is
followed by a few notes to be touched very softly, like an echo. It was
really beautiful to see how the little fellow reached out for the pedal
to make the loud part more emphatic, and then played the echo very
softly and neatly. He had grasped the first principle of tone
color--namely tone contrast, and also a poetic idea.