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'Why not? said his friend; 'you know enough about the piano, and there are still four weeks in which to learn the Concerto. Pugno took the advice, practised up the work, played it in the concert given by Grieg, and scored a success. He was then thirty-nine years of age.
Then we telephoned to Pugno, who came over and joined us and, after an excellent dinner, we played the César Franck piano quintet. It was the most enjoyable musical day of my life. A concert manager offered us a fortune to play in this combination just two concerts in every capital in Europe. "We have not enough variety in our concert programs not enough collaboration.
This idea is not alone applicable to all scales, but can be used with any difficult passage found in a composition. "Pugno took a keen interest in my work, my progress and career.
"With advanced students Pugno spoke much about music and what it could express; he translated themes and passages back into the feelings and emotions which had originated them; he showed how all emotions find their counterpart in tones. 'Above all let kindness and goodness control you, he once wrote; 'if you are filled with kindness, your tone will be beautiful!
A fine portrait of Pugno, life size, filling the whole space above the piano, claimed our attention. He kindly rose, as we admired the painting, and sought a photograph copy. When it was found the last one he possessed he presented it with his compliments. We spoke of Mlle. Boulanger's work in composition, a subject which seemed deeply to interest M. Pugno.
I was perched upon the stool, my feet, too short to reach the floor, rested on the extension pedal box which I always carried around with me, I went bravely through some Bach Inventions. When I finished, Pugno regarded me with interest. He said he would teach me; told me to prepare some more Inventions, some Czerny studies and the Mendelssohn Capriccio, Op. 22, and come to him in four weeks.
Among its early friends were MM. Alphonse Duvernoy, Diémer, Pugno, Delsart, Breitner, Delaborde, Ch. de Bériot, Fissot, Marsick, Loëb, Rémy, and Holmann. With such patronage, La Trompette soon acquired fame in the musical world, and "it represented in classical chamber-music the semi-official part played by the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire in classical orchestral music.
"Yes, she is writing an opera; in fact we are writing it together; the text is from a story of d'Annunzio. I will jot down the title for you." Taking a paper which I held in my hand, he wrote, "La Ville Morte, 4 Acts de d'Annuncio; Musique de Nadia Boulanger et Raoul Pugno" "You will certainly have it performed in America, when it is finished; I will tell them so," I said.
She left us standing, but returned almost immediately with the message that M. Pugno had only that moment entered his studio, to which she would conduct us. In another moment we had crossed the tiny foyer and were standing within the artist's sanctuary. At first glance one felt as though in an Oriental chamber of some Eastern monarch.
The house was built around this court, as was the custom in constructing the older sort of dwellings. At last we discovered the right door, which was opened by a neat housekeeper. "M. Pugno is not here, he lives in the country," she said, in answer to our inquiry. "But, madame, we have an appointment with M. Pugno; will you not be good enough to see if he is not here after all?"
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