AT WORK IN AMERICA 183 Touring the Country 184 "Yankee Doodle" and "Old Hundred" 187 Settling down to Teach 191 Theodore Thomas at Twenty 195 Thomas as Conductor 197 Karl Klauser, Musical Director at Miss Porter's School 202 Louis Moreau Gottschalk 205 Propaganda for Schumann's Music 209 Sigismond Thalberg 210 Pedal and Pedal Signs--Why not Dispense with the Latter? 215 Pedal Study for the Pianoforte 219 Rubinstein and the Autograph-hunter 221 Evolution in Musical Ideas--Beethoven Pianoforte Recitals 226 Rubinstein's Favorite Seat at a Pianoforte Recital 227 Bach's "Triple Concerto" and "Les Agréments" 229 A Significant Autograph from Rubinstein 234 Rubinstein, Paderewski, and "Yankee Doodle" 236 Meetings with Von Bülow 238 Edvard Grieg 241 Rates of Tempo--The Present Time Compared with Fifty Years Ago 243 Electrocuting Chopin 244 Tempo Rubato 246 Unusual Pupils--Transposing--Positive and Relative Pitch 247 Appledore, Isles of Shoals 251
The author acknowledges the efficient collaboration of Mr. Gustav Kobbé in preparing these Memories for publication, and also the valuable assistance of his son-in-law, Mr. Howard van Sinderen.
William Mason in 1899 _Frontispiece_ From a photograph by Gessford & Van Brunt.
William Mason as a Boy 12 From a daguerreotype.
William Mason at the Age of Eighteen 20 From a daguerreotype.
Liszt in Middle Life 88 Drawn by George T. Tobin from a photograph of uncertain date.
The Altenburg, Liszt's House at Weimar 96
Theodore Thomas about Twenty-four Years Old 200 From a photograph by Duchochois & Klauser.
Interior of Studio in Steinway Building, New York 248
I am the third son of Lowell Mason of Medfield, Massachusetts, and of Abigail Gregory of Westborough, Massachusetts, his wife, and I was born in Boston on January 24, 1829. My father was in the seventh generation from Robert Mason, who was born in England about the year 1590. In 1630 Robert came to America, and was probably one of John Winthrop's company, landing at Salem on the twelfth day of June of that year. Thomas Mason, the elder son of Robert, went to Medfield to live in the second year of the settlement of the town. His marriage with Margery Partridge, on April 23, 1653, was the first marriage to be entered upon the town records; and the homestead lands, which he acquired by grant from the town, have ever since remained in possession of some member of the Mason family. Thomas and two of his sons were killed by the Indians under Monaco on February 21, 1676, when Medfield was burned. The line was continued through Ebenezer, a third son, born at Medfield, September 12, 1669; Thomas, a son of Ebenezer, born at Medfield, April 23, 1699; Barachias, son of Thomas, born at Medfield, June 10, 1723, who was musical and who taught singing; and Johnson, son of Barachias, born at Medfield, August 7, 1767. Johnson was the father of Lowell Mason, who was born at Medfield, January 8, 1792. On January 8, 1892, the one hundredth anniversary of my father's birth was celebrated at Medfield, under the auspices of the Historical Society of that place. In the address delivered by the president of the society, a period of his life was touched upon concerning which but little had heretofore been published. The address will be interesting to those who are interested in him and in the work which he accomplished, and is printed, by permission, in an appendix to these memories.