Talk:Józef Hofmann
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I think that his name is misspelled: it should be Jószef Kazimierz Hofmann.
Noted his German paternal ancestry. Antidote 07:14, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Good Start
This article on Hofmann is a good start, but there are a few problems. The slap at Shura Cherkassky is uncalled for (Cherkassky was one of the most beloved and inquisitive pianists of his generation).
Hofmann himself was figure of some controversy. Despite the accolades showered upon him by Rachmaninoff and others, he was known as a bitter, often nasty man.
This article reeks of POV. There isn't even any comment on how alcholism impaired his abilities during the last twenty years of his life.
- Several points. It needs to be noted, because this information has been deleted from the article, that Hofmann (like Rachmaninov) was considered one of the first "modern" pianists because (compared to contemporaries such as de Pachmann and others) he remained relatively faithful to the printed score and did not embellish it in the older Romantic tradition. In fact, he was often accused of being a cold, mechanical player by the old guard. Despite such criticism, Hofmann was almost universally considered the greatest pianist of his day. Mhare40 03:18, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
We can cite Oscar Levant both for his ability and his alcoholism: The Unimportance of Being Oscar, Pocket Books 1969 (reprint of G.P. Putnam 1968), p. 124. ISBN 0-671-77104-3.
One of the terrible tragedies of music was the disintegration of Josef Hofmann as an artist. In his latter days he became an alcoholic. …[H]is last public concert…was an ordeal for all of us…
He then goes on to say "He was an elegant performer at the keyboard, a keyboard made especially for him because his hands were so small." His praise continues for two paragraphs, singling out his "impeccabl[e]" performance of a particularly difficult Chopin nocturne, his "ultrasensitive ear and … incredible memory, and quoting Felix Salmond as also praising him. If someone wants the passage in full but doesn't have access to the book, drop a note on my user talk page and I can quote it. - Jmabel | Talk 07:05, 3 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Is it about the same Hofman?
Hofmann's invention of pneumatic shock absorbers for cars and planes earned him a fortune in the early twentieth century. His other inventions included medical devices, a furnace that burned crude oil, automobile windscreen wipers, a device to record dynamics in reproducing piano rolls that he perfected just as the roll companies went bust, and a house that revolved with the sun. He spent his last years working on improvements in piano recording.
Is it indeed about the same Hofmann??? Can someone confirm this?83.6.223.101 01:23, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
Yes, this is the same Hofmann. Like some other highly gifted musical prodigies, Hofmann was a superb mathematician and had a good head for science. He has something like 64 patents to his credit. Mhare40 03:02, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
