ABSTRACT
The gift of perfect pitch bears close relation to the ability to transpose musical pieces into different keys, an art in which Erwin excelled as early as in his seventh year. He transposed one-part pieces, and simpler kinds of music in more parts, into any key faultlessly, and with great ease. Thus he played the Organ Prelude in C minor by J. S. Bach in C sharp minor and F sharp minor, in the same tempo and with just as fine an interpretation as in the original key. He transposed the D major Sonata by Kuhlau, op. 55, No. 5, into, among other keys, F sharp major B major, A flat major, E flat major and B flat major with perfect accuracy. In the same way he succeeded in transposing the two-part Prelude No. 8, by Bach, as well as some sonatas by Haydn. The Rondo in G major from the G minor Sonata by Beethoven, op. 49, No. 1, was also excellently transposed, at sight, into F sharp major and C sharp major.
