Clavier Companion Vol.4 #1

January/February 2012

Companion Volume 4, Number 1 Single Issue $9.95

January/February 2012 Published by the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy

Columns 4 Editor’s Page New discoveries Pete Jutras

6 Variations Tackling a twelve-year old’s slump Barbara Kreader

8 Musings Creative being and the disciplined life Jane Magrath

64 Questions & Answers

10 An interview with Jean-Yves Thibaudet by Scott McBride Smith

18 The story of music on board the RMS Titanic by Rebekah Maxner

30 The enchanted world of piano fairy tales by Ellen Schorsch

Louise L. Goss

Departments 36 Jazz & Pop The rhythms of jazz: Syncopation Lee Evans

38 Music Reading Boiling it down: Recipes for effective teaching Craig Sale

42 Perspectives in Pedagogy

7 Poetry Corner 50 First Looks 50 What Music Means to Me 50 New music reviews 54 CD & DVD reviews

56 News & Notes

Feeling singed? Coping with burnout

57 Pupil Saver

Rebecca Grooms Johnson with Rachel Kramer

58 Special Friends of the NCKP

46 Technology Virtual reality in the piano studio

60 Keyboard Kids’ Companion 62 Advertiser Index

George Litterst

47 Tech Tips

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

1

Companion Publisher

Associate Editors

Contributing Editors

The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy

Nancy Bachus Bruce Berr Michelle Conda Rebecca Johnson George Litterst Craig Sale Scott McBride Smith Helen Smith Tarchalski

Tony Caramia Louise Goss Steven Hall Geoffrey Haydon Phillip Keveren Barbara Kreader Jane Magrath Christopher Norton Robert Weirich Richard Zimdars

Editor-in-Chief Pete Jutras

Executive Director Sam Holland

Design & Production Bob Payne

Managing Editors Steve Betts Susan Geffen

Website Designer & Editor Tim Smith

Advertising Tiffany Smith Lauren Thompson

Copy Editors Carla Dean Day Kristin Jutras Kristen Holland Shear

The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy is a not-for-profit educational institution (501c3) located in Kingston, New Jersey. The mission of the Frances Clark Center is to extend the influence of her inclusive and revolutionary philosophy of music education at the keyboard. In so doing, the Center conducts research, develops and codifies successful methodologies and applications, and disseminates its work in the form of publications, seminars, and

Circulation Publication Fulfillment Services

Director of Outreach Maggie Zullinger

conferences that focus on improving the quality of teaching. Our goals are to: • Enhance the quality of music-making throughout life; • Educate teachers who are dedicated to nurturing lifelong involvement in musicmaking from the earliest to the most advanced levels; and • Develop methods and materials that support an artistic and meaningful learning experience for all students regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.

In the March/April 2012 issue: An interview with Alfred Brendel A place in the sun: Recent editions of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas by William Kinderman 2012 Summer Camp and Workshop Directory Columns by Robert Weirich and Peter Kristian Mose Questions & Answers with Louise Goss Keyboard Kids’ Companion, News, Reviews, Pupil Savers, and more!

2

CLAVIER COMPANION

In the Departments: Jazz & Pop: Playing “Indie Pop” with Christopher Norton Repertoire: A master class on three favorite Beethoven Sonata movements Rhythm: How do you decipher rhythms when transcribing the recordings of Bill Evans? Adult Piano Study: The Trapeziectomy Diaries: Reclaiming hands from arthritis Counterpoint: Opus 111: A revelation, with Seymour Bernstein

Clavier Companion (ISSN 1086-0819), (USPS 013-579) is published bi-monthly by the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, 90 Main Street, P.O. Box 651, Kingston, NJ 08528. Periodicals Postage Paid at Kingston, NJ, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in USA. Contents © 2012 by Clavier Companion. All rights reserved. None of the contents of this magazine may be duplicated or reprinted without advance written permission from the publisher. The statements of writers and advertisers are not necessarily those of Clavier Companion, which reserves the right to refuse to print any submitted advertisement. Subscriptions and Circulation Subscription rates are $29.95 for one year, $55.95 for two years, $9.95 for single copies (includes shipping and handling), $26.95 for individuals in groups of five or more in the US. Canadian subscription rates are $35.95 US funds for one year, $67.95 US funds for two years. Foreign subscription rates are $41.95 US funds for one year, $79.95 US funds for two years. All non-US subscriptions payable by Visa or MasterCard only. Claims for missing copies cannot be honored after 60 days. Please allow a minimum of four weeks for a change of address to be processed. Address subscription and change of address correspondence to: Clavier Companion, P.O. Box 90425 Long Beach, CA 90809-9863 Toll-free: 888-881-5861 [email protected] Advertising Address advertising correspondence to: Clavier Companion, c/o Lauren Thompson Telephone: 512-745-5908 [email protected] Editorial Address content and editorial correspondence to: Pete Jutras Editor-in-Chief Clavier Companion Hugh Hodgson School of Music The University of Georgia 250 River Road, Athens, GA 30602 [email protected] The publisher does not assume responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or artwork. Unsolicited letters to the editor, articles, and other editorial matter will be edited at the discretion of the editorial staff. Clavier Companion reserves the right not to publish any material deemed inappropriate by the publisher. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Clavier Companion, P.O. Box 90425, Long Beach, CA 90809-9863 CPM 40065056

ISSN 1086-0819

Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement #40065056 Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road,Windsor,ON N9A 6J3


Columns

Editor’s Page Pete Jutras, Editor-in-Chief

New discoveries he passing of the holiday season brings the dawn of another new year. As always, there is optimism, hope, expectation in the air. There is a natural excitement about something “new” that touches everyone, from children receiving presents to experienced piano teachers looking forward to new faces, new repertoire, and new performances. I find that I often enjoy the anticipation of something new as much as the thing itself. I avoid previews and reviews of movies and books for fear of spoiling the story—I’ll even stay away from the blurbs on dust jackets in case they divulge too much.

T

You’ll never guess… I’m one of those present wrappers some people find annoying: if possible I try to disguise what is being wrapped. My philosophy is that a small item is more fun when packaged in a huge box. A book or CD shouldn’t be too obvious. I love watching the faces of gift recipients as they puzzle over an unrecognizable package, and I then share in their excitement when they realize (if I have bought a good present) they got just what they wanted. I will tell my kids that we’re going to the store to run errands and then pull up to an amusement park just so I can watch their delight at the surprise. Learning something new should be just as magical. And learning is the most fun when we are able to discover a new concept (perhaps to our surprise) and realize that it is just what we wanted to learn all along—just what we needed. As teachers, however, we often jump the gun and spoil the surprise, taking away the magical effect of learning something new. And just like an obviously wrapped present (or worse, an unwrapped present that is found hiding in the closet), once the surprise is out of the bag, there is no going back, no returning to the giddy sense of anticipation.

Unsurprising teaching A common, everyday teaching sequence might unfold as follows: Today we will learn about something new [insert any idea here—a rhythm, a scale, a finger pattern, a voicing technique, etc.]. It is called _____. Here, let me show you (teacher demonstrates the concept). There it is in your music. It means _____. Now you try it. (Student tries but fails.) OK, try it again, but do this. (Another failed attempt, but this one is closer.) Don’t forget, you are supposed to do_______! (A final try is closer still but not exactly right.) Almost. Now I want you to practice that every day and bring it back to the lesson next week. In this scenario, the only thing the student discovered was that he wasn’t very good at the new concept, and it is now another thing that needs to be fixed in his practicing. There was no “A-ha” moment of learning, no magical surprise. In 4

CLAVIER COMPANION

fact, the student never had a chance to think for himself, because the concept was presented, labeled, and defined before he had a chance to think about it on his own terms, to try and discover what it is and how it fits.

Voilà In a true “discovery” sense, the student starts with something he already knows how to do, something he has been exposed to in a number of carefully planned preparatory steps (steps that were free of unnecessary explanation, verbiage, rules, and corrections). The teacher may ask the student to add a small new step, but the activity remains comfortable, something the student is confidently and consistently successful at. Then, voilà: the teacher takes what the student already knows (and can do) and connects it to something new. This connection could happen through finding what the student already knows in a new setting—perhaps a new piece, a new key, or a new finger pattern. The student has just unwrapped a new level of learning, and if the teacher has planned carefully, the student has made the discovery on his own. If the teacher has helped the student to understand the broader concept, the student can then apply the concept to other new settings and make many more discoveries. For a great discussion on teaching concepts, please see Craig Sale’s article in this issue’s Music Reading department. Armed with new knowledge and a small bit of excitement, the student can then go home to apply the knowledge, and use it in a number of fun ways. The new present is not something that needs fixing (there’s nothing more discouraging than a broken toy on Christmas morning), but something that can be played with, and used to make music. Something fun, something to do, something new! We should never forget that what is common knowledge, even routine to us, is brand new to our students. They don’t have the experience, the familiarity, the depth of understanding about the new concept that we do as teachers. We can’t just tell them about it and hope it will stick. It won’t. What will help it stick, however, are their own discoveries, their own processing, their own efforts to assimilate this knowledge and relate it to what they already know. This happens through discovery, through the fun unwrapping of a concept. As teachers, let’s resolve to work for all of our student’s knowledge to be new, fresh, and exciting in the year ahead. Let your students have the fun of unwrapping a new musical present at every lesson! p Click here to view the runner-up essay in our 2011 Collegiate Essay Contest, “Chamber music for the elementary and intermediate student,” by Michelle Wachter. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Variations Barbara Kreader

Tackling a twelve-year old’s slump atherine, one of my more talented students, recently gave me this honest description of a typical practice session. She is twelve. “It takes me forever to get myself to stop what I am doing and go to the piano. When and if I do get there, I usually begin my practice by playing a chromatic scale the entire length of the keyboard—first with my right hand, then with my left. Next I might play the part of my new piece that I already know. Then I would play ‘Heart and Soul’—do you know that song? I like to change it up, play different rhythms, play it all over the keyboard. After that I would jazz around and change the already familiar parts of my new piece.” Pause. “Then I would get up and leave.” “When would you play the new part of your piece or your technique?” “Mmmmm. I wouldn’t.” “Do you like the music you are studying?” “Oh yes, I love it! I just can’t get myself to practice the new parts of it.” Katherine plays soccer four days a week, is studying for her Bat Mitzvah two days a week, attends Circus Arts school two days a week, and often gets together with her huge network of friends. She learns quickly and plays with musicality and technical precision. Until this year, she had made excellent, steady progress.

K

Life on the cusp Nothing new here, you say. So true. Twelve-year olds live life on the cusp. They wobble between childhood, when they have to practice because their parents say so, and emerging adulthood, when they begin to study piano because they want to. They often hit a wall with their piano study for another reason. Group activities become vitally important to their growth and well-being. Many excellent articles have been written about ways to keep tweens interested in music by including more group teaching activities, monster concerts, and so on. These ideas work, but I want to focus on teaching twelve-year olds the art of solitary practice. Every child brings the pleasures and peculiarities of his or her personality to the task. During Katherine’s recitation of her other outside activities she added, “Oh, and I see a doctor every Monday afternoon who helps me with my anxiety disorder.” I am happy she is getting help. Three of my fifteen students are receiving therapy for anxiety. Being twelve seems to bring it on in our highly-pressured school district. Katherine’s sharing of her struggle with anxiety did make more sense of her practice habits—particularly her difficulty in getting to

Barbara Kreader has taught in her independent studio in Evanston, IL, since 1974. One of the coauthors of The Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, she has given workshops in more than 200 cities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Asia. Formerly the editor of Clavier magazine, she received her M.M. degree from Northwestern University. 6

CLAVIER COMPANION

the piano and in tackling new material. Katherine is a perfectionist. Playing what she knows soothes her. She likes “changing it up,” which allows her to control and master her music. New means scary.

True confessions As our conversation continued, I told Katherine, “When I was your age I noodled around on the keyboard a lot. I also liked to dive into ‘Heart and Soul,’ and I would try and pick out Beatles’ tunes. Sometimes I would even pretend to play along with recordings of Rachmaninoff ’s Third Piano Concerto.” Katherine’s eyes widened. “Really?” “Yes. I also played only the familiar parts of my music—in my case it was ‘Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum’ and a Mozart piano concerto—over and over. I particularly hated practicing the transition portions of pieces.” “Oh, yeah! The places where the composer uses the material only one time and it doesn’t follow the other patterns in the music. I know. I know.” Katherine pointed to a place in her music that had bedeviled her for two weeks. I continued the truth of my own twelve-year old day. “One summer at music camp my teacher threw up her hands when I came in for the third lesson in a row without learning just such a transition. It was only four measures long, but I couldn’t face it and kept faking it.” By now Katherine was intensely interested. “How did you get over this problem?” “It took me longer than it needed to. I have good news for you, though. Because I know about this practice problem, I have some suggestions for solving it.”

A new assignment Now that I had her complete attention, I shared with her my former Rocky Ridge Music Center colleague Jim McWhorter’s tried and true assignment to his talented junior high cello students. Like Katherine, they had trouble getting themselves to practice, even when they wanted to. “My friend, Jim, tells his cello students that all he wants them to do for the first two days of the practice week is get out their cellos, set up their music stands, tune their instruments, and place their music on their stands. Then he wants them to put everything away. “I want you to do the same thing. Come to the piano, open the keyboard, put up the lid, adjust the bench, and get out your music. Then put everything away and leave. Try doing this two times each day.” “Hmmmm. Will this help me stop what I am doing and go to the piano without feeling like I have to stay there?” “Yes, it will.” “What about the other days?” “Do the same thing on day three, but add playing ‘Heart and Soul’ to the routine.” We began to write this assignment in her notebook. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Poetry Corner Richard Zimdars, Editor

Bach & Mozart in Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre I continued, “On day four do all of the above but add four of the eight new measures of your new piece. Day five, do it all again, but add the chromatic scale and all eight measures of your new piece. Then play the parts of the piece you already know, including ‘jazzing it up.’ On day six play the chromatic scale first, followed by your new scales and chords, then the new measures in your piece. Next play the old portion of your piece connected to the new part and then play ‘Heart and Soul’ as long as you want.” “What about day seven?” “Take the day off from practice!” “Well, if I already know more of my new piece, I will probably want to go to the piano and play it.” “Go for it.”

It worked! When I returned the next week, Katherine was at the door waiting for me. “It worked!” She ran to the piano and played both the old and new sections of her new piece and her new scales and chords. We celebrated with a duet of “Heart and Soul” and made plans for the next week. Will this tactic, which requires weekly micro-assignments, work over time? We will see. I have successfully used it with other junior-high students, although I design each solution to fit each child’s temperament. For example, different approaches are required for the student who practices a lot but learns slowly or the one who gets a lot wrong and never fixes problems. In every instance, adding activities that the students are already doing, such as playing “Heart and Soul” or “jazzing up the piece I already know” tells them that you value their input, that they are getting old enough to bring some ideas of their own to the table. Admitting the truth of my own twelve-year old practice habits always gets my students’ attention. I loved the moment when Katherine said, “How did you get over this problem?” In that moment she admitted her practice habits were a problem and that she was ready to hear about possible solutions. Children this age still need lots of guidance. Once they know you value their wishes and ideas, they are ready to hear yours. Helping them to tackle new material by breaking it down into small doses, for example, shows them a way to begin learning how to organize their practice themselves, which is the ultimate goal. Because we are some of the only teachers in students’ lives who see them one-on-one for several years, we can help tweens through this risky time. With some creativity and patience from both teacher and student, piano practice can teach students how to work on their own, a skill they can apply to all their learning. In addition, music can become a solitary oasis in their otherwise multitasking, high-tech, peer-pressured lives. Remember, too, to enjoy twelve-year old passion. Katherine said to me recently, “When I play ‘Snowfall’ the light wakes up in my soul.” p


In this eternal grotto crenelated cave we bêtes civilisées sit and listen to this musique celeste this divine musick clavecin et violon a divine insanity a sweetness and a glory such loveliness and loneliness in the high sound of it compounded in the art of it Mozart’s heart stirring in it And now the beatitudes of Bach in chromatic fugue the violon baroque like a fine wood boat carried away on the wild waters on the wild stream of the fugue dancing ecstatic now in the shoals of that music to eddy away at last into the night gardens of Julien-le-pauvre and into the night sky with its ecstatic geometries and the Bacchic night-music of the spheres —Lawrence Ferlinghetti Note: Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre (Saint Julian the Poor) continues to sponsor a concert series. It is the only surviving twelfth-century parish church in Paris. “Bach & Mozart in Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from EUROPEAN POEMS AND TRANSITIONS, ©1984 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. Lawrence Ferlinghetti (b. 1919) is an American poet and a cofounder of City Lights Booksellers and Publishers. His collection of poems titled A Coney Island of the Mind has sold more than one million copies and been translated into nine languages.

CLAVIER COMPANION

7

Musings Jane Magrath

Creative being and the disciplined life magine living our lives sans creativity. We would never vary our diets or the kinds of books we read. We would dress in similar styles every day, no variety, ever. Inevitably we would slow down our personal growth. We would minimize the “highs” in life, and reduce possibilities for personal discovery. And, we would probably practice piano by mindlessly repeating the same things over and over. Some individuals surround themselves with so much stimulation that finding time in the day to breathe and reflect can be difficult. These people become wired to thrive on all this information, and they are able to input a substantial amount of data from different sources: friends, travel, newspapers, television, the internet, background music, and so on. Sometimes they have a daily routine that helps them assimilate the stimuli, and sometimes they do not. Without creativity and variety in life, we may use the same analogies year after year, teach from the same materials over and over, stick only to our favorite pieces, and teach every student in the same way. We know that these ways work, so we continue to employ them. Ultimately, however, a lack of variety in the ways we organize our lives can be detrimental to our ability to grow, to produce our own stimuli, to effectively perform and/or teach. To enrich, enliven, and energize our teaching and our lives, mindfulness throughout the day is required in our choices and habits.

I

Set a ritual and keep it In her book The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp, a choreographer, discusses the importance of ritual.1 The daily ritual, whether it be exercise, journaling, yoga, meditation, or a combination of activities, sets a positive routine that frames the beginning of each day for the committed artist. It serves to warm up the mind, to renew the spirit, and to set the framework for development of the day’s plan. It is this daily ritual that bridges the path for the person onward into the creative part of the days’ future activities.

Jane Magrath is Regents’ Professor and holds the Grant Endowed Chair in Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma, where she was named Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts. She has more than thirty-five volumes published with Alfred Publishing, and her book The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature has become a classic reference work for pianists throughout the country. Jane Magrath was named the first recipient of the MTNA/Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award for the Outstanding Contribution to Piano Pedagogy. She has published numerous articles in keyboard journals and currently serves as an editor for the Piano Pedagogy Forum. The

revival of interest in the United States in the standard classical piano teaching literature has been attributed in part to her work. 8

CLAVIER COMPANION

Ritual could be considered by some as a sameness that promotes the lack of creativity that I referred to in the opening. Instead, Tharp suggests that we allow the ritual activity or activities, usually occurring at the beginning of the day, to set the mind free by fostering space, freedom, and reflection. Beethoven began each day with a ritual. He took a daily walk, during which he would scribble notes of a theme that might come to mind in his notebook. He used the walk to free his mind, and to prepare for his work that day.2 It is reported that Pablo Casals also maintained a ritual, which he felt was essential to his daily life. He would go to the piano and play two preludes and fugues of Bach, saying that he could not think of doing otherwise to start the day. He used this time to rediscover the musical world and enter into his musical being for creativity in his practice and other endeavors throughout the day.

Take time to be curious The tendency to become rushed or over-extended plagues many teachers and performers. We have schedules to keep, people to help, music to practice, and many other obligations. When I am over-extended, even if things appear to get done, I feel cranky, impatient, and depleted. I often do not allow myself a routine that is crucial to my balanced being: cherished time each day to acknowledge my own curiosity and follow that spark as it creeps in at various times. For me, that one issue—being able to follow my own curiosity—spurs personal creativity. It allows “what if ” moments to occur and opens the door to new ideas and discoveries that enrich me. It refreshes my teaching and practice, and it stimulates practically all aspects of my day

Reflect on surprises If we let ourselves be surprised by occurrences or situations during the day, then we smile. Perhaps an “Aha!” moment arises. It could be a poignant realization in a lesson, ripples of water in a fountain, a bird on a limb, or a beautiful vista on a frequently traveled path that stops us for a moment and allows the experience to peak. I once heard someone say that, “Without surprise, boredom would win the Nobel Prize.” Many creative persons take time to journal and reflect in writing daily. This space allows the perspective of surprises and other thoughts that arise in the subconscious to be examined, cared for, and ultimately expanded. Beethoven’s sketchbooks were his workshop for ideas, his first step in creating a new work.

Just do it All successful artists and teachers have points where they resist the initial stages of a project, their work, or a new habit. We are adept at finding reasons not to take something on, and yet these reasons are obstacles to the creative life. Simply going to the piano to practice (getting there) must be accomplished, and then the fun, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

the discovery, the growth can begin. Moving past personal resistance is a key to establishing a well-oiled routine that can subsequently allow the creative juices to flow. There is no substitute for hard work, and ultimately failure. Failure is an inescapable part of growing as a musician, teacher, and artist. Tharp cites a math professor at Williams College who bases ten percent of his students’ grades on failure, since mathematics is about trying new ideas, all the while knowing that the majority of the student’s attempts will be dead ends.3 This professor encourages students to follow innovative or even quirky ideas. Just try it and see.

Try something new or different, again and again The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi suggests that we should attempt to surprise someone every day. 4 He prods us to change our predictable selves and act, react, dress, and think in a way other than our usual custom. Taking time for the experience at hand lets us participate fully in that moment and enrich it in ways that may surprise us.

Follow the creative spark Creative sparks emerge seemingly from nowhere, but they quickly coagulate to enrich our days, our work, our play. As the sparks arise, one realizes that this is not the time to sit and smile inwardly at the new energy, but rather the time to listen to that spark and let it lead us deeper into the moment, the practice, the lesson, the writing. This is the time to follow the spark and to get down to work.

Be kind to yourself In the process of moving through the practice sessions, through the lessons, and through life, be kind to yourself. We have good intentions, and we care about our work and those with whom we come into contact. We do our best, and although it may not always elicit the results we strived for or provide the beauty or depth intended, we have done our best. We are human, and sometimes the positive fruition of our creative lives is delayed. Be gentle and avoid chastising your creative, well-intentioned self.

Creativity, for life Whether we face a lesson to be taught, a performance, another event, or just a regular day, we have an opportunity to create throughout life. And showing up and working hard for what we want is key. Being creative does not need magic or luck, but instead needs the setting of daily patterns; it subsequently requires the awareness of our habits, of our ruts, and of their fit into our disciplined lives. Creativity rises out of strong work habits, allowing curiosity and stimulus to flow. Ultimately, the disciplined life allows creativity to flourish. p 1

Tharp, T. (2003). The creative habit. New York: Simon and Schuster. Ibid., pp. 18-19. 3 Ibid., p. 212. 4 Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper. 2

Writers are free to choose any topic relating to the field of piano pedagogy and write a 1,500 word article. Submissions must be received by June 1st, 2012. A panel of professionals will evaluate submissions based on content, originality, value to the profession, and writing style. Submissions should include contestant’s full contact information, university and degree program, and major professor. Submit articles using 12-point, Times New Roman font with double spacing. Submissions may be sent electronically to [email protected]. For complete contest rules and regulations, please visit www.claviercompanion.com.


CLAVIER COMPANION

9

An Interview with 10

CLAVIER COMPANION


by Scott McBride Smith

F © James Cheadle

rench pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet has had a home in the U.S. for many years, first in New York, and, since 1998, in Los Angeles. French in his accent and his Gallic enthusiasm, he is really a citizen—and a musician—of the world. His programs and recordings incorporate the big Romantic monuments of the piano literature, but also excursions into jazz, film scores, opera transcriptions, and collaboration with such artists as Cecilia Bartoli and Joshua Bell. He is a contemporary pianist for today’s eclectic musical tastes. I caught up with him via long-distance during a concert stop in Munich, and told him that I was particularly interested, among other things, in his ideas about piano education.

I’ve read that your mother was your first teacher, and that you performed your first public recital at age seven. It’s a lovely story that I have heard about myself. I wish it were true! At about the age of three, I was attracted to the piano—it was my favorite toy. I would stay, find chords, and try to sing along, not bang like other children do. My parents thought, “Maybe we should get him lessons.” So I went to the Pre-College Division of the

Lyons Conservatory. My first class was called “Wake Up to Music.” We sang and danced, and I loved it. I actually learned to read music before I learned the alphabet. At age seven, it was half-hour recitals, not three symphonies and a concerto. I was no Mozart! But I got used to being onstage before an audience, playing several short pieces, and I loved it. My mom was always present, to be sure, and she made me work at home.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

11

© Decca/Kasskara

What teachers influenced you the most while you were growing up? Lucette Descaves. She was the goddaughter of Saint-Saëns and a former assistant to Yves Nat and Marguerite Long. She gave the first French performance of Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26. She had a tremendous influence on me. I’ve heard her online. She had exquisite tone and projection, and great variety of expression. She made some recordings of the virtuoso literature that are quite impressive. If I didn’t know who it was, I’m not sure I would identify her as a pianist of the old-fashioned French School. That’s true. Her playing was international, really. She was very intelligent, and, working at the center of French musical life, she met and heard many fine musicians. She learned. 12

CLAVIER COMPANION

Her teaching, though, was more representative of the French School. In the studio, she had the most to say about French music, since she had such close associations with those composers. She was a very close collaborator with Ravel and knew Fauré well. Through her you felt you were going straight to the composer. I have all the markings in her score from Ravel’s hands: what to do, what not to do. She also served as Marguerite Long’s assistant, in days when national schools of piano playing were very specific. I absorbed all the heritage and tradition of the French School through her. She also gave an important performance of Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3, which she coached with the composer. I have the score with those markings, as well. What a life she had, what tremendous people she knew. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

© Decca/Kasskara

I read somewhere that she spent quite a bit of time on technique. Yes...and no. She wanted you to play deeply into the keys, and with clarity. She had a solution for every technical challenge and clever practice devices for problem passages. It was not really the high-fingered playing that one often associates with the French School. She would rest her hand on mine and talk about arm weight and relaxation. We worked a lot on the use of the shoulder. But if you could do all these things, you got a lot more. She had a tremendous knowledge of the repertoire, and could always assign exactly the right piece at exactly the right time. She could change her approach to suit each student, or even the same student on different days. No matter how well you thought you knew a work, she could say something new and fresh. Everyone always felt comfortable with her, and she always had something to say, whether the student was a total beginner or an advanced pianist playing concerts. I later studied with Reine Gianoli.

Lucette Descaves The distinguished French pianist and teacher Lucette Descaves (19061993) played a key role in the development of French pianism. After a hand injury ended her solo career, she devoted herself to pedagogy. Beginning as an assistant at the Paris Conservatoire to Yves Nat and Marguerite Long, she later became a respected teacher of all ages in her own right—with stellar results. Besides Jean-Yves Thibaudet, she taught Katia and Marielle Labèque, Brigette Engerer, and Pascal Rogé, among many others. In her teaching, she stressed, first of all, sound. “I had to memorize all the orchestral versions of the Ravel works I studied with her,” says Thibaudet. “She wanted me to think always in terms of an orchestral concept, to the point of imitating specific instruments.” Some of her ideas on Ravel might strike American teachers as unconventional. “Ravel didn’t like the pedal,” she told Thibaudet, “especially when it’s held down for bar after bar. Ravel is not a Romantic!” And she had Ravel’s own scores, with markings in Ravel’s handwriting (“I remember the blue ink,” says Thibaudet) to prove it. Her method book, Novelle Méthode Le Couppey, which she co-wrote with the French educational composer Marie Claude (revised edition, Billaudot, 1981), is a contemporary reworking of Le Couppey’s ABC du piano and Alphabet combined. The songs by Mme. Claude are charming,


but especially useful are Descaves’s technical exercises. She begins with just two fingers, gradually expanding to the use of all five before introducing crossing. Each exercise stresses multiple repetitions of short patterns at both slow and fast tempi. Her ability to create clever drills was apparently endless. A slightly later method, L’Approche du Clavier par Lucette Descaves (Editions Combre, 1989), written with Nicole Moutard, has a whole different set of exercises from the same point of view. Her practice and performance directions are consistently interesting— ”sit with the elbows slightly below the black keys,” she counsels beginners. Always the focus is on fundamentals, especially proper use of relaxation; “without stiffness,” “very supple,” and “absolute flexibility” are directions found frequently. Descaves had a special interest in contemporary music. She performed the premieres of many works by French composers, with a special affinity for the works of André Jolivet. She played his Piano Concerto more than 100 times, a performance still available on YouTube. Her anthology Les Contemporains in four volumes (Billaudot, 1950-1952) contains a wellchosen and leveled selection of works by European composers, most unfamiliar to American teachers; some, perhaps, forgotten even by the French. They deserve to be revived—the fingering and interpretive markings are invaluable.

CLAVIER COMPANION

13

“ ” © James Cheadle

I was lucky, because in the beginning, you need one really good, solid teacher. The foundation must be carefully assembled—it’s hard work and needs to go step-by-step.

I heard an appealing recording Gianoli made of the Bach French Suite in D minor, recorded in 1951, I think. The tone was very beautiful and she made some interesting choices on repeats. This is not music one usually associates with French pianists, especially in the 1950s. Yes. Although her early studies were with Alfred Cortot and Yves Nat, she later studied with Edwin Fischer. With me, she focused mainly on the German school. I discovered a different way to understand Bach, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. She made some beautiful recordings, all of German composers. It’s a shame most are out-of-print—she was really good. And then you worked with Aldo Ciccolini. He is a tremendous pianist, person, and teacher—just an amazing human being! He comes from Naples, but his pianistic heritage is from the Argentinian school, with Vincente Scaramuzzo (the teacher of Daniel Barenboim’s father, Enrique), Martha Argerich,

14

CLAVIER COMPANION

and Bruno Leonardo Gelber, among others. All of them are technically phenomenal. Ciccolini traveled a lot—he would disappear for a couple of months. During those times, he would send me to other teachers. So I studied with every major piano teacher at the Paris Conservatory when I was there. Ciccolini never saw it as a threat. He gave students many opportunities. I was lucky, because in the beginning, you need one really good, solid teacher. The foundation must be carefully assembled—it’s hard work and needs to go step-by-step. But once you can put your hands on the piano, you need to gather more information. I had enormous respect for Mme. Descaves and went to see and play for her to the end of her life. She always had something interesting to say. My playing for other teachers is not saying anything bad about her. But I believe that a growing young artist needs a lot of different influences; you shouldn’t stay with only one teacher. It is important to have many viewpoints—you need to have that, it opens your mind. At the Paris Conservatory we had lots of masterclasses, with other musicians than just pianists. I loved those! Faculty violinists taught us and played chamber music with us. In those days it was amazing, just amazing. You perform a remarkably wide range of repertoire. Besides the traditional piano repertoire, you’ve made recordings of jazz works and movie soundtracks. You collaborate with singers and a wide range of string players. How do you select new projects? My father insisted that I have a well-rounded general education, in addition to my music studies. So I have a lot of interests besides just piano. I’m a good sight-reader, so I play through things quite quickly and well. I do listen to CDs and get ideas for programming there. And I have some key friends around the world who tell me about new works—they send scores and CDs. There are a few people who know everything about the musty corners of the piano repertoire. I’m quite lucky that they share their knowledge with me!


© James Cheadle

Your sense of style and elegance often draws comment. How does this fit into your artistry? I’m happy that they like what I am wearing! To me, this is an important part of the playing. I’ve been attracted to fashion since I was a kid—I liked interesting and unusual clothes. Over twentyfive years ago, I started wearing different kinds of clothes onstage. It was rare in those days. I was criticized at the beginning. But lots of younger colleagues are doing it now. Classical music needs a little help to make it more modern and appealing to young people. It shouldn’t feel like music from another age! Dressing like an eighteenth-century gentleman does not help. Current, fashionable clothing makes an audience feel closer to you. More young people are coming to concerts, but we have to keep building—it’s a lot of work.

The Internet has changed everything, of course. You can find things with ease that used to be inaccessible. In special cases, I play detective—I try to go to the source. I went to the Satie Foundation and visited the lady in charge there. She gave a lot of fantastic ideas and shared scores. No one had ever asked her before. The repertoire I choose mostly comes from my heart. They are works that excite me, they give joy, they are what I like. In the early stages of a career, you should play what your teacher says, even if you don’t totally enjoy it. It builds your basic knowledge. Later, you have to bring something special to each piece, something that you love about it. What projects are you tackling next? There are many, but I don’t know which one will go first. They are making far fewer recordings than we used to do. So each has to be even more unique. There is no room for just another CD! My last big one was all Gershwin. I played the jazz band arrangements of Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F and the I’ve Got Rhythm Variations with the Baltimore Symphony. I was very happy with it. Nothing is definite, but my dream is to record the Khachaturian Piano Concerto. It must happen. It’s a remarkable piece. Kapell was the last big pianist to play it, and it’s due for a new recording. This year, of course, I have a big Liszt project for his bicentennial. Liszt pieces were favorites since I was a kid. I’m playing a solo recital, doing the Liszt songs with Angelika Kirchschlager, and the concerti. What’s your practice routine? I warm up every morning, just like an athlete. Even the greatest sportsmen have to do this! The muscles are alive—you cannot just torture them. I do 10-15 minutes of Hanon by memory, scales in thirds, sixths, tenths and octaves, and arpeggios and octave exercises. One full scale takes ten minutes—I start slowly, and then get faster. It’s fun, really. The rest of my routine varies with the work I have to do. It depends on what is coming up—some days I practice enormously (6-7 hours rarely), others less. It depends on what I feel like. What is important is concentration. Two hours is better than ten hours thinking of something else. Take breaks—not every five minutes, but maybe once an hour. Be into what you are doing. Otherwise, forget it! 16

CLAVIER COMPANION

I know you give frequent master classes. It’s always easy to be a master class teacher. It’s like being a guest conductor. Everyone thinks you’re the greatest, you make a big splash and then go home. But one always has to remember that someone else is doing the hard daily work. In the short time I am given, I try to plant seeds. I remember my own experience—some classes I have remembered for the rest of my life. That’s what I hope to do for students who play for me. I guide, suggest, give direction, and share the love I have for the instrument. Sometimes I can help with technical things. I often see and hear a difference—that’s fantastic! It makes me feel that it was worth doing, that I made a difference and didn’t waste their time. It’s an enormous reward. Just for that, teaching is very special. Renée Fleming said you have a knack of always getting the best hotel rooms. What’s your secret? [Laughs] Experience. And organization. I keep files on what I really like—menus, notes for favorite clubs, great shops. I’m interested and I enjoy unique things. Including nice hotel rooms! When I come back to a favorite hotel, I ask for the special room. I also make a point to have good relations with hoteliers. They are wonderful people who have become friends. They let their colleagues around the world know and I get good treatment. p All photos courtesy of Decca.Cover photo © Decca/Kasskara.

Scott McBride Smith is the Cordelia Brown Murphy Professor at the University of Kansas. A recognized leader in music education, his philosophical and cognitive approach, combined with a sense of humor, has made him an audience favorite around the world. His numerous practical initiatives to improve today’s piano lesson experience include the series American Popular Piano and the summer program International Institute for Young Musicians.


18

CLAVIER COMPANION


The story of music on board the

RMS TITANIC by Rebekah Maxner

I

t was to be an unforgettable voyage. The RMS Titanic was a ship orchestrated to be grander than any other. For those who designed her she was an achievement of the modern age. For the citizens of Belfast, Ireland, who built her, she was a point of pride. For those who booked passage she was a ship that launched a new life in America, or gave passage home from a European vacation. But no one could have imagined the Titanic as center stage of a great tragedy. Music played a significant part in the history of the Titanic, from the time of the ship’s design to the hours of her sinking. The musical legacy extended to fundraising concerts that were performed in the aftermath of the tragedy. It is through the Titanic’s music that we now revisit this story in its centennial year. Music was designed into the very fabric of the ship. There were six pianos on board: one in Third Class, two in Second Class, and three in First Class. The Third Class piano was an upright of unknown origin and manufacture. The Second and First Class pianos were ordered direct from the Steinway

CLAVIER COMPANION

19

factory “rough,” meaning they had unfinished the ship, and the Steinway pianos were The RMS Olympic’s Second Class staircase, as seen from the landing cases and were missing components such as the installed in these places. As the builders and between B and C decks. At the lower fallboard, pedal lyre, book rest, and legs. These the finishing carpenters completed the lastleft is the piano for C Deck. The base were specially crafted by carpenters, who, after minute details on Titanic, the pianos were of the main mast is seen penetrating delivery, finished each piano with fine wood or brought on board, some on March 14, others the decks. The Olympic was a sister on March 18, about three weeks prior to the veneer to complement the décor of the room in ship of the Titanic, and is reflective departure date of the maiden voyage.3 which the piano was to be installed.1 how these areas appeared on the of Even though the hired musicians would never On April 10, 1912, RMS Titanic sailed out Titanic. play in Third Class, an upright piano was providof Southampton, England. Each passenger in ed so passengers could play for their own enterthe First and Second Classes received a small tainment. It was located in the General Room, a booklet entitled White Star Line MUSIC. cheery place with long wooden benches, clean Commonly known as The White Star Line Songbook, it listed the titles and composers of 341 numbers. Besides white walls, and red-patterned floor tiles. Sheet music was all the these there were musical categories such as “National Anthems, rage at the time, and it was common for people to gather round a Hymns etc., of all nations” and “Strauss Waltzes.”4 It is unknown piano to sing and play favorite tunes. Many Third Class passengers how many titles in sheet music the hired musicians had available to traveled with their own instruments as well. Eugene Daly, an them. Irishman, had his uilleann pipes aboard and was seen pacing at the Among those who embarked were eight musicians who traveled stern of the ship playing “Erin’s Lament.”2 In the ship’s plan, the performance venues in First and Second as Second Class passengers, men who carried instrument boxes Class were located in areas where the music would carry throughout along with their luggage. The band had been specially selected by a 20

CLAVIER COMPANION


music agency, C. W. & F. N. Black. Some had experience performing on ocean liners, and others stepped onto Titanic’s deck for their first gig on the open sea. Free passage and meals were part of their compensation, plus a small monthly wage. Their true earnings would come from tips. It was typical in 1912 for hotel musicians to play in places where they could not be seen by their listeners, often behind plants (thus the term “palm court musician”). This was not the case on the Titanic. The pianos were themselves showpieces, on full display in each room. The intention here was for the musicians to be heard and seen, the music part of the ship’s luxury. However, there was a professional distance between the band and the passengers, who would have known the musicians by sight only, not by name. Second Class had one area for performances located in the friend heard from the stairs. Buss developed a entrance foyer on C Deck. A five-piece band The RMS Olympic’s First Class fondness for the band’s cellist and wanted to ask played here three times daily: 10:00-11:00 a.m., Entrance Hall piano, a Steinway him to play a solo, but she had trouble getting 5:00-6:00 p.m., and 9:15-10:15 p.m.5 The piano model R upright. This piano was located at the Boat Deck entrance was a Steinway Model K upright, tucked in up the nerve to speak to him directly. She wrote, at the top of the Grand Staircase. beside the footings of the main mast, out of the “The Cello Man is a favorite of mine. Every way of passersby, but in a prime spot for concerts. time he finishes a piece he looks at me and we When the doors were opened the music would smile.” 6 Another passenger, Juliette Laroche, recounted in a letter, “I am writing from the reading room: there is spill out onto the deck, into the Second Class Library, and down a concert in here, near me, one violin, two cellos, one piano.”7 the oak stairwell to all levels. It was a call for passengers to gather First Class passengers also heard the five-piece band perform together, to divert their attention for a while. three times a day, but in two main venues. The first was at the top Kate Buss, a Second Class passenger, recalled a concert she and a


CLAVIER COMPANION

21

Below: Pages from the menu for the First Class Dining Saloon on the evening of April 14, the night of the collision. Top: On the cover is an image of the à la carte Restaurant’s Reception Room, inviting passengers to explore the ship. Middle: This page, found on victim George Graham’s body, contains the signatures of men who dined together that evening.

Artist’s impression of the of Titanic’s famous Grand Helen Churchill Candee, an Restaurant Reception Room Staircase. The piano was a American writer who sailed in on B Deck, where the string Steinway Model R upright. First Class, published her memotrio played. The doors to the It had gorgeous detailing ries of listening to the band in Café Parisien are visible in and a bench that matched the Reception Room: the background. the upholstery of the foyer’s ...after dinner there was chairs. 8 The band percoffee served to all at little formed here each day from tables around the great 11:00 a.m. until noon. At this time of day the general lounging place, for here the sun shone in through the ornate glass dome orchestra played. overhead. This was a Boat Deck entrance, and Some said it was poor on its Wagner again, strains of the music would have been work, others said the violin was weak. heard outside and down the staircase. But that was for conversation’s sake, for First Class performances also took place in nothing on board was more popular the Reception Room outside the Dining than the orchestra. You could see that Saloon on D Deck from 4:00-5:00 p.m. and by the way everyone refused to leave it. 8:00-9:15 p.m. Here was Titanic’s crowning And everyone asked of it some favorite jewel: a Steinway Model B Drawing Room hit. The prettiest girl asked for dance grand piano. The piano itself was an artisan’s music, and clocked her satin heels and masterpiece, finished with mahogany veneers swayed her adolescent arms to the offset by other exotic woods in a design of rhythm. He of the two who had walked exquisite marquetry. It stood out in contrast the deck [Hugh Woolner] asked for against the white paneled walls of the room, Dvoˇrák, while she asked for Puccini, and was complemented by matching music and both got their liking, for the stands and a cabinet for sheet music storage.9 orchestra was adroit and willing.10

22

CLAVIER COMPANION


There was one additional performance venue on the Titanic, one that was not fitted with a piano. Titanic had a second band that performed in the First Class Reception Room on B Deck outside the à la carte Restaurant and Café Parisien. This band was a string trio, and its musicians performed exclusively in this First Class area.11 An aft staircase, similar to the Grand Staircase, led to the Reception Room, which was an expansive landing outside the restaurants. First Class passengers who descended the stairs would have heard the music of the trio before they even breathed in the aromas of the kitchen. Only the elite of Titanic’s First Class chose to dine in this area, as these meals were an additional charge on top of the already pricey tickets. Besides the performance pianos, both the First and Second Class Dining Saloons were fitted with upright Steinways, the First Class piano a Model R, the Second Class, a Model K. These too were “art JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

23

case” pianos finished to complement the décor of the There were rumors in First Class that Bruce First Class Reception Room rooms. As the hired band did not perform in the Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line, had piano, music stands, and saloons during meals, these pianos were in place prishown off a wireless message that warned of cabinet, located on the D marily for Divine Service on Sundays.12 icebergs and made a joke that they would Deck of the RMS Olympic. On Sunday, April 14, there were several things on “...put on more steam and run away from passengers’ minds: the sudden drop in temperature; a them.”15 Depending on where passengers found themselves Sunday night they sang hymns or sipped hot drinks as benefit concert to be put on by passengers the following evening they listened to the band. (Monday April 15) for children who had been orphaned by the sea; Robert Norman, a Scottish engineer, played the piano for an wireless messages written and sent to relatives and friends; and informal Sunday night hymn sing in the Second Class Dining hymn sings and services that were being organized in First and Saloon. Lawrence Beesley recalled the hushed tones with which Second Classes. the congregation sang The Mariner’s Hymn, “...for those in peril on At 10:30 a.m. First Class passengers held a service in their the sea.”16 Dining Saloon. Colonel Archibald Gracie recalled singing Oh God The five-piece band performed their evening concert in the First Our Help in Ages Past and feeling the poignancy of the words. 13 Passengers spent the afternoon in the writing room and library, Class Reception Room outside the Dining Saloon. Colonel discussing the speed of the Titanic and whether they would arrive Archibald Gracie was in attendance with his friends, where he lisin New York on Wednesday morning or as early as Tuesday night.14 tened to the “always delightful music” and appreciated the parade 24

CLAVIER COMPANION


Titanic’s five-piece band:

Wallace Hartley, violinist from Colne, England, age 33. He became known as the one who led the band, in the final moments, in the playing of Nearer, My God, to Thee. On the Titanic, he had been bandleader of the five-piece band. His body was recovered from the sea (No. 224) and returned to Colne, where he was given a funeral that received international press coverage.31 This voyage was planned as his last before he gave up the sea to marry. Percy Cornelius Taylor, instrument unconfirmed, London, England, age 40. He was the only musician who was married, though estranged from his wife. He was usually listed as Titanic’s second pianist, though it is now thought the ship had only one. There is little known about him; there were no obituaries printed for him or relatives who spoke of him to the press.32 This was his first voyage as a bandsman, and his body was not recovered. John Wesley (Wes) Woodward, cellist from Hill Top, England, age 32. He was a well-traveled musician and a favorite wherever he went. Prior to being selected to play on Titanic he had performed in a Jamaican hotel, in bands, orchestras, and in hotels in England, as well as on steamers. He played in the five-piece band. Perhaps it was he who smiled at Kate Buss. His body was not recovered. John F.P. (Fred) Clarke, double bassist from Manchester, England, age 28. Prior to joining Titanic’s maiden voyage (also his first voyage as a bandsman), Clarke had had extensive experience playing in symphonies and pit orchestras in Liverpool and Birkenhead. His body was recovered (No. 202) and buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.33 William Theodore (Theo) Brailey, pianist from Essex, England, age 24. As a teenager he joined the army to play in the band and was educated at the Royal Military School of Music in England. He was noted as an exceptionally good performer on the piano. He was engaged to wed when he joined Titanic’s five-piece band, and he was planning to end his sailing days after a few more trips. His body was not recovered.

of many beautiful women who were in full formal attire. The Countess of Rothes noted that the last piece played was from Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman.17 At the close of the performance Helen Churchill Candee remembered, “Folk drifted off to their cabins, with happy ‘see-you-in-themornings,’ until a group formed itself alone, and the only sounds the musicians made were those of instruments being shut in their velvet beds.”18 The Quintet then performed in the Second Class entrance foyer. Kate Buss made her way to the performance after attending the hymn sing. “That night,” Buss remembered, “the pianist had asked me if I would mind taking round the subJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

scription, as I had appreciated the music.” Later, “I saw the pianist as I was going to bed, and I promised.” (“Taking the subscription” refers to collecting tips that would be presented to the musicians on the last day of the voyage.) The à la carte Restaurant and Café Parisien were open all hours. Mahala Douglas dined in the restaurant that Sunday night, going in at about 8 o’clock, and heard the musicians playing in the corridor outside.19 Violet Jessop, a First Class stewardess, also heard the trio’s performance in passing. “On that Sunday evening, the music was at its gayest, led by young Jock the first violin; when I ran into him during the interval [smoke break], he laughingly called out to me in his rich Scotch accent, that he was about to give them a ‘real tune, a Scotch tune, to finish up with.’”20 After the trio finished their lively performance, patrons lingered in the restaurant and café. Hugh Woolner recalled sitting with a party of about six, drinking hot whisky and water.

It had suddenly become very cold in the lounge [Reception Room] and restaurant and the lady of our party had gone off to her room. Then we men strolled up just above to the smoking room and had been seated only a few minutes when there came a heavy grinding sort of shock beginning far ahead of us in the bows and rapidly passing along the ship and away under our feet. Everyone sprang up and ran out through the swing doors astern. A man in front of me called out that he had seen an iceberg towering fifty feet above the deck, which was 100 feet above the sea, and passing astern.21 At 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, a sudden stillness filled every cabin of the great steamer. It was the silence of the engines, which had stopped. Violet Jessop, who had retired for the night, got dressed once again and made her way along a corridor. “As I turned, I ran CLAVIER COMPANION

25

Titanic’s trio:

into Jock (the bandleader) and his crowd with their instruments. ‘Funny, they must be going to play,’ thought I, and at this late hour! Jock smiled in passing, looking rather pale for him, remarking, ‘Just going to give them a tune to cheer things up a bit,’ and passed on. Presently the strains of the band reached me faintly as I stood on deck watching....”22 The musicians began playing at about 12:15 a.m. at the top of the Grand Staircase. They were dressed in their regular uniforms with green facings, giving the impression that all was normal. Only for this performance the electric lights were all ablaze and it was the star-studded black night beyond the ornate glass dome. Jack Thayer remembered that the crowd was restless, milling in and out of the foyer, not paying much attention to the music.23 It filtered down the staircase and out onto the decks. Colonel Gracie on A Deck heard it well. There was a door that led from the top of the Grand Staircase to the forward part of the ship where officers worked. Just one turn down this corridor was the Marconi room, where the wireless operators had been sending the distress signals C.Q.D. and S.O.S. since 11:55 p.m. Harold Bride, assistant operator, heard the band’s music “...first while we were working wireless, when there was a ragtime tune for us....”24 Most passengers reflected the state of the ship, calm on the surface but with a deepening turmoil churning underneath. The band was playing Alexander’s Ragtime Band as May Futrelle stood discussing the situation with her husband and other First Class pas-

26

CLAVIER COMPANION

John Law ( Jock) Hume, violinist from Dumfries, Scotland, age 21. For one hundred years his role on Titanic has been misunderstood, but he was correctly identified by stewardess Violet Jessop as First violin and bandleader. On Titanic he led the string trio, which played next to the restaurants. In Jessop’s words, “Always so eager and full of life was Jock.”34 His body was recovered (No. 193) and buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.35 Jock had been engaged to Mary Costin, and on October 18, 1912, she gave birth to his daughter, Johnann.36 Roger Bricoux, cellist from Cosne-sur-Loire, France, age 20. He was educated in fine conservatories, including Mozart’s alma mater, Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, Italy. 37 Bricoux found professional work in Leeds, England, and then on liners prior to joining Titanic’s string trio. His accent also added a touch of authenticity to the Café’s atmosphere. His body was not recovered. Georges Alexandre Krins, violinist from Spa, Belgium, age 23. He was educated at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Liège, where he won prizes in performance and theory, and went on to a performance career in Spa, Paris, and then at the Ritz Hotel in London. He was chosen for Titanic’s trio as his French accent added to the Continental flavor of the restaurants. His body was not recovered. Titanic’s voyage was his first.


sengers. Suddenly a black-faced group of stokers burst up the stairs from the depths of the hold. “In a moment we understood that the situation was desperate, that the compartments had refused to hold back the rush of water.”25 The order went out that women and children were to go to the promenade on A Deck. As Second Officer Herbert Lightoller loaded lifeboat No. 6 he “...could hear the band playing cheery sort of music. I don’t like jazz music as a rule, but I was glad to hear it that night. I think it helped us all.”26 American philanthropist Margaret Brown was in lifeboat No. 6. As the boat was lowered she was “...conscious of strains of music being wafted on the night air....”27 By 1:45 a.m. the musicians had put on their lifebelts and continued to play. Meanwhile, the scene was unfolding like a bad dream. The women and children were separated from the men. Lifeboats were loaded and lowered, many with empty spaces. And the band kept playing. They played beyond the point of hope for sur-


vival. William Sloper recalled, “Some of the rescued people who were the last to leave the ship told me that when they left the orchestra was playing...and that it was brave but ghastly to hear them.”28 Captain Smith released the wireless operators from duty at 2:10 a.m. Harold Bride struggled with other men to disentangle one of the last collapsible lifeboats. At 2:17 the bow was awash and the lifeboat floated free upside-down with

Bride on top. “She was a beautiful sight then,” he remembered looking back at the ship. “Smoke and sparks were rushing out of her funnel.... The ship was gradually turning on her nose.... The band was still playing. I guess all of the band went down. They were playing Autumn then.”29 At least two men who went down with the ship (and survived) noticed that the band had stopped playing moments before the final plunge: “...when I first came on

CLAVIER COMPANION

27

deck,” A. H. Barkworth wrote, “the The unselfish actions of Titanic’s band band was playing a waltz. The next had touched a deep chord with many peotime I passed ... the members had ple. The Titanic, initially a symbol of thrown down their instruments, and man’s highest accomplishment, had were not to be seen.”30 It should be instead become a symbol of pride before a noted that when the band stopped all fall. But out of the depths of the disaster the lifeboats were gone and they had had arisen this new hope for humanity. about three minutes to spare. RMS The stories that were told of Wallace Titanic sank at approximately 2:20 Hartley’s belief that music could buoy a.m. All eight bandsmen were lost. spirits and maintain calm in the face of To the last, the band remained the unknown restored faith in human anonymous. Not one passenger nature. If the normal human reactions to account mentioned them by name. adversity are “fight or flight,” Titanic’s But in the early days of press coverband demonstrated that, through music, The RMS Olympic’s First Class Dining Saloon there is a third, more elevated choice. In age, they emerged as heroes, having Piano, a Steinway Model R upright. The marquetry the face of death they had given their gift, sacrificed everything for the sake of and barley-twist legs were borrowed directly from the their musical offering, in the hopes that others. Many survivors testified that Reception Room grand. This piano was used primariothers might be saved. p from their lifeboats they had heard ly for accompaniment during Divine Services on Nearer, My God, To Thee as the final Sunday mornings. number. This gave a measure of comRebekah Maxner is the composer and fort to all who lost someone. The arranger of five piano books. Her latest public wanted to know: Who were publications, entitled TITANIC, A Voyage these eight brave men? in Piano Music, contain leveled arrangements of music that was heard As weeks passed, the public became aware that the band they on the RMS Titanic. Her bestselling book of piano solos, Old admired was not covered by Workmen’s Compensation. As Second MacDonald had the Blues, has received accolades from reviewers, Class passengers, they had not officially sailed as crew. On the teachers and (most importantly) children. The Color Collection night of the sinking, Captain Smith had not given the order for the (piano solos) and Jolly Pachelbel (a student-teacher Christmas duet) band to play, nor did he relieve them of their post near the end, for have also become studio recital favorites. they were not under his command. The public understood that the Rebekah received her Bachelor of Music from Acadia University in band had chosen to act as they did. 1995, having studied piano with John Hansen and composition with There was a public outcry to give some compensation to the Owen Stephens. A member of the composers' collective Red Leaf families of the eight musicians who had died. Benefit concerts were Pianoworks and the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers' organized on both sides of the Atlantic. The one held in Royal Association, Rebekah is an active presenter, adjudicator, studio teacher, Albert Hall, London, on May 24 was performed by an amalgamaand, at home with her husband, mother of three beautiful children. tion of seven orchestras, seven conductors taking turns, Sir Edward Elgar being one. 1

Beveridge, B., Andrews, S., Hall, S., & Klistorner, D. (2008). Titanic: The Ship Magnificent Volume Two: Interior Design and Fitting Out. (Braunschweiger, A., Ed.). Stoud, Gloucestershire: The History Press, p. 130. 2 Molony, S. (2000). The Irish Aboard Titanic. Dublin: Wolfhound Press, p. 8. 3 Beveridge, p. 135. 4 White Star Line MUSIC (Reproduction, 1999). Indian Orchard, MA: Titanic Historical Society, pp. 1-8. 5 Beveridge, p. 27. 6 Behe, G. (2011). On Board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. Lexington, KY: Lulu.com Press, p. 94. 7 Ibid., p. 104. 8 Beveridge, p. 131. 9 Ibid., p. 132. 10 Candee, H. (1912). “Sealed Orders.” Collier’s Weekly Magazine, May 4. 11 Beveridge, p. 282. 12 Ibid., p. 133. 13 Turner, S. (2011). The Band That Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, p. 131.

28

CLAVIER COMPANION

14

Beesley, L. (1960). “The Loss of the S.S. Titanic: Its Story and Its Lessons.” From The Story of the TITANIC as told by its Survivors. (Winocour, J., Ed.). New York: Dover, p. 22. 15 Behe, p. 277. 16 Beesley, p. 24. 17 Turner, p. 132. 18 Candee. 19 Behe, p. 278. 20 Jessop, V. (1997). Titanic Survivor. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Sheridan House, p. 124. 21 Behe, p. 179. 22 Jessop, p. 129. 23 Barczewski, S. (2004). Titanic: A Night Remembered. New York: Hambledon Continuum, p. 132. 24 Bride, H. (1912). “The Thrilling Tale by Titanic’s Surviving Wireless Man.” The New York Times, April 28. In Winocour, Ed., p. 320. 25 Behe, p. 290. 26 Turner, p. 141. 27 Behe, p. 219. 28 Ibid., p. 176.

29

Bride, in Winocour, Ed., pp. 317-318. Barczewski, p. 132. 31 Beed, B. (2001). Titanic Victims in Halifax Graveyards. Dtours Visitors and Convention Service: Halifax, Canada, p. 59. 32 Turner, p. 101. 33 Beed, p. 118. 34 Jessop, p. 124. 35 Beed, pp. 95-96. 36 Ward, C. (2011). And the Band Played On. London: Hodder & Stoughton, p. 169. 37 Turner, p. 51. 30

Photos and images on pages 20, 21, 22-23, 24-25, and 28 courtesy of the White Star Photo Library. Used with permission. All Rights Reserved. Titanic Menu on page 22 courtesy of Sears Canada, Inc. Used with permission. All Rights Reserved.


The

enchanted world of piano

fairy tales by Ellen Schorsch hroughout their long history, fairy tales have fascinated people the world over. Their multi-generational appeal contradicts the notion that they are solely for children. Composers have been inspired by fairy tales to write music in various genres, including a wealth of piano pieces at varying levels of difficulty. Studying such pieces can bring motivation and imagery to the learning experience. The music of the French Rococo period contains instrumental and vocal works relating to myths, ancient forerunners of fairy tales. The Classical era, focused on rational explanations and emotional restraint, was unreceptive to using stories of fantasy and magic as subject matter. The nineteenth century was a favorable time for fairy tales. Romanticism had an affinity with the supernatural, nationalism, and the Middle Ages. All of these traits fostered interest in enchantment and fairy lore. The brothers Grimm ( Jacob and Wilhelm) were instrumental in promoting fairy tales as a national force—many of the works in their collections relate to the culture of a specific time and place. These stories have even woven themselves into the national identity of many countries. Other important fairy tales from the Western tradition include those of Charles Perrault (Mother Goose Tales) and Hans Christian Andersen.

t 30

CLAVIER COMPANION


Romantic reverence for fairy tales was reflected in piano literature. Pieces based on these stories had their effective beginning in the nineteenth century. The use of traditional tales as subject matter for piano music has persisted until the present day. Robert Schumann’s (1810-1856) “Scheherazade,” from Album for the Young (Op. 68, No. 32), draws its inspiration from the “One Thousand and One Nights” of Oriental tradition. This piece, in A minor, is to be played “rather slowly, gently.” It consists of two sections of uneven lengths, both with repeats. Arpeggios and inner voicing in the right hand provide technical and musical challenges for young students (see Excerpt 1).


Excerpt 1: Schumann: “Scheherazade,” from Album for the Young, Op. 68, No. 32, mm. 1-4.

CLAVIER COMPANION

31

Another intermediate piece is Edward MacDowell’s (18601908) “Sung Outside the Prince’s Door” from Forgotten Fairy Tales, Op. 4, No. 1. This piece was published under MacDowell’s pseudonym, Edgar Thorn. MacDowell did not specify a source for this piece, but it may have been a Celtic tale entitled “The Brown Bear of Norway.” Written in G-flat major, this piece is in three-part form. MacDowell’s instructions provide imagery that may help a student interpret the story. Where the composer has written “softly, wistfully,” a princess may be singing (see Excerpt 2). In another section, MacDowell indicates “pleadingly,” possibly to refer to the princess imploring her husband, both a prince and an enchanted bear in the story, to remember her. Five measures before the end, MacDowell preempts the final cadence by inserting a measure rest with a fermata. This may be regarded as a resignation that the prince is not going to awaken to hear the princess’s song and that her plea has failed. Following, there is a pianissimo coda.

other supernatural beings or animals with human traits. Animal stories of fables are part of every culture and one of the most popular and endearing examples is Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. “Morning Song in the Jungle” is piece No. 4 in Cyril Scott’s (1879-1970) Impressions from The Jungle Book. It is in three-part form and includes changing meters. This may not be a piece for small hands—the principal theme in the right hand is presented in octaves, while the left hand contains stretches up to a tenth. “Morning Song” is restful, relating to preparation for sleep, since the animals, after hunting at night, are going “to lair,” as described in Kipling’s Second Jungle Book (see Excerpt 3). Excerpt 3: Scott: “Morning Song in the Jungle,” from Impressions from The Jungle Book, mm. 1-9.

Excerpt 2: MacDowell: “Sung Outside the Prince’s Door,” from Forgotten Fairy Tales, Op. 4, No. 1, mm. 1-6.

The story has a happy ending after the princess sees to it that her husband is not given a sleeping potion. He hears her song, and is eventually reunited with his family. Fairy tales do not necessarily contain fairies. They may contain

Additional Fairy Tale Pieces Debussy: “What the West Wind Saw,” “Puck’s Dance,” and “The Fairies are Exquisite Dancers” from Preludes, Books I and II. Grieg: “Puck,” “March of the Dwarfs,” “Dance of the Elves,” and “Wedding Day at Troldhaugen” from Lyric Pieces. Kabalevsky: “A Little Fable” and “Fairy Tale” from Thirty Children’s Pieces, Op. 27. Liszt: “Gnomemreigen” from Two Concert Etudes, S145. Mussorgsky: “Gnomes” and “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” from Pictures at an Exhibition. Prokofiev: Tales of the Old Grandmother, Op. 31. Ravel: “Scarbo” from Gaspard de la Nuit. Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16; Fantasiestücke, Op. 12 and Op. 111; Nachstücke, Op. 23; “ The Elf ” from Albumblätter, Op. 124, No. 7. Seeger, Ruth Crawford: The Adventures of Tom Thumb (six pieces for piano and narrator). Stravinsky, Soulima. “Cinderella,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and “The Sleeping Beauty” from Three Fairy Tales.

32

CLAVIER COMPANION

Another popular work about animals is Jean de Brunhoff ’s series of French children’s books about Babar the Elephant. This series, begun in 1933, was continued by the author’s son, Laurent de Brunhoff. One day in 1940, a young cousin put Jean de Brunhoff ’s story on the piano and asked Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) to play it. He obliged, but he didn’t write down the result. He only notated the piece five years later, when the same cousin repeated her request! Poulenc’s The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant was originally written for narrator and piano, and it was later orchestrated by Jean Françaix. It is a moderately difficult work in thirteen movements. Ravel’s (1875-1937) Mother Goose Suite for piano duet was originally written for Jean and Mimi Godebski, children of friends, but this piece did not succeed in motivating the girls to practice, as Ravel had intended. Instead, its premiere performance was given by two students at the Paris Conservatoire: Christine Verger, age six, and Germaine Duramy, age ten. One of the pieces, “Pavane for a Sleeping Beauty,” does not possess technical problems and is appropriate for intermediate students with good interpretative skills (see Excerpt 4). Excerpt 4: Ravel: “Pavane for a Sleeping Beauty,” from Mother Goose Suite, mm. 1-4, Secondo.

Rachmaninoff ’s (1873-1943) “The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf,” from Etudes-Tableaux (Study Pictures), and Nickolai Medtner’s (1880-1951) Fairy Tales are examples of fairy tale-inspired pieces that are not necessarily to be played by children. Rachmaninoff ’s Etude-Tableau, Op. 39, No. 6, was inspired by the Tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, but this was not JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

initially revealed by the composer. When questioned about possible programmatic connections in the Etudes-Tableaux, Rachmaninoff replied, “I do not believe in the artist disclosing too much of the images. Let them [pianists, audiences] paint for themselves what it most suggests.”1 It was only after Ottorino Respighi orchestrated five of these pieces for the Boston Symphony Orchestra that Rachmaninoff supplied titles. In this virtuoso etude reminiscent of the demonic style of Liszt and Scriabin, there are many passages that suggest chase scenes. In the introduction, triplet chromatic scales heighten the sense of urgency (see Excerpt 5). These patterns reappear in the first section, along with broken chords. The opening melody of the second section recalls the “Dies Irae” theme (see Excerpt 6). After a repeat of the first section, the piece concludes with the chromatic passages from the introduction. Excerpt 5: Rachmaninoff: “The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf,” from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39, No. 6, mm. 1-5.

Excerpt 7: Medtner: Four Tales, Op. 26, No. 3, mm. 1-6.

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) launched the nationalist movement in Brazil, breaking away from European tradition. He described his prolific output as “the fruits of an extensive, generous, and warm land.”3 Many of his pieces are geared to children. One of the four pieces in his early intermediate Fairy Tales is “And the Little Princess Was Dancing.” Written in rondo form (ABACA) with eight-measure divisions, it employs a variety of touches to project images of a ballerina, beginning with staccato in its “A” section (see Excerpt 8). Excerpt 8: Villa-Lobos: “And the Little Princess Was Dancing,” from Fairy Tales, mm. 1-4.

Excerpt 6: Rachmaninoff: “The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf,” from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39, No. 6, mm. 36-40.

Rachmaninoff exclaimed, after hearing a performance of Medtner’s Op. 51 Skazki (Russian fairy tales), “No one tells such tales as Kolya!”2 Indeed, Medtner is likely the foremost composer of fairy tales for the piano. His skazki are the most significant part of his output. They are neglected, however, dismissed by many as anachronisms, since his neo-romantic style did not embrace contemporary trends. His fairy tales have become better known through the recordings of Hamish Milne and Marc-André Hamelin. Medtner published approximately forty tales in thirteen opus numbers, including a Sonata-Skazka, Op. 25, No. 1. There is also a skazka without an opus number (between Op. 31 and Op. 34). His skazki include “Ophelia’s Song” and “March of the Paladin” from Two Tales, Op. 14; “Campanella” from Two Tales, Op. 20, No. 2; “Magic Violin,” Op. 34, No. 1; Op. 35, No. 4, prefaced by a quote from King Lear; “Tale of the Elves,” Op. 48, No. 2, and “Bird’s Tale,” “The Organ Grinder,” and “The Beggar” from Romantic Sketches for the Young, Op. 54. However, most of Medtner’s skazki do not contain programmatic associations. These pieces are characterized by intense harmony and complex polyrhythms. Most may be classified as moderately difficult to difficult. One of the easier and shorter pieces is the untitled No. 3 in F minor from Four Tales, Op. 26. It has a lyrical, narrative quality (narrante a piacere) and is in three-part form with coda (see Excerpt 7). The second half of the fourth measure from Excerpt 7 forms the basis of the coda. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

33

Like Villa-Lobos, Octavio Pinto (1890-1950) was a native of Brazil. His Tom Thumb’s March and Renato Bellini’s (1895-1957) Pinocchio are contained in the G. Schirmer collection 51 Pieces from the Modern Repertoire. The children’s story, The Adventures of Pinocchio, was written in 1883 by Carlo Collodi, the nom de plume of Carlo Lorenzi, a native of Florence, Italy. Bellini, an Italian composer noted mainly for his voice teaching, wrote the piece Pinocchio, with homage to Collodi. Marked vivace et spiritoso, it is in three-part form, with the first part (see Excerpt 9) containing forty-eight measures and a short, contrasting section of nine measures.

Aaron Alon (b. 1981) wrote Fairy Tales in 2006 under commission from the Renée B. Fisher Competition for Young Pianists. Changing moods and tempos imply different “tales,” such as “Mysteriously” (see Excerpt 10) and “With wonder” (see Excerpt 11). Excerpt 10: Alon: Fairy Tales, mm. 1-3.

Excerpt 9: Bellini: Pinocchio, mm. 1-4. Excerpt 11: Alon: Fairy Tales, mm. 7-8.

Douglas Moore (1893-1969) composed The Princess and the Pea, a late-elementary piece based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. It bears the instruction “A Drowsy Waltz,” for the first section, and “Faster and Agitated,” when the story becomes more intense. This piece, along with Dmitri Shostakovich’s (1906-1976) A Sad Fairy Tale, is in the collection, Contemporary Piano Literature, Books 3-4, of the Frances Clark Library for Piano Students, published by Alfred.

Quoting from Alon’s performance notes: The music seeks to capture the mysterious magic of fairy tales without referencing any particular stories. The piece is essentially a rondo, whose refrain continually evolves throughout the piece, often borrowing material from the preceding episodes. The piece offers some contemporary challenges to talented young players, including tonal ambiguity, complex rhythms, shifting meters, use of the sostenuto pedal, and one instance (measure thirty-one) where the pianist may elect to play an optional three measures.4 Thus, in the twenty-first century, piano fairy tales continue to evoke an enchanted world: one of beautiful princesses, mischievous creatures, and remarkable animals. Through this music, we are able to relive the stories that have delighted children and adults for centuries. p Ellen Schorsch has given many piano recitals as soloist and accompanist, with a specialty in lecture-recitals. Articles based on her programs, “Musical Lessons for Adults in Exciting Lecture-Recitals” and “Literary Inspirations” have appeared in Clavier. Ellen has also played piano and harpsichord with the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra and maintains a private piano studio in Waynesboro, Virginia. She holds degrees in music and music education from Brooklyn College and Boston University, and a Master’s degree in piano performance from James Madison University. Her piano teachers have included Harvey Wedeen, Leon Tumarkin, Helen Ininger, and Marjorie Mitchell. 1

Bertensson, S. and Leyda, J. (1956). Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music Bloomington, IN:Indiana University Press, p. 218. 2 Milne, H. (2001). Foreword to Nickolai Medtner: Complete Fairy Tales for Piano. New York: Dover Publications, Inc, p. vii. 3 Retrieved from http://www.musicacademyonline.com/composer/biographies.php?bid=136. 4 Alon, A. (2011). Retrieved from http://aaronalon.com/?page_id=83.

PINOCCHIO by Renato Bellini. Copyright © 1940 (Renewed) by G. Schirmer, Inc. (ASCAP). International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

34

CLAVIER COMPANION


Jazz & Pop

Lee Evans, Ed.D. is professor of music at NYC's Pace University. His most recent solo-piano publications for The FJH Music Company include the late beginner/early intermediate level Color Me Jazz, Books 1 and 2; Ole! Original Latin-American Dance Music; and Fiesta! Original Latin-American Piano Solos, both at the intermediate/upper intermediate level. Additionally, along with four co-authors, including Dr. James Lyke, Dr. Evans is a composer/author/arranger of Keyboard Fundamentals, 6th Edition (Stipes Publishing), a formerly two but now onevolume beginning piano method for adult beginners, to be published in March 2012.

It’s Got That Swing:

Jazz & Pop

Lee Evans, Editor

The rhythms of jazz: Syncopation n important aspect of rhythm (in any style of music) is the alternation of accented and unaccented musical elements. When the accented elements differ from what is expected, we have syncopation, an essential part of jazz. This article will examine two kinds of syncopation first outlined by Winthrop Sargeant in his pioneering 1938 work Jazz: Hot and Hybrid (Third enlarged edition, Da Capo Press, 1975).

D. Simple syncopation through dynamics (accent displacement):

Simple syncopation

In the example above, the harmonized notes on the normally weak beats (two and four) tend to be heard as notes of greater importance than the unharmonized ones that fall on the stronger beats (one and three). The resulting implied stress on the offbeats is therefore heard as accent displacement. The original composition (first page only), “Aunt Tissy,” is an example of simple syncopation through anticipation of the beat. All the anticipations are marked in the music (see Excerpt 1).

A

In a measure of 4/4 meter in a non-jazz context, we expect the first and third beats to be stressed, and the second and fourth beats to be unstressed. In jazz, the heart of simple syncopation is the stressing of a normally weak beat (sometimes called an offbeat), weak part of a beat, or a lack of stress on a normally strong beat or strong part of a beat. Simple syncopation may be accomplished in the following ways, among others. A. Simple syncopation through anticipation of the beat:

B. Simple syncopation through note placement and durational value:

In the example above, the placement of the half note on the second beat constitutes a shift of stress from a strong beat (beat three) to a weak beat (beat two). C. Simple syncopation through delay of the beat:

36

CLAVIER COMPANION

E. Simple syncopation harmonizations:

through

Polyrhythmic syncopation Polyrhythm (sometimes called cross rhythm) is the simultaneous use of contrasting rhythms within the same meter. Here are some examples: A. Groups of three-note or three-beat phrases superimposed on 4/4 meter (see Example 1). B. Groups of notes having a duple pulse are played simultaneously with groups of notes having a triple pulse (see Example 2). C. A melody note (in this case C) appears at intervals of three pulses in a context of duple meter (see Example 3). D. Tones from normally strong beats are shifted to normally unstressed ones. Note that in the second measure the durational values are different from those in the first measure (see Example 4). In the original composition, “Friendly Enemies,” the right hand plays a triple pulse against the left hand’s duple pulse (see Excerpt 2). JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Excerpt 1: “Aunt Tissy” from The Rhythms of Keyboard Jazz by Lee Evans, mm. 1-24.

Example 3:

Example 4:

Excerpt 2: “Friendly Enemies” from The Rhythms of Keyboard Jazz by Lee Evans.

Example 1:

Example 2:

Sprinkling jazz performances with an abundance of syncopated rhythms will be sure to provide great vitality and added interest to your playing! p “Aunt Tissy” and “Friendly Enemies” by Lee Evans. Copyright © 1984 by Piedmont Music Company. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.


CLAVIER COMPANION

37

Music Reading

Craig Sale, NCTM, is Director of the Preparatory & Community Piano Program at Concordia University Chicago, where he also teaches courses in piano pedagogy. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, and a Professional Teaching Certificate from The New School for Music Study, where he received his pedagogical training from Frances Clark. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy.

Independence Day:

Music Reading Craig Sale, Editor

Boiling it down: Recipes for effective teaching hen I think back on the great teachers I have encountered in my life, I find that they all had one thing in common—the ability to boil things down to their essence. These teachers’ abilities to reveal the essence of the subject matter made my understanding possible. Perhaps it was an applied teacher communicating the essentials of tone production, a literature teacher explaining the underlying principles of various style periods, or a pedagogy teacher helping me see the true cause of a problem. They were so well versed in the subject they were teaching; they knew what lay at its core, and then communicated those principles. Once I understood this “boiled down” essence I possessed what was needed to continue my further explorations of the subject they were teaching. As teachers, we need to boil things down for our students, and also for ourselves. When we do this we will find that our teaching is more successful, and our students’ learning has greater impact on their lives and future studies. Not only will we communicate more effectively, our diagnostic skills will be greatly enhanced.

W

What are we teaching? Music is the thing that brings the student and teacher together. It is shared and experienced in the context of the lesson. My goal as a teacher is to ensure that students learn how to express themselves and experience others through music. In order to do this, they must acquire skills and a fluent understanding of the musical language. I am the person responsible for this. I will need to choose and use printed courses of study. However, I will be the one responsible for their musical literacy, not the books I use. The Music Reading department is continually addressing ways to develop fluent music reading skills in our students. As editor of this department for more than ten years, I have endeavored to include writers whose examples and experiences involve various methods and publications. 38

CLAVIER COMPANION

As Frances Clark once told a colleague of mine, “A good teacher can make any method successful.” In other words, the “how” we teach is more important than the course of study. Learning to read music depends upon the learning of musical concepts and the understanding of how these concepts are represented on the written page. Educational theories show us that concepts are best learned through experience, and that these experiences must come before the actual encounter with the concrete representation in notation. This approach, although essential and undeniably effective, is hard to include in a method book. Two major problems arise because of this. One is the neglect of essential preparation activities for the concepts presented in the materials. Lack of adequate preparation sometimes leads to presentation of the concept before the student is ready. The other result is that we sometimes teach the materials rather than the concepts. For example, we may have presented half notes as notes which have two pulses without first having established an understanding of pulse. When this happens we have taught something which is limited in scope. It is learning which does not apply itself in further explorations. In order to avoid this teaching pitfall, a teacher must first, in her own mind, boil down the materials being taught to see the concept at the core. Once this is discovered and understood, the teacher can then structure the lesson to include appropriate preparation activities which can then lead to a meaningful presentation. Investigation of a few early-level concepts shows how even the most basic concepts presented in the student’s lesson book can be boiled down by the teacher.

A few early-level concepts The first dynamic symbols presented in a student’s book are usually f and p. Of course, before reaching this point in the materials the student should have already experienced loud and soft sounds; hearing JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

and identifying the difference, playing both types of sounds. With this kind of experience in place, the student is then presented with the f and p symbols. But there is a more basic concept at work here, and no greater one can be learned at this point. This is the concept of notation representing sound quality. Truly, this is the beginning of understanding concepts of musical artistry. Another example of an early level concept is that of the interval. Most books will present one interval at a time beginning with the interval of a 2nd. If one simply follows the method series, preparing then presenting this interval and then preparing and presenting the next interval, there is a more basic concept being missed. This is the concept of interval itself; the idea of distance and relationship on the keyboard and its representation on lines and spaces with the corresponding sounds. Before the first mention of interval occurs in a publication, my students have explored 2nds and 3rds and have seen how they can be represented on the staff. This quickly and easily opens the door for exploration of 4ths and 5ths well before they encounter them in repertoire. When considering rhythm, we need to avoid simply teaching note values. We need to boil it down to the basic concept of pulse. All rhythms are either additions or subdivisions of this basic concept. Whether experienced through marching, swinging arms, or swaying, students must first understand the concept of pulse in order for all other rhythmic discoveries to make sense. (For more on the teaching of rhythmic pulse see the Rhythm Department in the Spring 2008 issue of Keyboard Companion, found under “past website issues” at claviercompanion.com.) Rhythm is the area of musicianship in which a student is most likely to “know” something intellectually, but not be able to demonstrate it in their playing. It is very easy to teach the mathematical side of rhythmic values. It takes a wise and persistent teacher to ensure that the student feels rhythm.

The challenge of teaching technical concepts The technical activities we assign students generally involve the use of patterns—five-finger patterns, scales, arpeggios, etc. Reasons for the use of these patterns include the learning of fingering principles and the development of comfort in all keyboard topographies. However, the greatest reason for the use of patterns in technical work is to allow the student to focus on their hands and fingers and how they work. Unfortunately, there are too many times when I meet a student whose technical experience has been playing all the major and minor five-finger patterns, and yet he is unable to play any of them with any control of his hand. We must be sure we are teaching technique and not just the theoretical patterns. When teaching technique to beginning students the teacher has to boil down all they know about playing the piano until the most basic essentials remain. In the area of technique, I focus the first years of study on control of the hand—maintaining a good rounded hand shape, fingers resting upon the keys (not “flying” and exhibiting excess tension), firm first joints in the fingers. Of course, the mastery of technical skills is dependent upon repetition, thus the use of simple patterns. However, the focus must remain on the hand and fingers. I find that if I successfully communicate technical concepts of firmness/relaxation and control at the elementary level, the student’s technical skills grow easily and naturally. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Scale fingering concepts The classic pattern used in teaching technique is the scale. Having already stated that the scale pattern is not a technical concept, I do find that there is a fingering concept used in scale playing which is often overlooked. When you boil it down, scale fingerings consist of groupings of fingers 1-2-3 and 1-2-3-4. The easiest way for the student to experience this is in the keys of D-flat, G-flat, and B Major. In these scales, fingers 2-3 and 2-3-4 play the groups of two and three black keys, thumbs play the white keys. These are easy scales to play hands together because the crossings are simultaneous. Through practice in which the student blocks the 2-3 and 2-3-4 groups the patterns are obvious. Even the key of F Major, which utilizes only one black key, can be learned in the same fashion. Once this concept of alternating groups of 3s and 4s is understood, the larger collection of scales (C, G, D, A, and E) with its nonsimultaneous crossings can be dealt with. The remaining E-flat, A-flat, and B-flat scales still utilize crossings of 3s and 4s with identical left hand fingerings and the right hand 4th finger always playing a B-flat. Boiling down scale fingering to a basic fingering concept makes learning and remembering scale fingering much easier for students. It also provides them with a model for determining fingering for scalar passages in their repertoire. Again, the student has learned something which will ser ve them in the future. This type of learning seems to be fading in this age of testoriented education. I believe we do a great service to our students when we provide them with these examples of practical, valuable learning. Students need to be shown how today’s work and learning enhances their abilities to grow and understand even greater things tomorrow.

Teaching key and scale as theory concepts The theoretical construction of a scale provides the basis for understanding keys and harmony. When teaching scale construction theory, we need to remember that this is not the same as teaching scales for technical study. I have encountered many students who have played major scales in all keys, and yet have no theoretical understanding of key. As has been discussed in this department on many occasions, a good understanding of music theory is essential for good reading skills. One of the best ways to avoid the confusion of technical and theoretical scales is to introduce the concept of scale through use of tetrachords or some other division of the scale between the hands. I find the area of scales and keys to be especially problematic for the teacher who does not look beyond the pages of the method book and thoughtfully consider the core concept of tonality. Many publications will present one particular key at a time. For example, the student will be presented the key of G major, see the scale which it uses, and play many pieces in that key. We are inclined to think that this then presents the concept of scale and key when, in fact, all it does is present that one particular key. The same issue is often found with the presentation and use of major five-finger patterns. The concept that must be communicated to the student regarding scale and key is the pattern of whole and half steps used to construct every major scale—WWHWWWH. Before the student CLAVIER COMPANION

39

gets to those pages of the lesson book which focus on a particular key/scale, they should have already built scales on many different starting tones using the major scale pattern. This is learning which will serve their future learning of keys. Likewise, the presentation of major and minor five-finger patterns boils down to two patterns—WWHW for major; WHWW for minor. When exploring these patterns the student should come to know the unique sound of each and discover the consistent patterns being used. When boiled down even further, we see that the basic building blocks for theory study are the whole step and the half step. Just as reading depends upon the understanding of interval; theory depends on these core concepts. The teacher must see the importance of the concept of whole and half steps and the simplicity of the common patterns which utilize them. Then, if the student is shown the way these basic patterns can be built on any key on the piano, a solid foundation will have been laid. All succeeding presentations of theory concepts will then be natural and easy. We cannot focus only on sound or depend upon the technical study of these patterns to develop a practical and secure understanding of music theory in our students. We cannot wait until the method book gets to each scale or individual pattern. If we do this, our students are more likely to miss the point and struggle to understand keys and scales.

Musical performance The teaching of artistry at the piano has been the subject of numerous articles in Clavier Companion. Each of us can probably boil down our thoughts to what we consider to be the key elements of expressive playing. I would like us to take it even further. What lies at the core of musical performance? I find it all comes

40

CLAVIER COMPANION

down to sound. If the student does not know how to listen to others and/or themselves, communication between teacher and student about artistry will be severely limited. This is why all presentations of early-level concepts must be rooted in preparation activities which involve hearing and recreating sounds. As mentioned earlier concerning dynamics, the most basic concept to be taught at the beginning of study is that a world of different sounds—high/low, loud/soft, detached/smooth, etc.—exists and can be represented in notation. Only if we have enabled the student to hear, will we be able to communicate our thoughts on how to be expressive in sound.

Implications for diagnostic skills Most of this discussion has related to prevention of problems through the understanding of concepts and through careful, consistent preparation. Ideally, all of teaching should be about prevention. However, the truth is that much of our work involves fixing problems. I believe that in order to successfully fix a problem, one must first be able to identify what the problem is. Again, the teacher is called to boil things down, this time to find the essence of the problem. When a student is playing a phrase without musical shape, we can try to demonstrate the phrase and have the student reproduce it. We can also tell them when to begin a crescendo and where to take some time, etc. However, this is similar to turning the page in a method book and “teaching” the concept that appears on that page. It only addresses the example at hand and does little to help the student with future encounters. Instead, the teacher needs to boil it down to what lies at the heart of the problem. Is there a technical issue preventing the musical shape of the phrase? Perhaps the student is struggling with


reading the phrase and therefore is “tuned out” to the sound. Maybe the student has not been exposed to basic thoughts on phrase shaping—getting louder in the ascent; directing the phrase over the barline, etc. Or perhaps it is the most basic problem of all—they do not know how to listen to themselves. The teacher must be willing to consider all of these possibilities. Perhaps it will take some experimentation with the student to find the answer. But, I believe it begins with the teacher looking deeper than the surface. A more basic example is the elementary student who struggles with reading. Does the student understand the basic concept of interval? Can the student read, draw, play, and identify different intervals? Does the student have a process for reading, or is he overwhelmed with memorizing note names? Perhaps there is a visual problem at play? Maybe it is a problem relating to poor practice habits? It always comes back to the teacher’s ability to not be distracted by what is immediately at hand, but to see the underlying cause of the problem. How can a teacher learn this? I have often assumed that the answer is “experience.” But I now believe it is much more than that. It comes from knowing the material being taught beyond what appears on the page, whether it is a Beethoven Sonata


or a primer level lesson book. If the teacher does not have a clear concept of the Beethoven sonata movement at hand, the communication about it will have less impact. Likewise, if the teacher does not really understand the process for reading presented in the beginning student’s lesson book, the student will have a less secure grasp of the musical language. I continue to believe that the best way to learn how to teach is to teach beginners. It is at this first level that one must confront every aspect of music as if it is brand new. The teacher has to deconstruct the musical language into the basic concepts and figure out how to lead explorations into each of them with the student. The teacher must know what is coming next in the process and has to prepare the way. The lesson plan must go beyond reading what is on the method book’s page. It must craft experiences that are relevant to the basic concepts of musical understanding. When teachers can boil things down for themselves, they can do it for their students. The result is effective communication and the beginning of musical literacy and expression. p

CLAVIER COMPANION

41

Perspectives in Pedagogy

Issues and Ideas:

Perspectives in Pedagogy Rebecca Grooms Johnson, Editor

Rebecca Grooms Johnson, Ph.D., NCTM, is a nationally respected leader in the field of piano pedagogy. She is an independent teacher and has taught extensively at the university level. Active in the Music Teachers National Association, she has served as President of the OhioMTA, National Chair of MTNA’s Pedagogy Committee, and National Certification Chair. She is currently Vice-President of the MTNA Board of Directors, and three times a year she publishes a feature article in American Music Teacher titled “What’s New in Pedagogy Research.”

This issue’s contributor:

Rachel Kramer, NCTM, holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in piano performance from Eastern Illinois University, and a Master of Music in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Michigan. Kramer served as the Manager of Educational Programs for the Baldwin Piano & Organ Co., and was the Assistant Executive Director at MTNA. Rachel is president of Music Learning Center, Inc., a group musicteaching program in Cincinnati, is an adjunct faculty member at Wilmington College, and was the 2009 Ohio Independent Teacher of the Year.

Feeling singed? Coping with burnout s you returned from the holiday break (or madness!), did you look forward to your regular teaching schedule, or did you feel less than enthusiastic at the idea of seeing your students again? Most of us have times in our lives when we feel tired and withdrawn, not ready to face another long day of teaching.

A

Fired up! by Rachel Kramer dmit it—it’s 2:10 and it looks like your 2:00 student isn’t showing— relief (she never comes prepared and talks too much!). Admit it—you just found out that the article you have due on the fifteenth has been extended to the twentieth—breathing again (you hadn’t started it anyway!). And, it’s only sixty-two days until spring break. It’s another year of faculty meetings with your colleagues, another year facing those students whose parents are forcing them to be in your studio, another year in the life of the professional music teacher. For everything in life there is a shadow side—the “dark side”—the side that is not apparent to most of the world. It is the secret side, the yin and yang. Sometimes it is a difficult thing for the professional music teacher to admit, but nonetheless it is a part of our lives. Like a relationship, the things that attract people to each other can be the very things that end up annoying them. Historically, educators have not been given “permission” to experience burnout; however, we can love what we do and still feel tired, frustrated, and even burned out.

A

Your life Let’s talk about you, your life, and about taking care of yourself—renewing and recharging, relighting and igniting, so that you are the best possible person and teacher. If you are scattered, disorganized, 42

CLAVIER COMPANION

In this issue and the upcoming May/June issue, you will find articles discussing how to recognize and manage the symptoms of burnout that you may be feeling. We spend so much of our time learning about better ways to teach and play the piano, let’s take some time to explore better ways to take care of ourselves!

unmotivated, depressed, angry, tired, confused, lack a sense of humor, feel obligated—your students will know! Students can sense anxiousness in their teacher, especially when it is someone they hold in high regard. They love you, whether you believe it or not, and they know when you are not present. In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer writes: “Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together. The entanglements I experience in the classroom are often no more or less than the convolutions of my inner life. Viewed from this angle, teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror and not run from what I see, I have a chance to gain self-knowledge— and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject.”1 Understanding yourself and your relationship to the profession will help you become a more effective teacher, feel better, and look forward to seeing your 2:00 student. You will stop feeling “busy” and focus on what is really important. Your physical and emotional health will improve, and relationships with your colleagues will be more rewarding. Let’s look more closely at the relationship between our profession as teachers and the hazards of early and increased burnout. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

The flame goes out A good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others. ~Author Unknown When he coined the term “burnout” in 1974, little did Herbert Freudenberger know that it was going to move from the world of chemical dependency into the world of the professional workplace with the swiftness of, ironically, burning wood. Today every profession uses the term burnout and the problem seems ubiquitous; however, it may even be more apparent in the high-touch (as opposed to hightech) worlds of teaching, counseling, and health care. Teachers are nurturing individuals—developing relationships, changing lives, doing a “greater good,” and making the world a better place in which to live! But all this greater good may be at a cost greater than we can afford if we are not aware of the stressors, obstacles, unique qualities, and dangerous pitfalls of this endearing and remarkable profession.

From darkness to light In The Resilient Practitioner—Burnout Prevention and Self-Care Strategies for Counselors, Therapists, Teachers and Health Professionals, Thomas M. Skovholt offers many challenges and opportunities for teachers who are feeling burned out and frustrated. 2 Here, he clearly defines the characteristics of “high-touch” professions and why it is easy to become emotionally drained or burned out. Good teaching includes more than technique, books, methods, workshops, and lesson plans. Additional qualities are about connections—the very things that set us on fire and then burn us out if we aren’t careful and attentive. As we support and care for our students, we develop relationships that can sometimes be difficult to balance and sustain as we deal with the unique politics of our profession. Of course, a person must be “on fire” to burnout, so it is not suggested that we all sit back and enjoy the restful arms of mediocrity, nor is it suggested that we drop students from our studios, or stop caring about them. It is suggested, in the words of Skovholt, that we figure out when we sprint and when we jog, when and where we apply our energy, and when we conserve.3 We must learn how to recognize when we have control and when we don’t, how to identify projection and transference from others, and how to say “no” and strike a balance. We must develop ways to rekindle our fire, prevent the fire from going out, and stay away from extinguishers. Students at all levels and teachers of all JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

subjects struggle with the inherent complexities of teaching: • Unsolvable problems—students who just aren’t going to get better, lack of success by our students, and their slow, uneven pace • Varying abilities—they are not all honors students • Motivational conflicts—when what we want and what they want are different • Projection and “baggage”—issues we take on from students, and sometimes their parents • Emotions as deep and wide as the ocean—in this high-touch field, teachers are expending emotional energy all of the time • Ambiguous professional loss—constant separations and new attachments • Breaches in peer support—lack of peer interaction and support, divisions within the profession.4

Flying in formation Our professional colleagues’ roles in our life are as important as those of our students. Like geese, whose wing flaps, formation, dependence, care, and support of each other sees them through their journey together, so, too, are the people on a team or department who share a common direction. They arrive where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the trust of one another and buoy each other up along the way. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the pull and struggle of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the power of the rest of the geese. If we have as much insight as a goose, we will stay in formation and share information with those who are headed in the same direction. Geese in the back of the formation honk to encourage those up front to keep their momentum. Words of support and inspiration help energize others—our encouragement helps them in spite of day-to-day issues. When one of us is down, it’s up to the others to stand by us in our time of trouble; we stand together. We will stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. Imagine this same peer support, interest, and respect for each other in our collective journey. Wouldn’t it be great to incorporate these lessons from the geese: • Learn to give and take constructive criticism • Everyone’s time is equally valuable— you are no busier than anyone else! • Follow up and follow through—if you say you are going to do it—do it! CLAVIER COMPANION

43

• Take responsibility—don’t play the blame game • Beware of gossip • Be empathetic • Be the kind of colleague you would want to have!

Strike it up! Feelings of burnout, stress, and busyness backlog everyone’s life and stymie meaningful conversation. Mindfulness, meditation, self-help, blogs, books, and Buddha— we must use anything and everything to help ease the stress, burnout, and frenetic nature of our lives. Admitting that there is room to grow, understanding that there is a shadow side to teaching, and giving ourselves permission to feel these things are first steps in learning to live with the hazards of the teaching profession and unique aspects of our “high-touch” job. Here are some things to think about as you begin your journey towards rekindling your flame! 1. Recognize and value clear boundaries 2. Understand and accept your own limitations 3. Recognize that attachment and separation is a natural process 4. Become a mentor 5. Develop a more diverse peer group 6. Have a work environment that enhances your life 7. Adapt to change—stop living in the past or worrying about the future—it is what it is! 8. Seek peer consultation 9. Create new experiences for yourself 10. Develop new skills 11.Develop a professional social support network 12. Learn to laugh 13. Give yourself transitional time 14. Embark on restorative activities 15. Develop self-awareness and internal focus 16. Learn to have professional venting sessions! 17. Seek feedback 18. Expand your imagination 19. Don’t take yourself so seriously 20. Let go—you can’t do it all and you don’t know everything! Well-managed stress gives you insight and purpose—it makes you balanced and able to handle more stress. Just like muscles used in a workout, stress feeds the mind, body, and emotions. You need to be in the game and be in shape; you have to be “tough.” In Stress for Success, James E. Loehr talks about “stressed muscles.” A stressed brain means growth, but it needs physical, mental, and emotional recovery 44

CLAVIER COMPANION

practices. Restorative practices are personal; for example, while some people enjoy working four different jobs, others are stressed by it—but, the important idea is to strive for a balance of peak performance and recovery. Work hard and play equally hard; go and let go; be active, then idle; make it happen, then let it happen; and maintain healthy work/rest ratios.5

“Match”-point The wellness of a professional music teacher is all-encompassing. It is about how we treat ourselves, our students, and each other. Burnout is what happens when we lose sight of the path, of the other geese, and when we move to the beat of a drummer who doesn’t even want to be in the band. Understanding that so much of teaching involves the complexities of the human spirit and psyche is as important as understanding that one can damage muscles if misused or over-used in practice. Our job as teachers is not to be the best—it is to be “in tune” and “in rhythm” with our students and colleagues. It’s not about winning and losing, as in tennis—it’s about cultivating and nurturing ourselves, our students, and our colleagues. We are charged with influencing lives, with shaping the world; but we must stay in touch with our own wellness. It’s about having balance, insight and awareness—it is about striking up ideas and looking for ways to stay engaged and creative. You chose this work and there is work to be done! So, let’s light a spark and have some fun. p 1

Palmer, P. (1998). The Courage to Teach. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., p. 2. 2 Skovholt, T. (2001). The Resilient Practitioner. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, p. 2. 3 Ibid., p. 139. 4 Ibid., pp. 77-88. 5 Loehr, J. (1997). Stress for Success. New York: Times Books, p. 4.

Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/ClavierCompanion



CLAVIER COMPANION

45

Technology

George Litterst is a nationally known music educator, clinician, author, performer, and music software developer. A classically trained pianist, he is co-author of the intelligent accompaniment software program, Home Concert Xtreme, and the electronic music blackboard program, Classroom Maestro, from TimeWarp Technologies (www.timewarptech.com).

Tomorrow Today:

Technology George Litterst, Editor

Virtual reality in the piano studio f you are a Star Trek fan or at least have a passing familiarity with the television series, you may be aware that people still play music and attend concerts in the twenty-fourth century. Given the fact that computers do so much for human beings now and will do even more in the future, it is certainly comforting to know that our descendants will not abandon the personal joy of music making! In the original Star Trek series (TOS), Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott plays the bagpipes and Lieutenant Commander Spock plays the Vulcan lute. In the subsequent series, Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), Captain Jean-Luc Picard is an expert player of the Ressikan flute, Commander William T. Riker is an excellent trombonist, and the nefarious Q is a trumpeter. Interestingly, the android Data, who is forever in search of his humanity, plays both the oboe and the violin. And it doesn’t stop there. Jadzia Dax, a Trill who serves as Chief Science Officer on Deep Space Nine (DS9), has been known to play Samoan drums, and Deep Space Nine botanist Keiko O’Brien plays the clarinet. Star Trek: Voyager’s (VOY) Ensign Harry Kim also plays the clarinet, as well as the saxophone. Of crucial importance to readers of this magazine, the piano is still a popular instrument in the twenty-fourth century. Notable pianists include Captain Benjamin Sisko (DS9), Counselor Deanna Troi (TNG), Changeling Constable Odo (DS9), and astrometrics expert Seven of Nine (VOY). If you wish to explore this fascinating future of ours in greater detail, I recommend that you start with Musical Instrument—Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wiki: (http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/ Musical_instrument).

I

The virtual reality experience One of the most intriguing features of the later Star Trek series is the holodeck. The holodeck is a room that can be programmed to look like another place. Computer-controlled by photons and force fields, this room can become any indoor or outdoor place of your imagination. 46

CLAVIER COMPANION

Interestingly, the holodeck can be programmatically filled with virtual people who walk, talk, and even play musical instruments. Imagine, for example, that you enter the holodeck prepared to practice a piano concerto. With the appropriate programming, the space around you would become a small concert hall. There would be an exquisite piano for you to play, and you would be surrounded by virtual musicians who are waiting for a conductor’s downbeat. It’s regrettable that so few pianists ever get a chance to play with an orchestra. Some of the finest works ever written for piano require the participation of anywhere from ten to seventy additional musicians. If we lived in the twenty-fourth century where we have access to a holodeck, we wouldn’t have this problem!

The virtual music experience in the twenty-first century If you look around, you’ll notice that a lot of people are working to solve the various technical problems involved in creating a compelling, virtual reality environment. As interesting as these developments may be, some of these efforts may appear to musicians as going in the wrong direction. For example, there are a variety of sophisticated game machines that you can connect to your television, such as Xbox, PlayStation, and Wii. These game machines feature amazing graphics, thundering sound, and loads of interactivity. In other words, they provide immersive experiences. Among the popular games are various music-making scenarios in which you can participate as a virtual musician. The biggest complaint about these music games is that they don’t provide the player with anything that approaches the experience of actual music making. Although the more sophisticated games may offer consumers the opportunity to connect a fake instrument to the game box, the player rarely plays music in a traditional sense. Typically, the player watches for a visual cue on the television and responds with a simulated performance gesture on the fake instrument. If the player responds in time, he may enjoy the thrill of scoring a point JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

and may even sense that he contributed a note to the ensemble. Such gaming experiences, however, fall far short of real music making. Real music making involves a direct, physical, and visceral connection between the player and the instrument as well as realistic aural feedback.

Student performances with a virtual orchestra Although there is a lot of emphasis these days on the development of games that provide virtual experiences that require no previous, serious training (such as flying a plane, playing a professional sport, or operating on a patient), there are now compelling technologies available that serve the serious piano player who has actually spent years developing his chops. For example, on September 16, 2011, eight youngsters ranging in age from seven to sixteen performed piano/keyboard concertos by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and MacDowell on the Libby Gardner Concert Hall stage at the University of Utah. These students were participants in the SummerArts program and had won this performance opportunity in a concerto competition the previous month. Dr. Susan Duehlmeier, piano chair at the university, organ-

ized the opportunity which was fully supported by the local piano dealer, Daynes Music. Dr. Duehlmeier wanted these students to “get a chance to try out what it would be like to play with an orchestra, before they ever rehearse with a real one.” The program included individual movements from: Concerto in C Major, Hob. XIV:4, by Franz Joseph Haydn Concerto in F Minor, BWV 1056, by J.S. Bach Concerto No. 11 in F Major, K. 413, by W.A. Mozart Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 23, by Edward MacDowell Concerto in A Major, BWV 1055, by J.S. Bach Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488, by W.A. Mozart Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052, by J.S. Bach As expected, the students played on a nine-foot concert grand (a Steinway in this case). Conspicuously absent was a conductor and orchestral musicians. In their place was a computer and speakers. Had you been in the audience, you might have been fooled into thinking that these kids were playing to a Music-Minus-One CD recording. MMO (www.musicminusone.com) is a venerable company that has produced innumerable play-along recordings of piano concerti and other orchestra works, minus the soloist. MMO

Tomorrow Today:

Tech Tips

George Litterst, Editor Submit your questions to this column by sending them to [email protected].

Will an iPad be useful in my teaching? Although there are many smart, mobile devices available today, the iPad is compelling for many reasons. Unlike a smart phone, the screen is much bigger (1024 x 768). In fact, the screen is a lot bigger than those of many competing tablets. Not only is the screen large, it has color. Additional hardware features include front- and rear-facing cameras (on the newer iPad2), wi-fi capability, and—if you purchase a 3G model—GPS. Given these hardware features as well as Apple’s ability to integrate a compelling, touch-based user interface, the device has become extraordinarily popular. Before answering the question, I should point out that there are very good tablets from various manufacturers that are based on Google’s Android operating system, and some have large screens. Other tablets are failed products (the HP tablet), are not yet proven in the marketplace (tablets based on the Windows 8 operating system), or are struggling to get market share (RIM tablets). There are still others that are primarily ereaders but which have some computer-like functionality (i.e. can run a limited number of apps). At this point, the iPad has the richest set of apps available and many apps that are of interest to piano teachers. For starters, there are any number of interesting metronome apps (see this column in the March/April 2011 issue). Beyond that, there are music apps for: • displaying PDF files of music (you can turn the pages by tapping or swiping the screen) • music flashcards (see the technology column in the March/April 2011 issue) JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

• MIDI recording/editing/playback • play-along accompaniments • music games Of course, all of these categories of apps are in addition to other useful features, such as e-reader apps, Skype (using the camera), web browsing, and so forth. I have found that the iPad is versatile in many unexpected ways that have benefitted my teaching. I’ll point out just one example as an illustration. I do a bit of real-time, online teaching, and I use Skype to communicate verbally and visually with my students. At various points during a lesson, I would like to have face-to-face interaction with my student. At other times, I would like to provide my student with a side view of me and my piano. If my laptop is positioned in front of me on the piano or slightly to the side (so that I can use music), it is very easy for me to look at the screen and simultaneously look at my laptop’s built-in camera. This provides eye-to-eye contact with my student. When I switch to the side-view camera and talk to my student, my student will see the side of my face if I am looking at my laptop monitor. This, of course, makes no sense from the point of view of the student. It is much better for the student if I turn to face the side-view camera when it is active and I am talking. For me, however, it is odd to talk at a camera and not see the student. What I need in this situation is a second monitor, positioned just below the side-view camera, which also gives me a view of the student. iPad to the rescue! There is a very nifty, $9.99 app for the iPad called Air Display. This turns my iPad into a second, wireless monitor for my laptop. Once I have Air Display turned on and connected wirelessly to the laptop, I set the laptop and Air Display to mirror each other. At that point, it does not matter which direction I face, the laptop ahead of me or the Air Display (and side-view camera) to my side. In both cases, I’ll be able to see my student in the Skype video window and achieve eye-to-eye contact. This solution has proven to be very convenient to set up and has substantially improved the long-distance teaching experience. p CLAVIER COMPANION

47

products are quality recordings that enable pianists and other soloists to prepare for performances with orchestra. There was a big difference in this case, however. As each of these youngsters played, a virtual orchestra actually followed the soloist, speeding up and slowing down as necessary. Amazingly, the technologies that made this possible are accessible to most piano teachers and musical schools and even to many students at home.

In search of the intelligent virtual orchestra In the old days of MMO recordings— and here I am talking about vinyl records—you had a very serious limitation: you could not change the tempo to any substantial degree. If you had a sophisticated turntable that featured pitch control, you could make the record spin a little faster or slower. However, doing so changed the pitch of the recording as well as the tempo and was only useful for tuning the record to your piano. MMO later released its library on CDs.

48

CLAVIER COMPANION

At that point, the tempo/pitch problem became worse because you could neither change the tempo nor the pitch with a standard CD player. Eventually, Superscope (www.superscopetechnologies.com) and other companies came out with CD players that could process the digital audio on the CD in real time, enabling customers to change tempo and pitch independently. Today, you can do the same thing with a $49.95 computer program called Amazing Slowdowner (www.ronimusic.com). Changing the tempo of a recording for play-along practice is a useful thing to be able to do. Performing the solo part of a concerto and having the orchestra actually follow you is a substantially different matter. In the early 1990s, pianist and selftaught computer programmer, Frank Weinstock (recently retired as acting dean at the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music), undertook the challenge of coming up with a software program that would “listen” to a soloist, match the soloist ’s playing to a music score, and output a coordinated orchestral

accompaniment. He called his prototype software, Concerto Accompanist. I discovered Frank in the early 1990s while researching an article that I wrote for the Summer 1992 issue of Piano Quarterly called Using a Computer Piano. This article appeared in my column, Tackling Technology. With a Yamaha Disklavier piano connected by MIDI cables and interface to a Macintosh computer, Frank’s program was able to track a piano performance in real time. As each note was played, a message was transmitted to the computer informing it of the exact pitch, and Concerto Accompanist was able to match the note to an existing score (in the form of a MIDI file). Even more remarkably, Concerto Accompanist was able to evaluate the importance of each note, accommodate mistakes, make musically intelligent decisions about the tempo as it fluctuated in real time, and output a musically coordinated accompaniment. In the mid-1990s, I had the opportunity to use this experimental software program with my own Disklavier while preparing


Grieg’s Concerto in A Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 16, for performance with a real orchestra. At the time, the General MIDI tone generator that rendered the orchestral instruments sounded quite artificial, but I found that practicing with this early stage, virtual orchestra was much more helpful than practicing with a second-piano accompaniment or an inflexible MMO recording. That was the state-of-the-art in the mid-1990s, when we so eagerly looked to the future.

Personal Orchestra. These files and more will become available for sale on the Zenph website. How was the experience? Ask the kids. Seven-year-old Elizabeth stated, “I think it’s fun!” Thirteen-year-old Caity remarked, “Wow, this is awesome! I was really excited because I’ve never played with something like this before.” p

The virtual orchestra matures Frank continued to develop his software over the years, and today it is available under the name Home Concert Xtreme, produced by Zenph Sound Innovations (www.zenph.com). In its current incarnation, the program not only follows the soloist, it also displays music on the screen and turns the pages automatically (the Clavier Companion review is in the September/October 2010 issue). However, the program, by itself, does not provide a complete, virtual reality experience. In order to have a compelling, concerto experience with a virtual orchestra you need: • a quality piano that can be connected to a personal computer or iPad • score-following software (such as Home Concert Xtreme) • a MIDI file that contains the left- and right-hand piano tracks as well as separate tracks for the orchestral parts • a realistic tone generator for the orchestra • quality speakers There are a number of sources of quality acoustic pianos that can be plugged into a computer or iPad. Yamaha’s Disklavier (www.disklavier.com) is one of the best known choices. In the case of the concert at the University of Utah (described above), a Steinway was fitted with a PNOscan system (www.qrsmusic.com). Without affecting the touch or tone of the instrument, PNOscan provides optical sensors under the keys and in the pedal mechanism and can be added to any acoustic piano. Both the Disklavier and the PNOscan system output MIDI data and can be plugged into a computer. Of course, a quality digital piano can suffice. Achieving a realistic orchestra sound is a difficult matter. The usual General MIDI (GM) tone generator that is available in many MIDI keyboards and computers is relatively low quality. For example, GM has no way of differentiating among a violin upbow, downbow, or spiccato bow. There are, however, very expensive orchestral sound libraries that provide a broad range of samples for all of the standard instruments. The best of these cost thousands of dollars and take up many gigabytes of computer storage. Although their sounds are compelling, these high level orchestral libraries are impractical for most people—at the present time. In 2004, harpist Gary Garritan released an amazing string library at an affordable price. Not long after that, he completed an orchestra set with the addition of woodwinds, brass, and percussion and named the package Garritan Personal Orchestra (www.garritan.com). The sounds in this library were produced by recording studio musicians. This library of orchestral sounds has a retail price of $149, which puts the library into an affordable price range. MIDI files for the University of Utah concert were created by expert musicians who carefully edited the files, optimizing them for Garritan JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

49

First Looks

Susan Geffen is a Managing Editor of Clavier Companion. She is active as an educator, adjudicator, presenter, panelist, and writer. She is a specialist in Recreational Music Making and has also worked as a composer’s assistant and orchestral score proofreader.

This issue’s contributors:

Jeffrey Chappell has performed throughout the United States and Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He is an award-winning composer who has written for Piano & Keyboard and Clavier, and he is on the faculties of Goucher College and The Levine School of Music. For more information, visit jeffreychappell.com. Vanessa Cornett-Murtada is the Director of Keyboard Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where she teaches courses in piano and piano pedagogy. She is an international clinician and performing artist and works as a performance coach and certified hypnotherapist for musicians struggling with performance anxiety.

Carmen Doubrava is an active adjudicator, accompanist, teacher, and performer who has performed in Texas, Michigan, New York, Colorado, Wisconsin, and at the U. S. Department of State. She lives in Carrollton, Texas, and has been featured in articles in Keyboard Companion, Clavier, and The Dallas Morning News. Kristin Elgersma holds a D. M. and M.M. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University and has been on faculties at Northwestern, the Interlochen Arts Camp, and Chicago's Merit School of Music, among others. In the fall of 2010, she joined the faculty of the University of Idaho Lionel Hampton School of Music as Assistant Professor of Piano. Julie Knerr received degrees in piano performance and piano pedagogy from University of Puget Sound, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Oklahoma. She is currently on faculty at Oklahoma City University, where she teaches group piano and piano pedagogy. In addition, she teaches in her private studio in Norman, OK, and conducts research in piano pedagogy. Additional contributors listed on the next page

50

CLAVIER COMPANION

First Looks Susan Geffen, Editor Book, New Music, CDs & DVDs, Pupil Saver, News & Notes

Closer look What Music Means To Me, photography by Richard Rejino. The What Music Means To Me Project is an ongoing enterprise that includes a book, a DVD, a website, and speaking engagements by author/ photographer/musician Richard Rejino. Established in 2008, the project’s mission is to raise awareness about music (and, with time, the other arts) by gathering affecting testimonials from students, teachers, and performers. At a time when arts funding is on the decline, this effort makes a persuasive case for the benefits of music education. But the reach of the project is even broader than that. The book, What Music Means To Me, is an inspirational journal portraying fortyfive musicians in words and photographs. Rejino accompanies his photos with autobiographical narratives written by musicians of different ages and cultural backgrounds. Because only first names are given, each subject provides a story that retains an individual viewpoint while conveying universality. For example, there is John, for whom music has accompanied every significant event in his life. And Jonathan, who escaped from a ghetto environment by enrolling in a music program. And Olmar, a high-school junior who, with no family support, left home in order to continue his opera studies. Throughout, the book explores themes about finding happiness, about belonging to a community, and about overcoming disapproval. In at least one case, music literally meant survival. The tale of crushing hardship endured by Grace during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, when music scores were burned and playing instruments was treated as a crime, is truly heart-rending. While doing three years of forced manual labor on a rice farm with no electricity, she wondered whether she would ever play the piano again. Her hope pulled her through. The evocative photographs, which dom-

inate the space in the book, are as important as the essays. We see the musicians playing or holding their instruments—or just looking into the camera—and bearing expressions as diverse as the topics of the essays. Confident. Lost. Joyful. Strong. Private. Music means many things to many people. An accompanying DVD contains a sampling of the text selections, read by the authors. You get to hear the sound of these people’s voices, but the voices merely point out the missing element: the sound of the music. After someone says that he can express the feelings inside of him more clearly through music than he ever could in words, you wish the next thing on the soundtrack would be his piano playing. Further, locating recordings or videos is tricky without the full names of the musicians. Rejino expects to address these issues as the project expands. In the meantime, the website, whatmusicmeanstome.org, has begun to post new essays by additional musicians. The idea has taken on a life of its own, and, as stated in the book, many music teachers have been motivated to have their own students write about what music means to them. The project continues to enrich our musical landscape. (Hal Leonard, 2011, 96 pages. $29.99) —Jeffrey Chappell

New music ✔ (S2) Midtown Jam by Mike Springer. I’m finding more and more students request and love playing jazzy pieces. Although much of the time these students are not advanced enough to read jazz in its original form, Midtown Jam is a piece that provides young players with a meaty jazz solo. Right-hand patterns in the blues scale are set over bass open sevenths, dominantseventh chords, and a walking blues-scale line. The rhythms are simple, repetitive, and very catchy, and can be played straight or in a swing style. The tune uses accents and rests for rhythmic emphasis and style, along with a wide variety of dynamics JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

across a fairly large area of the keyboard. The piece ends with a slow chord progression and a glissando to a low C. Although this solo is three pages long, the melodic and harmonic material is similar throughout, with variations in register or accompaniment. Students at this level would thus have an easy time learning the piece, and Midtown Jam would be great for recitals or festivals. (Alfred, $2.99) L.Z. (S2-3) Alfred’s Premier Piano Course: Pop and Movie Hits, Books 2A and 2B by Dennis Alexander, Gayle Kowalchyk, E.L. Lancaster, Victoria McArthur, and Martha Mier. Popular songs, like new cars, quickly depreciate in value and can make pop books seem dated after a short time. When I first looked at these Alfred books, I felt that many of the older selections might not be appealing to young students. However, after polling a few of my own students, I had to change my opinion. Because the students were not even born when The Little Mermaid and Aladdin were released, they did not know the included songs from those movies. And, of course, they also did not know 1960s tunes such as “It’s My Party.” But they were very excited about the themes from Star Wars, The Pink Panther, and Harry Potter, and one student exclaimed emphatically about the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark, “I want to play that song!” I ended up buying both books for my enthusiastic students. Part of the Alfred Premier Piano Method series, these arrangements with teacher accompaniments are well written. On the other hand, many of the complicated rhythms have been simplified, a fact which at times confuses students: their ears tell them to play rhythms from the original score that differ from what their eyes see on the page. Teachers can allow students to play the rhythms by ear rather than insisting on the printed rhythms, as the simplified rhythms are not as satisfying as the originals. The books are a great addition to the Alfred Premier lesson books and would be useful for an average-age beginner or for teenage or adult beginners. (Alfred, $6.99 each) J.K. (S2-3) Gershwin for Students, Books 1-3 arranged by Carol Matz. The songs of George and Ira Gershwin are so remarkably pervasive in the music JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

that they ’ve world spawned at least one good joke: Q: How many singers does it take to sing “Summertime”? A: All of them, apparently. Thanks to Carol Matz’s new three-book series, Gershwin for Students, seventeen Gershwin classics are now available to students who are in the earlier stages of their pianistic training. In fact, each book contains a version of not only the omnipresent “Summertime,” but also an arrangement of themes from the must-know classic (and United Airlines signature advertising music) Rhapsody in Blue. Besides these two essentials, each book contains a pleasant mix of popular selections such as “I Got Rhythm,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and “Swanee,” along with concert-style pieces including “Three-Quarter Blues,” “Promenade,” and the collection’s clear standout, the second Prelude (found in Book 3). Ira Gershwin’s lyrics—which, as Gershwin fans know, are as essential to the songs as George’s music—are always clearly represented, and the books are generally attractive and complete, with lots of fingering, pedal, and dynamic markings. Unfortunately, in general, the collection doesn’t capture the Gershwin charm. Because of the parallelism of the composer’s rhythmic aesthetic, many of the works sound singsongy without the benefit of rich harmonies, interesting syncopation, or the variety of a sung lyric. With complete sympathy for the enormous limitations under which Ms. Matz created these arrangements, there are too many doublings and too little rhythmic variety to hint at the elegance and taste that one expects from Gershwin; the songs are— somehow—missing their substance. In addition, although the three arrangements of Rhapsody in Blue are well done and playable for their respective levels, they move very quickly through the themes and end without recapitulation, a move that I found sorely disappointing each time I played them through. For these reasons, I would recommend the book primarily for adult beginners who already know and love these tunes and for those students who desperately want to play Rhapsody in Blue but may never get to the real thing. (Alfred, $6.99 each) J.S.

Guide to new music reviews Grade levels 1 Beginning: five-finger patterns and simple rhythms 2 Easy: scales and simple syncopation 3 Intermediate: beginning counterpoint and complex rhythms (Bach notebooks, Bartók Mikrokosmos I-II) 4 Late intermediate: technical and rhythmic sophistication (Bach inventions, Bartók Romanian Folk Dances) 5 Difficult: for competent pianists (Mozart sonatas, Brahms Rhapsody, Op. 79, No. 2) 6 Very difficult: for advanced pianists (Chopin etudes, Beethoven Sonata, Op. 57)

Categories S-Solo, E-Ensemble

Quality rating Reviewer’s Choice: music that may become part of the standard repertoire Check-rated ✔: repertoire that is highly recommended

Jeremy Siskind has performed at many of the world's foremost venues, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. As a composer, Siskind has been honored by ASCAP and Downbeat. Siskind received his bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music and just completed his master's degree in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Krista Wallace-Boaz holds a D.M. in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University and teaches class piano and pedagogy at the University of Louisville. Lynette Zelis is the owner of Noteable Notes Music Studio in Wheaton, Illinois, where she teaches private and group piano lessons and maintains studios for nine other teachers. She was one of only five teachers in the country to win the 2001 Group Piano Teachers Award from the MTNA and the National Piano Foundation.

CLAVIER COMPANION

51

(E2-3) Just for Two: 16 Easy Piano Duets by John Kember. The versatile British composer and teacher John Kember has published numerous pedagogical collections, including five books of duets. Just for Two is his most recent contribution, and the collection contains sixteen elementary-to-intermediate level duets that feature equal difficulty for each player.

Kember’s specialization in jazz and popular composition is evident in Just for Two. Pieces like “Jazz Waltz,” “Habanera,” “Blues for Two,” and “Bossa Nova” are above-average examples, made even more appealing by the full, layered sound created by four hands. The composer also mixes popular styles with references to classical art music, as in “Petite Valse,” “Berceuse,” “Romanza,” and “Song Without Words.” Throughout, Kember displays a gift for fashioning interesting, lyrical melodies over elegant accompaniments. Though the pieces are simply structured, they are uni-

Beethoven Tour 2012 Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria

Exploring the world of Beethoven; discovering his Flemish heritage; visiting his birthplace in Bonn; tracing his journeys in Bohemia; studying his life and career in Vienna Concerts, Lectures and Rare Excursions

July 27 - August 11, 2012 Some highlights of this exciting tour include

• Brussels-concert at the Musical Instruments Museum; Grand Place • Day-trip to Brugges; Beethoven’s ancestry in Mechelen • Rhine river cruise; Concert and visit of Beethoven museum in Bonn • Concerts at the Karlovy Vary Beethoven Festival; excursion to Teplitz • Vienna– Pasqualati and Heiligenstadt houses; Theater an der Wien; composers’ graves at Zentralfriedhof; gala dinner at the Sacher Hotel Price of $6095* USD includes round-trip airfare from New York City, hotels & two meals per day *price may vary slightly due to currency fluctuations For information, brochure, and reservations contact Dr. William Wellborn; TEL- (415) 503-6200 ext. 6618; FAX- (415) 503-6299; EMAIL- [email protected]; WEB- www.williamwellborn.com

52

CLAVIER COMPANION

formly charming, with just enough subtle harmonic change to keep the listener engaged. Additionally, because the music is so structurally clear, these pieces are excellent choices for teaching accompanimental style, as well as analysis of harmony, rhythm, and form. The edition is clear and clean, which gives the music an added sense of maturity. Though some of the pieces are quite easy, the sophisticated presentation makes Just for Two a good choice for a college or adult piano class. I highly recommend this collection as a strong addition to the pedagogical duet repertoire. (Schott/Hal Leonard, $14.95) K.E. (S3-6) Presto e leggiero, edited by Ágnes Lakos. This collection of fiftyeight technical studies is compiled from the works of sixteen keyboard masters, from Francesco Ricci (1732-1817) to the most recent of the group, Carl Reinecke (1824-1910). Each selection ranges from eight to twenty-six measures, and the collection addresses a large scope of technical issues. While the pieces are somewhat progressive, teachers also could select studies at random in order to address particular technical challenges. Following the order of the studies as published, however, would provide students with a complete program of technical study. The book provides practice in technical issues such as scale and arpeggio playing, wrist rotation using broken intervals, fivefinger patterns with octave leaps, parallel and repeated sixths and thirds, and multiple voicings within the same hand. The pattern and brevity of each exercise will allow the student to memorize the selection quickly so that all attention may then be given to the look of the arms, wrists, hands, and fingers during practice. Ample fingering suggestions, articulations, and phrase indications are included. (Editio Musica Budapest/Hal Leonard, $14.99) K.W.B. (S4) Satie: Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes, edited by Matthew Edwards. In recent years, Schirmer Performance Editions have provided new collections of popular classical teaching pieces. The volumes are sophisticated, with beautifully designed covers, wellresearched historical and performance notes, and JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

thick, cream-colored paper that feels artistically decadent. Like most pedagogical collections, this edition of Satie’s popular Gymnopédies and the first three Gnossiennes provides background on Satie’s life and work, along with performance suggestions. Edwards’s discussions of the pieces help point the pianist’s ear in the right direction; for example, he writes that “half-pedal will help clear some of the sounds, while maintaining a beautiful ‘liquid’ sound.” The editing is tasteful, with just the right amount of suggested fingerings, and dynamic markings that are generally consistent with early editions. In the Gymnopédies, Edwards makes the somewhat questionable decision to move the phrase-defining crescendos and diminuendos from the top of the staff to the middle, though they are clearly meant to refer solely to the right-hand melody. However, I appreciate that here—unlike in some editions—the Gnossiennes are written without time signatures, as the composer indicated. The lack of written meters is vital to understanding these pieces, as it both anticipates twentieth-century notation and looks back to the medieval chants that inspired Satie. The most disappointing aspect of this edition is the quality of the recording. The performance is labored, with an overly thick texture and a lack of color and shad-


ing. The melody line is often interrupted by unintentional accents, and sometimes does not follow the dynamic markings indicated in the score. The harmony is generally too heavy, and the performer often takes time in a way that feels unsettled, rather than gracefully intentional. I recommend this edition for the score and the performance notes, but suggest that pianists seek out recordings by JeanYves Thibaudet and other artists. (Schirmer/Hal Leonard, $9.99) K.E. ✔(S4-5) Melodies of China: Playing Chinese Folk Songs on Piano, arranged by Zhang Zhao. This outstanding collection contains twenty folk tunes expertly arranged by Zhang Zhao, who also performs the pieces on the enclosed CD. The selection is diverse, featuring music from multiple Chinese provinces (including Henan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan) and from regions in Northeast China. Some of the more interesting pieces are based on songs from China’s ethnic minorities, including the Dai, Gaoshan, Hani, Jingpo, Kazakh, Mongolian, Tajik, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Wa peoples. These arrangements are a far cry from the simple pentatonic Chinese tunes famil-

iar to most Western ears: the styles range from tender to percussive, from lyrical to humorous. Zhang’s contemporary harmonies are tasteful and compelling, but never detract from the focus on the melodies themselves. At times the listener may hear shades of Kabalevsky, Bartók, or even Debussy in these arrangements, but the folk tunes themselves are unmistakably authentic. Teachers will find many delightful gems in this collection. “Mayeela” from the Kazakh minority and “Wa Folk Song” from the Wa minority in Yunnan Province captivate with their driving rhythms. The Tajik “Why Are the Flowers So Red?” haunts with Arabic-style harmonies and ornaments. The orchestral “Yellow River Boatman’s Song” from Shaanxi Province is reminiscent of Debussy at his most atmospheric, while the Uyghur “Alamuhanrh” is dancelike with playful syncopations. Most of these late-intermediate pieces are short, one-to-two pages long. Students will enjoy a diversity of key signatures and a wide variety of articulations and dynamic shadings. This volume would be an excellent repertoire supplement, offering a variety of student recital pieces and even a few engaging encores for professional musicians. Highly recommended. (Schott/Hal Leonard, book and CD $17.95) V.C.M. p

CLAVIER COMPANION

53

CD & DVD Reviews Steven Hall, Editor

Steven Hall has a wide range of performing experience as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, and Taiwan. A German reviewer wrote, “He proved that he need not fear comparison with the greatest in his field.” He has released two compact discs featuring the Ibach piano on the ACA label. Hall completed his D.M.A. in Piano Performance as John Perry’s teaching assistant at the University of Southern California and is a founder and faculty member of the Brandeis Piano Conservatory in Dallas, Texas. He is the president of BPC Recording Company and serves on the boards of the Lennox International Young Artist Competition and the Dallas Music Teachers Association.

This issue’s contributors: Vanessa Cornett-Murtada is the Director of Keyboard Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where she teaches courses in piano and piano pedagogy and directs the New Music Ensemble. She has lectured across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Eric Hicks is a private piano teacher in Austin, Texas. He received his degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, SUNY at Stony Brook, and the University of Texas at Austin. Laura Melton is the Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She has been a frequent recitalist and clinician throughout North and South America, Asia, and Europe and has recently recorded CDs for Naxos and Albany Records. Denise Parr-Scanlin is an Assistant Professor of Piano at West Texas A&M University and teaches piano and chamber music at the Lutheran Summer Music Festival. She has performed and adjudicated in the U.S., Europe, and Asia and appears on the Naxos recording of the Sonata for Cello and Piano by Sam Jones. Stephen Pierce is Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Northern Colorado and has previously taught at Oberlin Conservatory. He has performed in the Czech Republic, Canada, the United States, and South Africa, and has published in Clavier Companion and Music Research Forum. Sin-Hsing Tsai is U.C. Foundation Associate Professor of Music at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and has performed in Asia, Europe, and North and South America. She is a Steinway Artist.

54

CLAVIER COMPANION

COMPOSER Boris Papandopulo: Piano Music Nicholas Phillips, piano Albany Records Troy1274 [Total Time 69:32]

COMPOSER J. S. Bach: Keyboard Concertos Alexandre Tharaud, piano Virgin 50999 070913 2 [Total Time 74:46]

Nicholas Phillips offers a unique contribution with this fine recording of piano music by Croatian composer-pianist Boris Papandopulo (1906-91). Papandopulo’s style is eclectic, characterized by appealing folk elements in the early works and more dissonant satire in the adventurous later works. Early pieces include a neoclassic four-movement Partita (1931), a virtuosic Scherzo fantastico (1932), and a three-movement Sonatina (1942). All contain attractive elements of Croatian nationalism: folklike melodies, asymmetrical dance rhythms, and driving motoric writing. The later works, Eight Studies (1956) and 10X1: Ten Musical Impressions Each Lasting One Minute (1989), exude a variety of engaging twentieth-century “isms,” and are at times reminiscent of Prokofiev at his wittiest. Phillips capably approaches these little-known works with a clear, crisp touch, rhythmic vitality, and the perfect amount of wry humor. For those interested in discovering new music, Papandopulo is certainly worth a second look. V.C.M.

It is unfortunate that Tharaud is so little known in the United States, as he is supremely gifted. Previous releases include ravishing piano renditions of music by Rameau, Couperin, Bach, and Scarlatti. For these Bach keyboard concerti Tharaud performs on a Yamaha grand. He is joined by the Canadian group Les Violons du Roy, an ensemble utilizing modern string instruments with Baroque bows. The string playing is precise, without vibrato, and marked by stylistic sensibility. This unique acoustical combination might not suit everyone’s taste, but the musicianship is stunning. Tharaud performs with refinement and verve throughout, adorning slow movements with imaginative ornamentation and exquisite phrasing. Fast movements are brisk yet elegant, and artfully articulated. In the Concerto for Four Keyboards Tharaud uses multitrack recording to play all four parts. A surprising textural clarity and uniformity between the various keyboard parts make for an altogether exceptional experience. S.P.

COMPOSER

COMPOSER

Schubert: Piano Sonatas D840 & D850 Shai Wosner, piano Onyx4073 [Total Time: 76:23] On this CD, Shai Wosner investigates Schubert’s treatment of folk elements, selecting only works composed outside Vienna during the composer’s visits to the AustroHungarian countryside. Beginning with the twomovement unfinished Sonata in C Major, D. 840, Wosner creates eloquent characterizations of the themes, taking pleasure in the harmonic surprises without rendering them theatrical. In his excellent liner notes, Wosner draws comparisons to the “Wanderer” character; indeed Winterreise is evoked in the andante movement’s recitative-like passages. Wosner’s delectable performances of the Six German Dances and the Hungarian Melody are engaging. (Interestingly, the latter is the basis for Schubert’s expanded four-hand version Divertissement a l’hongroise, D. 818.) Although, in the Sonata in D Major, D. 850, one might quibble with some of his rhythmic interpretations and the overly articulated first theme of the second movement, Wosner’s playing is beautiful. This CD is a welcome addition to the library of Schubert recordings. D.P.S.

Brahms: Fantasies, Intermezzos, and Haydn Variations Christopher Atzinger, piano Katherine AnandaOwens, piano MSR Classics MS1235 [Total Time 52:15] Christopher Atzinger proves to be an excellent pianist, using Brahms’s contrasting Opp. 116 and 117 and the two-piano Haydn variations to implement his well-intentioned musical plans. Atzinger’s collaboration with pianist Katherine Ananda-Owens exhibits a fine display of a meeting of musical minds, both in conception and in the quality of their ensemble. Atzinger demonstrates a firm grasp of the art of contrast in the fervently passionate fantasies and the serenely intimate intermezzos that comprise Op. 116 and 117; his musical thinking is apparent in the phraseology and pacing of these works. For instance, in Op 116, No. 1 (Presto energico), he uses a broad rubato that teeters on the brink of actually changing tempo, while in Op. 116, No. 5 (Andante con grazia ed intimissimo sentimento), he employs an unusual gigue-like pace. The overall recording, while good, is less than satisfying due to the close microphone technique. E.H. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

COLLECTION Great Short Masterpieces for Piano Michal Tal, piano Roméo Records 7278/9 [Total Time 78:09/72:33] Israeli-born pianist Michal Tal presents works by Schubert, Debussy, Satie, and Berio in this unique two-disc set that, because it includes both live and studio recordings, is sometimes marred by inconsistent sound quality and noisy distractions. On the first disc, Schubert’s Impromptus, Op. 142, although cleanly played, are often heavy-handed and lack variety in texture and nuance. Live performances of selected Debussy preludes (six from each book), offer more personality and imagination, yet moments of overly affected playing detract from the charm of Debussy’s music. The second disc delivers a remarkably different pianistic impression through fourteen tastefully played short works of Erik Satie, and Tal is at her best in Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IV (1966) and Six Encores (1965-90). She effectively illuminates the inherent complexities of Berio’s music: her dazzling technique and exquisite pedaling create beautifully articulated layers of sound that ultimately paint a complete canvas of these modern masterpieces. L.M.


COMPOSER Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Op. 31 Thomas Sauer, piano MSR Classics MS1284 [Total Time 69:05]

American pianist Thomas Sauer contrasts two of Beethoven’s more joyful sonatas, Op. 31, Nos. 1 and 3, with the dramatic “Tempest” Sonata, Op. 31, No. 2. Sauer treats each sonata with a deft hand, producing strikingly expressive and colorful palettes within each movement. His musicianship is particularly evident in his intense emotional connection to Op. 31, No.2: mood shifts in the first movement, the recitative quality of the second movement, and the linear clarity of the third movement are exceptional. Further, Sauer approaches each sonata with reserved tempos and dynamic range. In the first and third sonatas, he accentuates the subtler and more pristine character of these works, and his sparse pedaling is rather unusual (most notably in the slow movement of Op. 31, No. 1). Although all performances are well-executed, the vivacious character of the outer two sonatas is sacrificed, making for an uneven collection of this unique set. S.H.

SLIPPED DISC Quos Ego Mary Kenedi, piano Echiquier Records ECD-009 [Total Time 67:20] Hungarian-born pianist Mary Kenedi performed and coproduced this CD of Kodály’s piano concert repertoire. Her elegant and powerful resonance in Méditation sur un motif de Claude Debussy is a testament to Kenedi’s colorful imagination and conceptualization of orchestral dimensions. She also magnificently captures the declamatory style and modal inflections of the Pieces, Opp. 3 and 11, conveying the character of each piece with passionate ingenuity—whether the enraged Furioso, the somber “Tomb Inscription,” the mischievous Allegretto scherzoso, or the elegiac “Transylvanian Lament.” Dances of Marosszék is delivered with respectable competence and assurance, yet ultimately fails to project the Hungarian character in the work’s wild and frenzied conclusion. As Kenedi points out in the liner notes, this CD compilation excludes Kodály’s pedagogical pieces and transcriptions. Nevertheless, her recording serves as a valid reference and certainly merits the attention of those interested in a survey of Kodály’s more substantial piano works. S.H.T. p

CLAVIER COMPANION

55

News & Notes PianoArts deadline nears February 3 is the postmark deadline for application to the PianoArts 2012 North American Biennial Competition. The competition, which is for international pianists who study or live in North America, will be in Milwaukee June 7-13. The competition will award over $22,000 in cash prizes. Other prizes include PianoArts fellowships, a scholarship to the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City, and extensive performance opportunities. Additional information about PianoArts is available at www.pianoarts.org.

Free Goldberg is coming, hurrah, hurrah Pianist Kimiko Ishizaka is the artist for Bösendorfer’s Open Goldberg Project. The piano manufacturer’s upcoming new digital score and digital recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations will be available for legal sharing and copying. Bösendorfer states that this Goldberg will be “the first fan-funded, open source, and completely free recording ever produced.” The piano used for the project is a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial, and the interactive score will be notated by MuseScore. Learn more at http://www.opengoldbergvariations.org.

Engage those students! The next time a student wonders aloud if piano lessons will be useful in later life, mention the names of pop artists Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, and Regina Spektor (your students certainly know

56

CLAVIER COMPANION

who these musicians are!). Lady Gaga was accepted at Juilliard when she was 11 (although she attended a different school), and Keys began her piano lessons at the age of 7. Spektor studied classical piano with Sonia Vargas at the Manhattan School of Music. Sharing this type of information emphasizes the importance of piano study, and your students will be impressed with your interest in their world. For more names of pop acts that feature the piano, a visit to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pop_and_rock_ pianists will help get you started in your research.

The world continues to shrink Beginning in January 2012, The Juilliard School will begin a year-long program in conjunction with two Mexican cultural agencies, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA) and Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL). During the coming months Juilliard faculty, administrators, and alumni will visit prominent music and dance schools in Mexico; they will assess students, present master classes, and participate in roundtable discussions. Juilliard compares these assessments to “the certification of standards that Juilliard and other U.S. institutions of higher education undergo on a regular basis.” Additionally, faculty and administrators from the Mexican schools will be visiting Juilliard during this period of cultural exchange. More information about the program can be found at www.juilliard. edu/newsroom/releases/current/2011-10-18_Global.php.


Pupil Saver A student showpiece Timothy Brown’s Russian Prelude (FJH) is a wonderfully dramatic piece written in the Late Romantic style. Brown was undoubtedly influenced by the great Russian composers of that era, and he makes their glorious sound accessible to late-intermediate and earlyadvanced students. Russian Prelude is in D minor and ABA form. The A section, written in common time, is reminiscent of a fanfare. An opening fortissimo is followed by a subito piano and a concluding crescendo: students will learn this part quickly. The section looks relatively easy—moderate tempo, unison chords, straightforward quarternote rhythms, and left-hand octave jumps—but the musical effect, demonstrated in measures 8-11, is impressive.

In the return of the A section, the bass line is now in the lowest register of the piano; students love the deep, rich sound of the left hand fortissimo octaves. Brown ends his prelude, at measures 53-57, with a tender pianissimo.

Russian Prelude is only three pages long, and it is a perfect miniature showpiece for recitals and festivals. p —Carmen Doubrava Brown switches to 6/8 for the faster B section, and again he wisely keeps the rhythm simple. He transforms broken chords and octaves, as seen in measures 20-23, into a haunting and beautiful melody, leaving the student plenty of room for expressive playing.


Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/ClavierCompanion

CLAVIER COMPANION

57

Special Friends of the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy The National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) is dedicated to enriching the lives of all students through music education at the piano, and to helping every piano teacher grow in skill and dedication to the profession. Registration fees are not sufficient to cover the essential expenses of presenting a first-rate conference, and annual giving is one of the ways everyone can help. The Special Friends of NCKP are a group of dedicated supporters who have made an annual gift to underwrite the conference. For more information about an annual gift of any size to NCKP, contact [email protected], or make a gift online at https://www.francesclarkcenter.org/donate. Symphony Martha Baker Jordan Marvin Blickenstaff Sam Holland Concerto Jean Barr Claudia Bolek Paul Andrew Hisey Susan C. Powell Cadenza Dennis Alexander Mike Bates Gail Berenson Ed Darling Diane Eichhorst Anna Foshee Ann Gipson Debi Inch Martha Hilley Pete Jutras Karen Ann Krieger Lynn Ann Kroeger Nelita & Fernando Laires Frances Larimer Maria Lonchyna-Lisowsky James Lyke Elizabeth Mancinelli Sue Medford Charlie H. Mitchell Frederick Harris Music Co. Robert Pace

58

CLAVIER COMPANION

Pamela D. Pike Lesley Owsley Carolyn True Robert Weirich Nancy Whitecar Ann Williams Carole A. Zephier Sonata Anonymous Monica Allen Connie Anderson Charles Aschbrenner Linda Barker Patricia Blanchard Susan Capestro Valerie Cisler Vanessa Cornett-Murtada Karin R. Edwards Gwendolyn Joyce Epps Shirley Fike Maureen Flood Sonia Geoffery Geiss Amy Glennon Julie Soh Harbin William Hermanson Jan Houser Rebecca Johnson Gloria A. Joireman Rosa Drake Julstrom Tomoko Kanamaru Zina Katsman Polly Kuelbs

Beverly Lapp Phyllis Alpert Lehrer Jennifer Anne Linn Betty Liu Sharon Marble Miller Music Studios, Inc. James Nie Elvina Pearce Scott Price Joan Reppert Catherine Rollin Amy Rothstein Carmen Shaw Elaine B. Smith Helen Smith-Tarchalski Beverly Strathmann Chee-Hwa Tan Jan Meyer Thompson Sheila Vail Robert Vandall Richard Van Dyke Mirna Vidamour Barbara Wing Paul R. Wirth Marcia Yurko

Phyliss Chvostal Miriam Eley James Goldsworthy Rosa Hamilton Krysta Hawkley Lisa Heu Carole M. Houghton Arthur Houle LeAnn House Amy Immerman Judith Jain Barbara Jirsa Michael Lehtinen Cheryl Lim Helen Lobosco Heidi Mayer Jane McInnis Terry McRoberts Anna B. Mitchell Diane Beyer Perett Karol Sue Reddington Diane M. Smith Betty Stoloff Susan Twitty Linda Witchie

Rondo Anonymous Susan Baker Bruce Berr David Bower Tina Brown Patricia Carter

Other Antoinette Franke Rebecca Gebbink Jacqueline Murphy Bob Ross Sally Spero Iris Stratland


Keyboard Kids’ Companion Created by Teachers

Approved by Kids

Meet the Composers Born: January 31, 1797 Birthplace: Austria Died: November 19, 1828 Some favorites by Schubert: “Unfinished” Symphony, “Trout” Quintet, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Der Erlkönig, Impromptus for piano, Marche Militaire for piano duet

F

ranz Peter Schubert was born in Himmelpfortgrund near Vienna, Austria. Franz was the twelfth of fourteen children, but only five lived to grow up. He had one sister, Maria Theresa, and three brothers— Ignaz, Karl, and Ferdinand. Franz learned to play several instruments (violin, viola, piano, and organ), and he sang very well. His first music teachers were his father and his brothers. His family often performed together during musical evenings at home, and Franz wrote many compositions for these gatherings. When he grew up, Schubert and his friends continued the tradition. These meetings became known as Schubertiades. When he was ten, Franz was accepted at a school that trained boys for the Court Chapel Choir (now known as the Vienna Boys’ Choir). He began composing and wrote a song that impressed the school’s director, Antonio Salieri,, and Salieri began to teach him. Salieri and the school’s professor of harmony called young Schubert a genius! When Schubert’s voice broke and he had to leave the choir, he was very sad. Schubert’s father was a school teacher, and he wanted Franz to become a school teacher as well. But Franz wasn’t happy. He taught school by day and composed by night. He loved composing and worked so

Franz Peter Schubert 60

CLAVIER COMPANION

Franz Peter Schubert hard that, before he was twenty years old, he had written more than 100 songs and many other compositions! He finally gave up school teaching altogether to focus on music. For a short time, he was the music teacher for the royal Esterházy family.. Franz wrote many kinds of music, but he is probably most famous for composing art songs, or lieder, of which he wrote more than 600! Some of the most popular art songs ever were written by Schubert. Schubert was one of the first composers in the Romantic period, and his music is often performed today. His music is filled with long, beautiful melodies and rich harmonies. But Schubert’s music was not always popular. Publishers were afraid to take a chance on a young unknown who composed using such strange harmonies for his time. Some of his fellow composers looked down on his music. And Schubert was not a strong businessman. He sold the rights to some of his best works, and other people made most of the money. Sadly, even though he was a musical genius, Franz Schubert often lived in poverty. Franz Schubert’s musical hero was Ludwig van Beethoven. Schubert carried a torch in Beethoven’s funeral procession, one year before his own death at the age of thirty-one. At Schubert’s request, he was buried near the grave of his hero. Although Franz Schubert died at a very young age, he left behind hundreds of the world’s favorite compositions.

Franz Peter Schubert 1. Schubert’s musical hero was _________________________ . 2. Schubert is probably most famous for his _______________________. 3. Schubert and his friends met for musical evenings they called ____________________. 4. Like his musical hero, Schubert helped to bridge music from the classical period to the ___________ period.


Musical Matching Directions: Match each musical passage, symbol, or term with the photo that best describes it. Draw a line connecting your pairs. Click here to download a .pdf of the puzzle solution

January Birthdays 5 Alfred Brendel (1931) . . . . . . . . . . . Austrian pianist 6 Alexander Scriabin (1872) . . . . . . . Russian composer 27 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756) . Austrian composer

February Birthdays John Williams (1932) . . . . . . . . . . . . American composer and conductor 21 Carl Czerny (1791) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austrian pianist and composer 23 George Frederic Handel (1685). . . . German-born English composer

A closer look at Keyboard Kids’ Companion

8

You be the teacher: Compose a four measure melody. Play it demonstrating one of the musical terms or symbols on this page. Ask a friend to choose a picture that looks like what you are playing. Then play your composition a few more times. Demonstrate a different term or symbol each time. Play so well that your friend can always choose the picture you “hear”!

Keyboard Kids’ Companion ©Clavier Companion 2012 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

1. Find an example in your music books of each of the terms or symbols in the matching puzzle. 2. Click on the links below to view YouTube performances of the following Schubert compositions: t “Gretchen am Spinnrade” (art song), sung by Kiri Te Kanawa t Piano Sonata in B flat, D. 960, 1st movement, played by Leon Fleisher t Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished,” 1 st movement, conducted by Gunter Wand t “Marche Militaire” for piano four-hands, played by Érdi and Kocsis 3. Look up the red words in Meet the Composers. Tell your teacher two facts you learn about each.

Helen Smith Tarchalski, Editor

Reprint permission granted exclusively for Clavier Companion subscribers and their students

January/February 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

61

Advertiser Index 3-D Piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 www.3-Dpiano.com Albany Records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 www.albanyrecords.com Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 www.alfred.com American School of Piano Tuning . . . . . . . 62 www.piano-tuning.com Baylor University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 www.baylor.edu/music Beethoven Tour 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 www.williamwellborn.com Burt & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 www.burtnco.com Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory . . . . . . . . Achievement Program . . . . . . . . . . . 35 www.theachievementprogram.org Clavier Companion Collegiate Writing Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.claviercompanion.com Cleveland State University . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 csuohio.edu Eastman School of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 www.esm.rochester.edu EPTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 epta-europe.org Faber Piano Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 www.pianoadventures.com The FJH Music Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 3 www.fjhmusic.com The Frederick Harris Music Co., Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .inside front cover www.frederickharrismusic.com Frustrated Accompanist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 www. frustratedaccompanist.com

The Golandsky Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 www.golandskyinstitute.org Harmony Road Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 www.harmonyroadmusic.com Houghton College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 www.houghton.edu/greatbatch Hutchins & Rea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 www.hutchinsandrea.com Indiana University Jacobs School of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 music.indiana.edu/precollege/summer/ piano

www.kawaius.com

CLAVIER COMPANION

Northeastern Illinois University . . . . . . . . . 45 www.neiu.edu Piano Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 www.pianoexplorer.net Pianofonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 www.pianofonics.com Piano Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 www.pianostreet.com Red Leaf Pianoworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Schirmer Performance Editions . . . . . . . . . 17 www.halleonard.com

Keyboard Wellness Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . 27 www.keyboardwellnessseminar.com Keys To Imagination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 www.keystoimagination.com KITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 www.keynotetheory.com Lee Roberts Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 leerobertsmusic.com MTNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 www.mtna.org

Sheet Music Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 www.sheetmusicplus.com Steinway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover www.steinway.com SUNY New Paltz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 www.newpaltz.edu/piano Teaching Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 800-873-3043 UMKC Conservatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 conservatory.umkc.edu

Music Bag Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 www.musicbagpress.com Music Educator’s Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . 14 www.musicedmarket.com Music for Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 www.myc.com

University of North Carolina Greensboro . 26 performingarts.uncg.edu/focus Virginia Waring Int’l Piano Competition 53 www.vwipc.org Well-Balanced Pianist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 www.WellBalancedPianist.com

Music Perceptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 www.musicperceptions.com MusicLearningCommunity.com. . . . . . . . . 48 www.MusicLearningCommunity.com Musikgarten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 www.musikgarten.org

62

www.naz.edu/music

redleafpianoworks.com

Kawai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover

PIANO TUNING PAYS: Train at home to become a qualified piano technician with American School of Piano Tuning complete homestudy course. Tools included. 800-497-9793.

Nazareth College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Willamette University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 willamette.edu/go/music Willis Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 www.WillisPianoMusic.com Yellow Cat Publishing, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . 48 www.yellowcatpublishing.com

TEACHING SKILLS: A complete guide for piano teachers. Topics for teaching beginners through preparing an advanced student to present a solo recital. “How to” strategies. Major authorities of piano pedagogy cited. Forward by Dr. Paul Pollei, founder of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. $15.95 Intellectual Pub. Co. 800873-3043 Fax: 936-271-4560 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Whether you are a seasoned professional or new teacher, membership in Music Teachers National Association is an essential part of your professional life. Since 1876, MTNA has been the foremost leader in empowering the music-teaching professional by providing valuable resources and networking opportunities for its members.


CLAVIER COMPANION

63

Questions & Answers Louise L. Goss Q. I think I had a pretty good college pedagogy class, but I am still unsure about what to include in my student’s lesson assignments. Could you offer some guidance on this subject? A. Planning the student’s lesson assignment is one of the piano teacher’s most important responsibilities. A carefully thought-out and well-balanced assignment takes much time and thought, and includes continual restudy as the lessons proceed. Broadly speaking, everything we teach falls into one of three categories: musicianship, technique, and practice habits. The first question we need to ask ourselves is whether or not every assignment includes all three areas. The second question is whether or not we keep all three areas in balance from week to week and month to month. If a student’s musicianship exceeds his technique, he becomes frustrated by not being able to play the music the way he wants it to sound. If technique gets ahead of musicianship, the result is a “pianistic typist” whose playing lacks musical beauty and understanding. If practice habits lag behind the other two areas, the student grows discouraged because it takes too long to learn new repertoire. Ideal progress results from balanced assignments in which musicianship, technique, and practice habits develop handin-hand. The only sure-fire way I know to keep assignments in good balance is to begin by making a long-range lesson plan from September to June, and then to break the long-range plan into shorter segments, perhaps ten-week plans, before planning individual weeks. The shorter-range planning is a matter of continually adjusting and refining the longer-range goals.

Q. Is it true that every assignment should include both new and review materials? A. Yes. I believe that ideally every assignment should include both new activities and review material. Keeping those two aspects in balance is essential to making steady, solid progress at the piano. In balancing new and review materials, we need to remember that every assignment in itself is a new experience and for this reason does not always need to include new music. For some lessons the new can be new ways to practice or new ways to improve music the student is already studying. New pieces need to be added in some sensible ratio to pieces being discontinued. The review assignment could include new ways to work repertoire and technique, as well as follow through in areas such as reading, rhythm, theory, and practice skills. Finally, at regular intervals, we need to restudy our student’s last few assignments, to see how well we are balancing all of these considerations. We can learn much about our teaching, and about or student’s progress (or lack of it) by regularly reviewing and analyzing our assignments.

64

CLAVIER COMPANION

Q. I understand that the teachers in your school are required to spend a full morning each week on lesson planning. This seems unrealistic to me, and I, for one, would find it impossible to devote this amount of time to lesson planning. Perhaps I misunderstand your intention. For example, is the lesson plan also used as the student’s assignment? A. While we consider lesson planning a significant part of the teaching-learning process, our teachers are certainly not required to set aside any specific amount of time for lesson planning. However, we have found that making the plan for the student’s next lesson can best be done on the morning following the lesson, when it is still fresh in our minds. We make both a written plan for the teacher to use at the next lesson and an assignment for the student to take home in his notebook. We prepare the assignment with a carbon copy and leave the carbon in the student’s notebook during the lesson, so that changes, additions, and notes written on the student’s assignment during the lesson are automatically recorded on our copy. Then when we plan the following lesson we work from the copy of the assignment and the previous week’s plan. The most important aspect of lesson planning, both for classes and for private students, is an overview of the year and a detailed ten-week plan, both of which are made before the first lesson is given. As we near the end of the tenth week, we review our plans and assignments for the preceding weeks and make a new tenweek plan. This overview is a general statement of our goals for this class or student in repertoire, theory, technique, and skills such as sight-reading, transposing, accompanying, and memorizing. The ten-week plan lists specific music, technical etudes and exercises, and theoretical concepts and materials, with books and page numbers for everything we expect to assign. Also included are notes about when to order new music. The ten-week plan is detailed and time consuming, but it saves hours of time in planning weekly lessons. It is treated as a flexible program, subject to change and modification as the lessons proceed.

A final thought In general, I believe that planning a lesson consumes about as much time as giving it, a fact that ought to be taken into consideration when teachers determine their fees! p

Louise L. Goss is a cofounder, along with Frances Clark, of The New School for Music Study in Princeton, NJ. She is an author and editor of The Music Tree series and the Frances Clark Library for Piano Students. She currently serves as the Chair of the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. She is Chair Emerita of the Board of Trustees of the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Clavier Companion Vol.4 #1

Recommend Documents