Anderson - The pianist’s craft : mastering the works of great composers

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank each of the authors for their tireless work, and for the dedication and love of their profession and subject matter that is evidenced in each chapter. Appreciation also goes to Zachary Van Houten and Joseph Sowa for their excellent transcriptions of the examples, to Britny Clark for her assistance in obtaining the copyright permissions and proofreading musical examples, to Charles Stratford and Ruth Eldredge for their invaluable assistance in formatting and editing, and to Doug Bush for his translation from German to English of Inge Rosars article on Bach.

Introduction

To put it squarely, the problem is one, not of the piano, but of the pianist.

Very well, my dear... you continue to play Bach your way and Ill continue to play him his way.

The pianists profession is a daunting one. I have found after nearly forty years of teaching that each succeeding year has increased my appreciation for how vast and varied the subject of piano literature and its performance is. When you ponder all of the physical, mental, aural, and emotional complexities involved in the preparation and performance of a work for piano, it truly is an awe-inspiring event, regardless of the age or experience of the pianist.

Even though our task might seem intimidating, we pianists love the challenge. We utilize all types of resources: books, periodicals, conferences, recordings, live concerts, and others. We steep ourselves in the rich history of the keyboards development. We study the lives of composers to determine what influences affected their writing. We seek to understand the differences of the style periods. Then we approach the technical, stylistic, and interpretive challenges so we can infuse the music with all the emotional and spiritual inspiration possible. All of this, we hope, will culminate in a performance that reflects something of what the composer intended to be communicated to the audience. More often than not, the end result is more fulfilling than we anticipated.

Our task is also humbling. Regardless of our experience, we know our approach to the repertoire must always evolve. And this includes mastering not only the works of the past, but also the new works that continue to come forth and deserve, even demand, a place in our repertoire.

I am blessed to work with wonderful and exceptionally talented colleagues. We frequently share our thoughts concerning these challenges that are so unique to the pianist. One of these discussions led me to the idea of compiling and publishing a collection of essays written by successful artists and teachers who have established themselves nationally and internationally, who have been in the trenches and understand the challenges. The emphasis of the essays would be on how to prepare, teach, and perform works by composers about whom the contributors are particularly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Such a collection would seem to be a valuable resource for students, teachers, and performers.

I began contacting influential pianists about the project, most of whom I did not know, but who now have become friends and colleagues. Their responses were overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic. As they began to submit their chapters, I found their topics to be varied and fascinating, addressing such issues:

• How should ornamentation and articulation in Haydns music be approached?
• In what ways did Ravels Erard piano differ from modern keyboards? How did the physical characteristics of his keyboard affect the way he composed, and how should these influences affect the way his works are performed on modern keyboards?
• How does a pianist achieve the singing tone and sonorous sound required in the works of Chopin?
• What is the role of rubato in the piano works of Brahms? How does his displacement of the beat affect the rhythmic movement? What role do thumbs play when voicing his lyrical lines?
• How does one decipher Liszts fascination with color and gesture and transfer it to the keyboard?
• What is the connection of fire and light with the works of Scriabin?
• What role does lyricism play in Prokofievs piano works, even those that are the most percussive?
• Is there a way to master the scores and performance demands of Crumb so that his works seem less daunting?

This book is not meant to be comprehensive, nor does it restrict each article to a predetermined format. Rather than constrain the authors to observe the same academic pigeon holes, I felt it would be far more interesting and diverse if the authors were allowed the freedom to draw on their varied and unique experience and expertise. This flexibility has produced chapters that I hope will illuminate, inspire, and motivate pianists to delve more deeply into the lives and works of the composers represented in this volume.

Notes

1. Willi Apel, Masters of the Keyboard (London: Oxford University Press, 1970), 5.

2. Overheard from Wanda Landowska and quoted in Harold C. Schonberg, The Great Pianists (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987), 422.

Performing Scarlatti

Hilary Demske

Of all the major 18th-century composers Scarlatti remains surely the most enigmatic.

Kenneth Gilberts statement addresses the unusual juxtaposition of acclaim and uncertainty that surrounds Domenico Scarlatti. Although Scarlatti occupies an essential part of the pianists repertoire, a lack of historical information about his life has resulted in conflicting approaches to his music. As an Italian living in Spain, Scarlatti was undoubtedly exposed to a variety of musical styles, but a single definitive translation of these sources into his keyboard sonatas continues to elude scholars and performers alike.

Confusion surrounds even the instrument that Scarlatti championed. David Sutherland claims Scarlatti was the pianos first grand advocate, while Ralph Kirkpatrick finds little evidence that Scarlatti was in any way tempted to abandon the harpsichord for the pianoforte. Despite their differences, however, both would likely agree that little firsthand evidence exists to support either conclusion. Without a surviving personal or eyewitness account to establish his position, Sutherland instead turns to geographic parallels with the pianofortes distribution, employer inventory records, and early pianoforte dedications. The tried-and-true methods of examining autograph manuscripts and sifting through personal and professional correspondence are not possible due to an overwhelming dearth of records. Scarlatti has simply had the good fortune for almost all trace of his everyday life to have disappeared.