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Pianist 136 CONTENTS
February-March 2024
The next issue of Pianist goes on sale 15 March 2024

20
10 8

4 Editor’s Note 20 How to Play 1 Samantha Ege 68 What is Difficulty?

Playing by numbers shows you how to breathe and Matthew Mills on the
voice your chords in a gorgeous complexities behind the grading
4 Reader Competition Win Coleridge-Taylor Andante system – taking examples from
Beatrice Rana’s new Sonatas this issue’s Scores
album from Warner Classics 22 How to Play 2 Beloved by
pianists and audiences alike, 71 Subscribe Save up to 35% on
6 Readers’ Letters Surprising Liszt’s arrangement of Widmung Pianist when you subscribe today
Liszt and a ‘loud’ piano is one big virtuosic masterpiece,
says Lucy Parham 72 Catalogue Numbers
6 Pianist Prime Announcing our Why do the numbers (and letters)
brand-new digital membership. 24 How to Play 3 Melanie of pieces we learn matter? And
Sign up today! Spanswick looks at the technical why do the types vary? Colin
issues in a Classical sonatina Clarke reveals all
8 Piano News Students are movement by Latour
inspired by a recent Lang Lang 76 Karol Szymanowski The
masterclass at the RCM 25 The Scores From beginner to Polish composer’s soundworld
advanced, this issue’s collection
10 Beatrice Rana The determined features a feisty Beethoven 78 Afterlife Warwick Thompson
Italian pianist talks to Jessica Bagatelle, a heartbreaking takes us on a colourful tour of
Duchen about falling in love with Bortkiewicz Consolation, what happens to our beloved
Beethoven (at last) Schubert’s final Moment musical pianos after their sell-by date
and much more
14 How to Play Masterclass 1 81 Album Reviews Five stars for
Mark Tanner on the pros of 67 Piano Teacher Help Desk Queffélec’s Mozart and Perianes’s
singing while you play Kathryn Page goes all ‘touchy Spanish album, and more
feely’ and explains that the
16 How to Play Masterclass 2 feel of velvet and the smell of a 82 Sheet Music Reviews Eight
Graham Fitch discusses the candle can enhance your books reviewed, from Schubert
subtle ebb and flow of rubato pupils’ playing sonatas to Queen duets

Cover image: © Simon Fowler/Warner Classics. This page, left to right: © Gregory Booth; © Simon Fowler/Warner Classics; © Chris Christodoulou
Notice: Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyrighted material in this magazine, however, should
copyrighted material inadvertently have been used, copyright acknowledgement will be made in a later issue of the magazine.

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Playing by numbers
Over the years I’ve acquired a huge collection of scores. They take up shelves
of precious space, but each score tells its own story, and tells the story of my
musical life, too. The editors and editions inevitably reflect my education, my
formation and my preferences. As I scan over them now, I see Henle for my www.youtube.com/
Beethoven Sonatas, Paderewski for most of my Chopin, and Boosey & Hawkes PianistMagazine
for Rachmaninov. No doubt you will have your own favourites.
The way a publication looks and feels is important, as Michael McMillan
often emphasises in his Sheet Music Reviews. No less significant are those fiddly
catalogue numbers within our scores. Have you ever wondered why Mozart
scores feature K and KV numbers, for example? What does WoO mean at the head of a Beethoven
piece? Why do some Schubert scores feature Opus numbers, while others have D numbers? And
let’s not get started on Scarlatti and Haydn! It’s a complex but fascinating subject – some of the
Pianist
www.pianistmagazine.com
cataloguers being colourful personalities in their own right – and one explored by Colin Clarke in
PUBLISHER
his illuminating article. Warners Group Publications plc
The Austrian composer and music publisher Tobias Haslinger was the first to publish Schubert’s Director: Stephen Warner
Publisher: Collette Lloyd
Impromptus, and he had the famous G flat major Op 90 No 3 (or should that be D899 No 3?
Yes, it should) transposed into G major, doubling the number of bar lines as well. He believed EDITORIAL
Warners Group Publications plc
that Schubert’s original key and barring would deter potential customers, but anyone who has West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH, UK
played this version will confirm that it is far more difficult to learn than Schubert’s original! So the Editor: Erica Worth
editor@pianistmagazine.com
question is worth asking, and Matthew Mills answers it: what makes a piece difficult? Is it the key? Tel: +44 (0)20 7266 0760
The busy notes on a page? Cross-handed passages or strings of trills? Such matters have exercised Editorial Assistant & Online Editor: Ellie Palmer
exam boards for decades. ellie.palmer@warnersgroup.co.uk
Marketing: Collette Lloyd
Talking of trills… I mentioned my own fear of them a few issues back, so I was comforted to collette.lloyd@warnersgroup.co.uk
discover that our cover artist Beatrice Rana feels the same way! I haven’t counted how many trills Senior Designer: Nathan Ward
appear in the two monumental sonatas she’s recorded for her latest album on Warner Classics – ADVERTISING
© Simon Fowler (Rana); Benjamin Ealovega

Beethoven’s ‘Hammerklavier’ and Chopin’s Second – but these are pieces that challenge every facet Advertising Manager: Mark Dean
mark.dean@warnersgroup.co.uk
of a pianist’s technique and temperament. Tel: +44 (0)1778 395084
Whether your weak spot is trills, thick chords or filigree figurations, there’s enough variety in Mobile: +44 (0)7503 707023
this issue’s scores to keep you optimistic in your practice. You might enjoy the jumping octaves in
Beethoven’s Bagatelle WoO 56, or the repeated-note frenzy in Lyapunov’s Ramage des enfants. For READER SERVICES
me, it has to be the tender Consolation by Sergei Bortkiewicz. I love a romantic, cantabile melody
UK & WORLD SUBSCRIPTIONS
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4• Pianist 136
The Futur e of the Pi a no
LETTERS
Your chance to
HAVE YOUR SAY
EMAIL: editor@pianistmagazine.com WRITE TO: The Editor, Pianist, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West St, Bourne, PE10 9PH.
Letters may be edited.

Colourful cover Why do I write all this, you may ask? To tell readers like myself –
The classical music world can come across as elitist (a little that is, an amateur of intermediate level – that Liszt is possible!
‘nerdy’, too) so I was glad to see the effervescent Chloe Flower Laurence Black, London, UK
on the December cover. I read Ms Flower’s interview with
interest and with a smile (it’s obvious her interviewer, Warwick We’re glad to hear this! Laurence and other readers might be keen to
Thompson, was also having fun…), plus she had lots of read the ‘What is Difficulty?’ article inside this issue.
informative things to say. I especially enjoyed the part about
her discovery of the wonderful showman and first-class pianist, Instrument advice
Liberace, who I managed to see live in the mid 80s not long I recently bought a high-spec upright by a reputable maker. I loved
before he died. Bravo, Pianist, for thinking outside the box! it in the showroom, having gone back and forth a few times before
Daniel Glassman, Philadelphia, USA deciding. The piano sits in my average-size front room, and as
much as I enjoy the tone that I initially fell in love with, it sounds
Liszt surprises ‘boomy’ now it’s in the much smaller space. It’s bothering me, but
As a subscriber to Pianist for many years, I always look forward I’m nervous to go back to the showroom and speak to them.
to the December issue which includes all types of enticing Sophie Scott, Derbyshire, UK
seasonal scores. As an intermediate-level pianist, I usually stay
away from Liszt because most of his repertoire is virtuosic and, A piano will sound different in various surroundings and you should
to put it blunt, I find him a struggle. However, the Liszt piece not feel uncomfortable going back to them. The showroom should be
inside this issue, ‘Formerly’ from the Christmas Tree Suite, was a able to send a technician who will voice the piano in order to make
pleasure to learn from the start. I also found it surprising that the it sound less ‘loud’. And if the showroom is not helpful, then contact
Nielsen piece, A Dream about ‘Silent Night’, proved way trickier. the manufacturer. No piano maker wants to see an unhappy owner.

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6• Pianist 136
PIANO NEWS

Sharing the passion

The popularity of the piano lessons on Pianist’s own YouTube channel is proof
that there’s nothing like learning from the best: here, superstar Lang Lang
shares his musical insights in a masterclass for students at London’s Royal
College of Music. Owen Mortimer reports

‘I try to open doors for Hall: Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (pictured ‘infused with humour and joy’. Luke’s
everyone who takes part in my above), Thomas Luke (opposite) and choice of repertoire was Saint-Saëns’
masterclasses,’ says Lang Lang. Catherine Zeng. Lang Lang’s huge Piano Concerto No 2 – one of the
‘Masterclasses should always bring energy and enthusiasm filled the venue pieces Lang Lang was performing in his
something new and fresh that we as he sang, spoke and gestured to concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
remember for a while.’ each player in turn, urging them to ‘I was a little nervous in the days
It is a reflection of Lang Lang’s emphasise every nuance of their playing leading up to the masterclass and felt
commitment to music education that for maximum effect. shaky with nerves when I got on stage,’
he seizes every opportunity to fit ‘I played two movements from admits Luke. ‘However, I was able to
teaching into his hectic touring Prokofiev’s Ten Pieces from Romeo work through this feeling and soon
schedule. His recent visit to London was and Juliet,’ says Kanneh-Mason. felt very comfortable being there. Lang
no exception, when instead of taking ‘These pieces are full of character so Lang’s sense of humour and our shared
a night off between two performances I was really interested to hear what passion for the music made working
at the Royal Albert Hall, the Chinese Lang Lang had to say about them. with him feel completely natural and
piano superstar chose to spend his free He pushed me to exaggerate all the joyous.’
evening giving a masterclass at the Royal character and even when I thought I’d
College of Music. done enough he would get more out of Dreams come true
Three undergraduate students shared me. It was very inspiring.’ Not all great pianists are great
© Chris Christodoulou

the platform with Lang Lang for Luke was similarly inspired, and teachers, and there are many stories
this engaging evening at the RCM’s describes Lang Lang as ‘a really fun of masterclasses in which the students
intimate Amaryllis Fleming Concert teacher’ whose pedagogical style is have been browbeaten into adopting

8• Pianist 136
the artist’s interpretation. Lang Lang’s me’. He recalls how watching videos teacher Gary Graffman, and four of
approach is anything but dictatorial of Lang Lang as a child ‘gave me some these masterclasses are still available to
and he always strives to help each of my first encounters with classical view. Also on YouTube you can find
student find their own voice. piano music’, and was inspired by the some clips of a masterclass given by
‘I loved the way he set the objective ‘vibrancy and excitement’ Lang Lang Lang Lang at the Wiener Konzerthaus
he wanted me to achieve but didn’t tell brought to the piano. in November 2021, marking 50
me exactly what to do, or try to make years of diplomatic relations between
me do it in his own way’, says Luke. Lessons without barriers Austria and China. The full 90-minute
‘I was apprehensive that this might This capacity to inspire children to video of this event, showcasing three
have happened, as hearing him play take up the piano was dubbed the talented students on the cusp of their
the Saint-Saëns Concerto in concert ‘Lang Lang effect’ as far back as 2008, careers, can be viewed via the website
the night before revealed some major following his star turn in the opening ‘mdw Mediathek’: mdw.vhx.tv/videos/
divergences in our interpretations. ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. offentliche-masterclass-mit-lang-lang.
But I needn’t have worried! He gave In China alone it is estimated that 40 ‘I do a lot of masterclasses, including
me lots of creative ideas and I felt million children have been inspired to live Internet events, so everybody
like we explored the music together learn the piano by Lang Lang. can listen and take part,’ says Lang
to achieve an interpretation that had To build on this phenomenon, Lang. ‘The internet is OK for
the qualities he desired but was still the Lang Lang International Music playing concerts but I find it best for
inherently “mine”.’ Foundation was launched in 2008 masterclasses because it is possible to
Kanneh-Mason echoes this view: and has now developed into a multi- interact with the audience. Some of
‘Lang Lang listened very intently to faceted programme of music education my online masterclasses in China have
what I was doing, and it seemed he initiatives spanning three continents. attracted two or three million people.
built his ideas on what I had already To date, this work has impacted over This is very good and I’m happy about
decided while also bringing his own 182,000 students worldwide and the it because without music, what can you
personality to the music. He really Foundation’s YouTube channel has do? In a financial crisis music and art
made me think about the importance racked up nearly 2 million views. It are among the first things to be cut.
of not taking anything in the score for currently features 170 videos and But it’s like cutting trees: only later do
granted. Especially in Prokofiev, every counting. people say, “My goodness, there are
marking brings the music to life.’ If you’re keen to get a flavour of a no more trees”. So the Foundation’s
Nobody could ever criticise Lang Lang Lang masterclass, check out the mission is to ensure all children have
Lang’s playing of lacking life, but videos from his Foundation’s week-long access to music education, regardless of
the exaggerated expression that residency in 2020 at the Fondation their background.’ n
characterises some of his interpretations Louis Vuitton’s Paris auditorium. Seven
is not to everyone’s taste. A review of pianists aged 12 to 17 received expert langlangfoundation.org/programs/piano-
his 2020 Goldberg Variations album tuition from Lang Lang and his former masterclasses
in The New York Times described him
as ‘The pianist who plays too muchly’.
Critic Anthony Tommasini wrote: ‘It’s
like he’s attempting to show us how
deeply he feels the music, to prove that
it’s truly coming from his heart. But as
a listener I don’t care about his feelings;
I care about mine. He has to make this
music touch me, not himself.’
This is surely a false distinction, for if
a performer doesn’t feel the emotion of
the music they play then their audience
certainly won’t. So it’s interesting that at
one point during his RCM masterclass
Lang Lang encouraged Luke to play
Saint-Saëns less expressively. ‘I have
recently been working on bringing
stronger intensity to darker music,’ says
Luke. ‘Lang Lang’s main advice to me
was to dial back the intensity in places.
So now I just need to work on finding a
more effective balance!’
Kanneh-Mason says her experience
of working with Lang Lang was ‘eye-
opening and so much fun’, while Luke
describes it as ‘a dream come true for

9• Pianist 136
 Beatrice
I N T E RV I E W

Rana
UNWAVERING
COMMITMENT

The dedicated Italian pianist talks to

Jessica Duchen about her latest
monumental recording venture,
revelations during lockdown and
one very unique thumb
as any other concert pianist begun
their Beethoven journey with the
‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata? This most
mysterious, daunting and magnificent
of piano works, a kind of Matterhorn
amid the composer’s pianistic Alpine
range, is Beatrice Rana’s first climb through the territory
in the recording studio. On the one hand, it might appear
counterintuitive. On the other hand, there’s nothing like
starting right at the top.
Maybe it is emblematic of the way the Covid pandemic
turned everyone and everything inside out. ‘I’ve been
playing the piano for my whole life,’ the 30-year-old Italian
pianist remarks, talking to me on a video call from her flat
in Rome. ‘I started giving concerts very early. I didn’t know
what it would mean to stay at home without concerts and
without a schedule to respect, so at first the lockdown
was quite a shock. But it was one of the biggest gifts
that I could have musically, because I had time to find
that relationship with the piano and with music that
I had perhaps lost because I was always practising for
a performance. Just to have time to ask myself what
I really wanted to play, not necessarily on stage, was
wonderful, because I explored repertoire that was
not on my list. I don’t think I would have played the
“Hammerklavier” without the pandemic.
 ‘It’s funny because before that, when I was giving interviews,
people would ask me, ‘What are you afraid to play in concerts?

BEATRICE
What are you not ready to perform?’ and my first answer would
be solo Beethoven. I didn’t plan any Beethoven in my recital

RANA
schedule because I was so scared of it.’
The alarm probably goes back to the time when, as a 16-year-
old student, she chose the ‘Appassionata’ Sonata for her
diploma exam. ‘It is the piece that I have practised the most in Up clos e
my entire life, but I was always so unhappy with the result on
stage that I thought maybe Beethoven is just not the composer
for me. That was always frustrating, because I love Beethoven
so much and I really felt I was missing something.’

Finding a friend in Beethoven

When the pandemic struck, early in spring 2020, Italy was
the first European country to face lockdown. Rana soon If you could play only one piece from now on,
realised that she would not be able to leave home again for what would it be?
a while. ‘I thought about what I really wanted to do and Something by Bach.
what could keep me very busy. The immediate answer was:
the “Hammerklavier”. Besides the fact that there was an If you could play only one composer from now
immense satisfaction finally in practising it and having this on, who would it be?
piece under my hands, it was an incredible source of strength See above!
during those days.
‘I found in this music what I was experiencing myself: the One pianist you would travel long and far to hear?
sense of isolation that comes in the third movement, this Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.
immense solitude and the impossibility of touching the rest of
the world – while at the same time, there is enormous power in One concert hall you’d like to play in?
it to keep alive and to fight against this condition. I remember Suntory Hall, Tokyo.
waking up feeling depressed in the morning, then starting to
practise, studying the fugue and being absolutely energised. Any technical issues?
Beethoven helped me a lot.’ I hate trills.
The challenges it poses are basically innumerable.
‘Technically, architecturally and on every level, it’s very What advice would you give to an amateur
difficult,’ Rana says, ‘but it’s also a deeply human piece. pianist about how to improve?
And it contains the kind of “Ubermensch” concept that I I have the greatest admiration for amateur pianists
studied in philosophy: you find yourself beyond yourself and I like very much their genuine attitude to music,
when you play it on stage. It’s a peculiar feeling, one that so I think that they should give us advice.
I’ve never experienced with any other work. Every time
I perform it, it is like an interior journey. The first two If you weren’t a pianist, what would you be?
movements are very affirmative, but the real heart of the Something involving the visual arts.
piece is the third. People might think, oh, it’s so long, it’s
so slow, but it’s just another time dimension, the inner One person you would love to play for?
dimension. It’s like travelling into the depths of oneself and Clara Schumann. She was very hard to please!
then out again through the fourth movement. It was a very
human experience – and completely different from playing A composer you’re not quite ready for?
the Bach Goldberg Variations. That was more spiritual; the Schubert.
“Hammerklavier” is completely human.
‘This process also taught me what kind of calendar I wanted What other kinds of music do you enjoy
to have after the pandemic. I realised that to stay at home is not listening to?
boring. It’s quite important for me to find a balance in order to Jazz… and silence.
nurture the rest of life, which is also immensely important for
making music.’
She is from a family of musicians: her father was the
Opera, Argerich and so much more repetiteur at the Lecce opera house and her mother a music
All photos © Simon Fowler/Warner Classics

Rana’s musical home is Puglia in southern Italy (if the country theory teacher. She and her sister, Ludovica, a professional
is shaped like a boot, Puglia is in the high heel), where she was cellist, therefore spent many early childhood hours backstage in
born in the baroque city of Lecce. There is one downside to the theatre. ‘Instead of having a babysitter, I would be behind
growing up in a beautiful town where the weather is gorgeous the scenes at the opera,’ she says, laughing. ‘I adore opera and
and the food is superb: ‘When you start to tour around when I moved to Germany to study in Hannover, I remember
northern Europe and cities in America, the standard you are missing it so much. There is an opera theatre in Hannover, but
used to is very high!’ the opera houses in Germany are quite different from the
▲

11• Pianist 136

I N T E RV I E W
BEATRICE RANA ON…
TWO LEGENDARY SONATAS
My new recording pairs two very intense works, the Beethoven
‘Hammerklavier’ and Chopin ‘Funeral March’, respectively in B flat major
and B flat minor. I was inspired to put together the two B flat pieces that were
revolutionary for the form of the piano sonata.
These two composers were fighting the same kind of solitude, but in
extremely different ways. Beethoven was completely deaf by the time he
wrote the ‘Hammerklavier’ and he was escaping his reality through the
exploration of this structure. It’s amazing to see what he created in terms of
its architecture.
Chopin, when he wrote the B flat minor ‘Funeral March’ Sonata, was in
Majorca and going through hard times, ill with tuberculosis, feverish and
driven by hallucinations during the night. When playing, he was completely
obsessed by the idea of death. This work I think is revolutionary, first of all
because of ideas like the fourth movement [a unique creation, it is a hushed
perpetuum mobile with the hands playing in unison throughout]. I still wonder
nowadays how it is possible to think of a piece like the fourth movement.
While Beethoven’s ‘Hammerklavier’ can sometimes be really difficult for
listeners, Chopin is the opposite: he speaks to everyone at every level. The
emotional impact of this sonata is absolutely huge and what is extraordinary
is that in the central section of the Funeral March itself, he speaks with
enormous power from a place of detachment, where he seems to rise beyond
the purely human. Beethoven, with his feeling of solitude, goes inside
himself and discovers the ‘Ubermensch’. Chopin goes exactly in the opposite
direction: he elevates himself not to a human condition, but higher than it,
and this is quite extraordinary to experience on stage.
One composer is obsessed by death and you understand this sense of terror
up until the final note. And the other one is fighting against death with an
astonishing hymn to life.

ones in Italy. And I missed the processes of the opera; my sister possibilities at the piano. I didn’t find this kind of approach
and I grew up with a love for backstage life and this three- anywhere else.’
dimensional approach to music.’
Although the number of concerts and star performers Success in Texas
in town was comparatively limited, Rana found plenty of When she was 18, Lupo encouraged her to go abroad to
inspiration: ‘When Martha Argerich or Krystian Zimerman further her studies: ‘I was looking not for a replacement, but
came to Lecce, it was really something special.’ Argerich was for something completely different. And I think this was really
her childhood idol, helpful for me.’ She

‘I remember waking up feeling

she says. ‘But the went to Arie Vardi in
pianist who impressed Hannover and found
me most in live the contrast she had
performance was
Krystian Zimerman. I
depressed in the morning, then hoped for, plus some.
‘I was used to focusing
saw him playing in a
concert in Lecce and I starting to practise, studying on the same piece for
a long time and going
still remember it as if very deep. But here
it was yesterday. I had
seen Argerich play, but
the “Hammerklavier” fugue the amount of music
we were working on
only in chamber music
or concertos. So it was and being absolutely energised. was immense. He was
right – when you’re 18

Beethoven helped me a lot’

a revelation, almost a you need to learn a lot
shock, to see this level of repertoire, as this
of musician alone in a is the body of music
recital.’ you will be using for the rest of your life. For instance, if I was
Her teacher at the Nino Rota Conservatory of Music in wondering whether to study a Classical sonata, and whether it
Monopoli was Benedetto Lupo: ‘I studied with him for 14 should be Mozart or Beethoven, the answer would be: ‘Both!’
years – everything I know about the piano is because of him,’ She stayed for four years. ‘But it was a difficult time
she says. ‘He had an incredible vocabulary of sounds and I because I had already won the Montreal International Piano
learned really to use the body as an instrument, with all its Competition and my concert life had started in the first two

12• Pianist 136

years. By the end of my second year, I had won the silver medal
at the Van Cliburn Competition and started to travel a lot, so
the final two years were complicated!’
The Van Cliburn, in Fort Worth, Texas, was her ‘big break’,
not least because it brought her worldwide exposure via
the internet streaming of all the rounds, which at that time
was ground-breaking. The webcasts attracted a great deal of
engagement from viewers – and many were intrigued by, of all
things, the unusual appearance of Rana’s thumb.
‘I broke my thumb when I was two, so it looks a bit bizarre,’
she says. ‘This was in 2016, when there wasn’t such widespread
media coverage of every competition as we have now – so
people would follow every round of every competitor, and
there was a huge case about my thumb! People thought I must
be biting my nail because I was so nervous. But no, it’s always
looked like that.’

Making recordings with the best

Equally important, she says, was the opportunity to make her
first concerto recordings (on Warner Classics, where she’s now
on an exclusive contract) with Sir Antonio Pappano, as well as
undertaking her first orchestral tour with him. ‘He has been
a kind of mentor to me,’ she says, ‘and working with him was
a real lesson for me as such a young person back in 2015.’
Together with Pappano’s Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di
Santa Cecilia, they recorded the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto
No 1 and Prokofiev’s No 2; later she was also the piano soloist
for The Age of Anxiety in Pappano’s set of the three symphonies
by Leonard Bernstein. Among her solo recordings, Bach’s
Goldberg Variations, released in 2017, saw her nominated for a
Classic Brit Award.
Her most recent concerto recording pairs Robert Schumann
with Clara Schumann; for these, Rana is partnered by the
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Beatrice Rana’s new album, of Beethoven’s ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata

and Chopin Sonata No 2, is out at the beginning of March.
Further details at www.beatriceranapiano.com.

13• Pianist 136

 HOW TO PLAY

REASONS TO BE VOCAL
SING WHILE YOU PLAY
The benefits of being able to sing along to the piano music we
are learning are greater than we imagine, says Mark Tanner:
we just need to master how to keep quiet while we play

W
e are accustomed This can have valuable spin-offs, with all accompanimental notes
to seeing such as helping with memorising, and you’ll quickly get used to
(and hearing) since we’ve effectively doubled-up hearing your voice singing along
jazz pianists our mental image of the music. in unison. Don’t rebuke yourself
instinctively sing, and we’ve The skill of singing and playing for out-of-tune notes, or notes
perhaps heard Glenn Gould‘s simultaneously will certainly need you can’t fully reach – this isn’t
bizarre vocalisations, some of patient, sustained practice before it about developing a singing voice
which are preserved in his most begins to add value to the learning per se, but accessing a new way
revered recordings. Having experience. Ultimately, of course, of strengthening – and indeed
been shown the importance of we’ll need to suppress our actual enjoying – what you’re learning.
singing everything he learned voice, while retaining its inner
as a young boy, it seems Gould presence and value. Add the accompaniment
found the habit hard to break Now add some/all of the
when performing. So how can Start simple accompanimental notes while
singing out loud be considered a Take a section of music you’re still singing, first with one hand
positive facet, one might ask, and learning that has a slow, simple playing, then eventually with both.
should we even be discussing ways melody, preferably one that doesn’t This may feel challenging at first –
of incorporating singing when involve intervals that leap about but persist! Once you’ve begun to
there are many other skills and excessively, in a key that feels feel more settled as you play and
techniques we need to hone? reasonably comfortable for you to sing simultaneously, try switching
The short answer is that sing – you’ll likely discover that randomly between singing and
the physical act of singing, or your voice automatically makes playing the tune, while keeping the
indeed humming, can help us to any octave adjustments necessary. other notes going as best you can.
internalise lines of music, typically Now practise singing it, out loud,
but not exclusively the melody. while playing the same notes Inner voices
Doing this automatically reinforces on the piano. For now, dispense Once you’ve begun to build up

5
the line in question in our mind’s your confidence with this, try
ear, making it appear clearer to TOP singing inner lines and ultimately
us, more instinctive and personal. TIPS
Think like a singer even contrapuntal voices, for
Since any melody, countermelody example in a fugue by Bach.
or bass line is essentially a series
of pitch intervals joined together 1 Get used to the sound of your singing voice –
then start using it!
Be patient with yourself and
simply skip notes that confuse or
rhythmically, an ability to sing clutter your brain. You’ll feel the
the notes helps us to play them
more accurately, musically and
2 Play one line and sing another – then switch. advantage of doing this straight
away, and from here you can
contextually. It encourages us to
prioritise important ‘vocal’ entries, 3 ‘Sing-count’ to help fit together trickier spots in
your music.
become more daring as you sing
trickier lines or even isolated
not just in Baroque music where ‘punctuation’ notes embedded
they abound, but in virtually any
repertoire. Moreover, it seems our 4 Inner lines, contrapuntal voices and even atonal
music all benefit from singing out loud.
deeper in the texture. You’ll
likely find you can now sit at the
brain quickly learns to associate kitchen table with your score and
the notes we are singing with the hum interesting lines that you’d
fingers we’ve chosen to play them. 5 A well-internalised singing voice helps with
balancing, chord-voicing and interpreting. hardly been aware existed before;

14• Pianist 136

these moments of enlightenment
will undoubtedly help feed your
is something we easily overlook.
When experimenting with The sound of music
interpretation. different speeds for a piece, it can Mark Tanner’s advice for singing out loud in
be enlightening to sing parts of it 3 of this issue’s scores
Retention of pulse out loud, first in isolation, then António FRAGOSO (1897-1918)
Aria

As a parallel but related skill, while playing. In particular, I find Fragoso Aria: This wonderful Aria f f f f

needs all the vocal intensity and

f f f f™ f

now that your singing voice has this reduces the risk of playing
b 3 f™ f f f
&b 4

{ fff f fff fff fff

fff fff fff f
? bb 34 f
f
ø ø ø ø ø
° ø
f
f™ f f f f f f f f f
b f f f f
f F™ J
&b

become something you are less slow melodies too slowly; if you {
spaciousness you can muster. Sing out
ff f ff f
f f nff #fff
? bb ff ff nfff #fff
f f f f
f f
ø ø ø ø ø
ø ø ø ø

b f™ f f f f f f f f f f f™ f f f F™
&b J

{
b ff

self-conscious of, you might try can sing it, it may well be close loud to help stir the phrases into life,
fff fff
f f
? bb bfff f
f f f
f f f f
f ø ø
ø ø ø ø ø
ø
f f f f f f f f #f
f™
b nf f f
&b f ™ F™

{ # fff ff
ff n#nfff f

and mark in the precise moments you

? bb b f

‘sing-counting’. This is the term to the speed the composer had in

f nf nf f f
bf f f
ø ø ø ø ø
ø ø ø

I use to describe singing the tune mind, which isn’t a bad starting feel inclined to add a small tenuto or other valuable
at the same time as counting the point for your interpretation. expressive feature.
beats and their subdivisions. Notice where you want to Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907)

Grieg Lyric Piece: The limpid outer

Waltz, Lyric Piece Op 38 No 7

Take ‘Ba Ba Black Sheep’ – sing physically breathe – does this

the familiar notes, but to the work naturally within phrases, or sections are eminently singable. Notice
j F f ff f™ #f fj ff
#3 f ™ f f ff F f ff F™ f f Œ Œ
& 4 FŒ f ff Œ Œ Œ

{ ff ff ff ff ff ff f f f f
f ff f f nf f
? # 34 f f f f f f f
ø ø ø °
° ø
. .
f
# nf f f f
f f f. f. f. f> f. f. f f f. f. f. . Πnf f

following words: are you having to break up the the possibilities for subtle emphasis and
f™ #f. nf. f. > f f f
& F™ f
.

{ ff #ff
f f f ff #ff
f f f f Πf Πf ΠΠf
?# f f f f Πf f f
f °ø ø
° ° ° °
ø ø

. . . . nf f f‰
# f f Œ ‰ #f f f ‰ ‰ #f f f ‰ ‰ #f nf #f
& Œ f f fŒ f # FFF ™™™ F

{ variety in articulation/accentuation, the

F

‘One and two and three-and- line too often? I’m not advocating
. ff. ff. ff. ff. ff.
# ff Œ
f
?# f f Œ Œ Œ
Œ F™ FF
° ø ° ° °
ø
.
f f f f f f f f f f Œ
# ‰ f f ‰ f f f f f f f f f #f nf #f
& #f

{
f f # f.
# f. ff. f

mysteries of which will be unlocked by

f f f f Œ

four-and one...’ etc. turning piano music into opera,

?# f Π#f f f f
ø ø
° ° ø

Doing this allows you to dovetail but finding value in the singing simply singing the tune out loud.
the melody and underlying beat qualities that underpin so much Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875-1912)
Op 71
Andante from ‘Three-Fours’ Valse Suite

in a more conscious, methodical piano music. Coleridge-Taylor Andante: A good

^ ^ ^
F -f
^
F -
b 3 f-f ‰ ŒF F -
fff ‰ Œ ff ‰ Œ fff ‰
&b bb 4 Œ

way; you immediately hear how • Establishing a good balance example of singing helping to establish
J J J

{
fJ
- -f -
-
f ff > fff fff > fff ff > fff fff
? bbbb 34 > ff fJ ‰ ‰ f J ‰ J ‰
f ff J f
f
f f
ø ø
° ø
^ ‰ f f ff f f
b F™ - - - f
f f f f
&b bb ‰ ff- ff- ff- f- ff- FF ™™ fff ff ff n-f -f FFF ™ ff- f- f- f- f-
‰ ™™

{
an ideal speed, so that we hear the
v - - - - -

everything fits together. You can between your hands is often

‰ f f f f ff
-ff -ff -ff -ff -ff ‰ ff ff fff fff fff FF ™™ ff ff ff ff f
? bbbb f f f f f FF ™™ f- f- - - - F ™
f F™
f v
- ^
‰ ff ff ™™ ff fff f f^
b FF ™™ ‰ fff fff ff nfff f
&b bb FF ™™ f-f -f -f -ff f-f FF f f ™ f
FF - - -

{
‰ f f f
f
- - - - - ‰ ff ff ff ff bfff fff fff nff
? bbbb ‰F ff ff ff ff ff F f f f f f bf

even pause momentarily without explained in technical terms, but longer lines rather than lots of smaller
f
™ F f bf f
F™
ø ø
° ø
> ^
Œ
b f f f f ff nf nff f n FFF f
&b bb ‰ bnff f f f
f- ff- ff- ff f ff- ff- ‰ nf f f F‰ n f f bf nf

{
- - - - -
f f f ff bf nfff fff fff ‰ nff ff fff ff ff
? bbbb f bnff ff ff f f f f f n f f f f
F - - - - -

compromising your basic grasp of a good way of helping yourself fragments. Enjoy the sequences, but
f f f f F
ø ø ø ø
ø

the music’s rhythmic flow, because is to sing one part and play the gently propel the music forwards, however significant
the words always tell you where other – then alternate. You may a particular moment in the music strikes you.
you are within the beat. Now sing- find that balance issues simply take
count as you simultaneously play care of themselves! Likewise, the subtleties of balance and start to
the tune on the piano. Even faster, challenges of chord voicing can be build an interpretation. Being
complex rhythms can be vocalised greatly assisted by singing – select able to sing while you play isn’t
in this way. I like to make practice important notes from a chord a party trick, but an invaluable
loops out of specific bars (see my pattern and use your singing/ skill that gives you easier access
recent article inside issue 134!) and humming/whistling voice to to what’s important in more
sing-count while playing one or connect them as you play. complex piano music. Singing out
more of the parts. • If you enjoy playing duets, or loud leads to clearer internalising,
accompanying a friend who plays creativity and more focused
Bring it all together the violin, an ability to practise listening – you attach yourself
Now that you’re using your voice your part while simultaneously more vitally to the music’s longer
intuitively, either by doubling- singing fragments of the solo line lines and broader landscape. Even
up or ‘soloing out’ lines in is tremendously helpful – the tune music by Schöenberg can benefit
music you’re learning, be more quickly ‘lives’ in your head. enormously from singing intervals
adventurous. Switch between • Sight-reading and quick studies or short patterns of notes; you
singing top, middle or lower undoubtedly benefit from using quickly realise that your voice is an
lines – notice how much more your voice during preparation; invaluable tool, and that singable
interconnected everything now use it to home in on a workable melodies crop up everywhere,
seems. You’ll have begun seeing tempo, rhythmic shape and sense even in atonal music. You may
the piano score almost like a of tonality/mood/structure. discover that you instinctively
conductor would an orchestral • Improvisation can be helped sing more when playing particular
or choral work, with points of also: try playing a simple chord repertoire (or when playing on a
interest popping out everywhere sequence on the piano and making particular piano). Ultimately of
you look! Choral repetiteurs tend up a tune using your voice. course, though your performance
to be expert at doing all of this – hopefully won’t feature your
they can emphasise any part on Though you may have imagined singing (!), your internal voice
the fly when playing for a rehearsal that singing along only adds to will still be there in your head,
so that the basses or tenors get the the coordinational complexity prompting you when needed,
help they need in locating a tricky of learning to play, I hope you’ll guiding your memory and making
interval, for example. have begun to see how genuinely the musical connections feel all the
helpful this skill can be, both at more real. ■
Other benefits the early stages of learning a piece,
• The ‘singability’ of a piano line but also later on, as you refine www.marktanner.info

15• Pianist 136

HOW TO PLAY

PLAYING WITH FLEXIBILITY

THE EBB AND FLOW OF
RUBATO
As dedicated musicians we are often expected to know
how, when and where to use rubato: Composers give us
all the clues, though, says Graham Fitch

he term ‘rubato’ literally means ‘robbed’, or In his own recording of the Prelude in G flat Op 23 No 10,
‘stolen’. Usually associated with music from the Rachmaninov interprets his crescendo-diminuendo hairpins
Romantic period, we can think of rubato as a not as dynamic nuances but with rhythmic flexibility, according
certain rhythmic flexibility that applies to some to the late 19th century performance tradition, pushing forward
extent to music of all periods. There is a parallel in < and pulling back in >.
with speech, where we naturally move through less important b 3
words and syllables, taking time over more meaningful & b bbbb 4 ‰ fff fff fff- fff fff ‰ fff fff
- -
ff
f-
ff
f-
fff ‰ ff ff
- ff ff
fff fff ff ‰

{
- - f- f- - - f- f- f-
ones. Unless we are playing a piece that depicts something
mechanical, we avoid playing with robotic evenness and f f F f™
? b b b 43 FF f nf
cresc.
F
metronomic regularity. bbb
When composers want to specify where rubato is to be
applied, they might use speed-modifying terms such as How do we make a piece like Schumann’s Träumerei expressive
rallentando, stringendo, meno mosso, etc. In the opening of where we find far fewer directions for tempo inflections? In
the Prelude in G sharp minor Op 32 No 12, Rachmaninov addition to subtleties of pedalling (impossible to notate), the
indicates two tempos, one fast and one slower; the player pianist relies on tone colour and dynamic shading, as well as the
moves gradually from one tempo to the other on command. sort of rhythmic flexibility (rubato) that can create magic. We
might push forward a little here, relax the tempo as we feel it
# # 12 f there, bending the quavers (eighth notes) to remove all traces of
Alleg ro
f f f f f f f
& # ## 8 f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f

{
squareness. No two players will do it the same way, but nobody
could bring this off by playing it strictly in time.
p

? #### 12 ∑
#8 Moderato q = 1 0 0

&b c f F F f f f f f f F f f ffffff f f fF
Œ F™ f F ff f FF

{
f
## ff fffff fffff fffff fff
& # ## f f f f
Œ F ™™

{
p
? cŒ F™ f f FF ™ f f f f f f f f ff F
b F™ ff f F ff f ffff f
f
f
? #### Ó™ Œ™ ‰ ‰ J fw f
#
mf

Schumann, along with other composers from the German

# ## f
rit.
p
f f f f f f f
&# # fff f fff f fff f fff f Romantic tradition, may use terms such as ‘rit.’ and ‘a tempo’ in

{ -
a few places, but this does not stop the performer from adding
F™ f f f f
? #### J J our own personal rubato elsewhere in the piece, as we feel it.
#
dim.
As always, let good taste be our guide.

# # f f f f f f f f f f f f f f fnf f f f f Discretion of the artist

meno mosso

& # ## f f f nf

{
There are two main types of rubato. In the type first, described
f -
? #### f F™ nff f
J
in the early 18th century (applied to vocal music), the singer
J
∏∏∏∏∏∏

# f was expected to deviate from the given rhythmic values for

p
expressive purposes while the accompaniment stayed strictly in
ten.

## ff ffff time. This style of rubato was endorsed by Mozart and Chopin,
accel. a tempo

& # ##
f f f f f f
f f f f f f f f f ‹f f f f

{
the RH line is to be played freely, independently of the strict
fj #f
LH accompaniment. This type of rubato survived into the 19th
fj
dim.

? #### FF ™™ f
f f™ f™ century in vocal and violin music, and in popular music to this
#
Œ™ F™
day, but gave way to a later type of rubato, characterised by

16• Pianist 136

 WATCH GRAHAM’S ONLINE LESSONS AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM/LESSONS

subtle fluctuations in the tempo where (for keyboard players) Francis Poulenc, in a 1954 radio interview, stated: ‘I hate
the hands stay together as the tempo ebbs and flows. rubato… once a tempo is adopted, under no circumstance should
For example, in the slow movement of Mozart’s Sonata K332 it be altered unless I so indicate. Never stretch or shorten a beat.
I could not find a single performance where the LH stayed That drives me crazy.’
strictly in time. There was subtle rubato in every performance I Chopin uses the word rubato just 14 times in his music yet
researched (on both early and modern pianos), the LH following he indicates tempo flexibility in other ways, as well. In the
the RH like any good accompanist would follow the singer. Third Scherzo, we interpret sostenuto as a slight broadening,
or stretching of the pulse, and leggierissimo as pushing
™ ff
bf ™f f f f f f™f f f f f f
Adagio
b f ™ f f f f f nf ™ f f ‰ forwards – playing slightly slower then slightly faster than
&b c f J J ‰

{
the tempo. (When we see sostenuto in Brahms it’s clear he
intended us to play slower, as he often follows it a few bars
p
ffff f ff fff fff f f f f f f f f f
? bb c f f f f f f f f f f
later with a tempo.)

“f”
b f f f
& b bbb
meno mos s o

FF ™™ ff

{
b f™ b f f f f f f nf f f f bf f f f f f f f f f f ™ f f f f f f
F™
&b
sosten. p leggierissimo
f
f f f

{
? b b F™ FFF ™™™ FFF ™™ F™ ff
sfp sfp b b b F™ F™ ™ F™ &
F™ F™ F™ f
f f f f f f f f ff
? b f f f nf f f f f f f f f bf f f f f fff f
f
b J ‰ <“> f f f
bbbb f f f f f f f f f f f f f f Œ Œ
& b f f f

{
Schubert distinguished between ritardando (get slower),
b f f f f
& b bbb
decrescendo (get softer), and diminuendo (get slower and
f f ff f f f f f f ? f Œ Œ
softer), presumably when he wanted rhythmic effects that f f f f
should be noticeable. Sometimes rubato should be so slight
that the listener will not notice any bending of the time. It
feels appropriate to give the tiniest bit just before the change There is a misconception that in rubato playing we must
from major to minor in bar 24 of the E flat Impromptu. Most pay back the time we have stolen by pushing forwards at some
musicians write this sort of timing into their scores with a little point after we have held back (and vice versa). This theory
squiggle, not nearly obvious enough to qualify as a ritardando. held sway in certain academic quarters, but in the 1920s the
principal of the Royal Academy of Music, John McEwen,
f f f f f f f f f
b f f f f f f f f
23
made a study of rubato among pianists from their piano roll
&b b f

{
recordings and discovered that nobody actually did this! The
ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ study also revealed that, in the earlier style of rubato, the LH
FF
? bb f FFF f F was not played strictly in time at all.
b Rubato cannot really be taught, calculated, or prescribed.
The player must feel it and permit a certain rhythmic flexibility
in all music, whether it involves taking a little time here and
b
25

& b b bf f f f f f bf f bFf f f bf f f f
there for the music to breathe, or stretching and pushing in

{
bf f bf f more indulgent and obvious ways (where appropriate).
pp In the words of the great pianist, Ignacy Jan Paderewski:
?b F F ‘There is no absolute rhythm. In the course of the dramatic
b b fF fF™
™ b fH ™ developments of a musical composition, the initial themes
change their character, consequently rhythm changes also, and,
Composer leads the way in conformity with that character, it has to be energetic or
While small rhythmic inflections like these are part of style in languishing, crisp or elastic, steady or capricious.’
the performance of Germanic music, as a general principle they If you regularly practise with the metronome ticking away
should be avoided in music by French composers, who tell us as you play, ask yourself why you are doing this. It’s fine on
exactly where to modify the tempo with terms such as cédez (slow occasion, to locate those places in a piece where your pulse
down) or serrez (get faster) etc. Fauré, Debussy, and Ravel insisted may be wayward. However, since the parcelling up of beats
on absolute rhythmic strictness in the performance of their music. and their subdivisions into equal parts has nothing to do with
Bear this in mind if your musical instincts suggest a broadening music making, over-reliance on the metronome will cause
of tempo at the upbeat to the ff in bar 34 of the Menuet of Ravel’s the playing to sound wooden and unnatural after a while,
Sonatine. In Brahms, maybe; in Ravel, avoid unless indicated. and you’ll iron out all the subtleties of timing and rhythmic
“” nuance. Try counting aloud as you practise instead, then allow
fjf ™ f nf f
f f fff ™™™ f fff™™ f n ff f ff f ff ™™
f
f ff ™™ f ff your musical instincts to help you create playing that is free
b
& b bbb f™ f f f™ f™ f and expressive. n

{ ? bb b ‰
b b ff™™
f

& fff ff fff ‰ ?

ff
‰
f™ & ff
f
fff fff ‰
For Graham’s study editions of Schubert’s E flat Impromptu and
∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏

ff ff f ff the Ravel Sonatine, follow these links to the Online Academy:

∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏

ff f
∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏

ff f f™ ff
∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏

pianistm.ag/grahamravel and pianistm.ag/grahamschub

> >
17• Pianist 136
 Pianist 136 • Read the lessons • Play the scores

LESSONS FROM THE EXPERTS SCORES

25 KEYBOARD CLASS
MELANIE SPANSWICK is a pianist, writer, teacher
Chords
and composer. As an author, she is published by
leading publishing houses, and has written a
three-book piano course for those returning to 26 LE COUPPEY
piano playing; Play It Again: PIANO (Schott Music). No 17 from ABC du piano
Melanie teaches the piano at Junior Guildhall
School of Music & Drama and Eton College. As a
27 SPANSWICK
composer, her music is published in the renowned
Edition Schott Composer Series. Mountain Stream
Read Melanie Spanswick’s lesson
28 LATOUR
First movement from Sonatina No 1

SAMANTHA EGE is a music historian, concert

30 FRAGOSO
pianist and research fellow at the University of
Southampton. Author of the forthcoming South Aria
Side Impresarios: How Race Women Transformed
Chicago’s Classical Music Scene, she has recorded 32 MAYKAPAR
several albums featuring piano music by Florence Elegy Op 33 No 22
Price, Margaret Bonds and Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor. Her next album features piano concertos by
Doreen Carwithen and Julia Perry. 34 GRIEG
Read Samantha Ege’s lesson Waltz, Lyric Piece Op 38 No 7

36 BEETHOVEN
Bagatelle WoO 56
LUCY PARHAM is a concert pianist, writer, teacher
and broadcaster. She has performed with all the 38 LYAPUNOV
major British orchestras and is a regular presenter
and contributor on Radio 3 and 4. Her Composer
Ramage des enfants Op 59 No 6
Portraits series – featuring the lives of Chopin,
Debussy, Rachmaninov, Schumann and more – has 40 BORTKIEWICZ
resulted in hundreds of performances with some of Consolation Op 17 No 2
© Sarah Barnes (Spanswick); © Jason Dodd (Ege); Hao LV (Li); © Sven Arnstein (Parham)

the UK’s finest actors. Lucy is a professor at the

Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Read Lucy Parham’s lesson 44 COLERIDGE-TAYLOR
Andante from ‘Three-Fours’
Valse Suite Op 71

CHENYIN LI is a celebrated concert pianist known 48 SCHUBERT

for her fiery and intelligent performances of a wide Moment musical No 6
variety of repertoire. Having won multiple
international competitions, she has established
herself as a versatile player who shines in both solo 52 LEVY
repertoire as well as concerto. Chenyin has Valsa lenta
performed in many prestigious venues across the
UK, Europe and Asia and her extensive discography 57 SCHUMANN ARR. LISZT
includes more than 60 albums for Pianist.
Widmung
Listen to Chenyin Li on this issue’s album

Music typeset by Beautiful Setting

 HOW TO PLAY
ABILITY RATING INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED

COLERIDGE-TAYLOR
ANDANTE
FROM ‘THREE-
FOURS’ VALSE
SUITE OP 71
Subtle chord voicing is a prerequisite in
this sumptuous piece penned by a British
composer who died way before his time –
and remember to find moments to breathe,
too, advises Samantha Ege

t is my pleasure to introduce you to the Andante from

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s ‘Three-Fours’ Valse Suite Op 71
(published 1909). This beautifully crafted piece might
not be as familiar as some other repertoire – however, as
we work through ideas for practice and interpretation,
you will find that the techniques we apply to piano works by
other Romantic composers (e.g. Liszt, Brahms, Schumann,
Chopin etc) apply here. Yet, Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was
no imitator. In the late 19th century, he burst onto the British identified Coleridge-Taylor as a role model.
classical music scene with a strong sense of his own voice. So, His sudden passing at the age of 37 shocked many as he was
before we delve into the music, I offer a brief outline of a man greatly admired during his time and still had so much more to
who was, in his time, regarded as a British institution. offer. Nevertheless, he leaves us with a breadth of compositions
in which some of the most stunning piano works can be found.
Biographical sketch The second piece in his ‘Three-Fours’ Suite is one such example.
‘He is far and away the cleverest fellow going amongst the
young men,’ wrote Edward Elgar of a 23-year-old Coleridge- Balancing act
Taylor. Fresh from his studies at the Royal College of Music This piece is all about balancing the serenity of the upper voice
(where his peers included Ralph Vaughan Williams and with the busyness of the supporting textures. The interactivity
Gustav Holst), Coleridge-Taylor was gaining recognition as a of these parts is rather like the way swans move: They glide so
formidable composer, not just at home, but abroad too. His majestically and effortlessly across the water. Contrastingly,
evocative sound world captivated audiences. However, it wasn’t their webbed feet paddle frenetically beneath the surface. In
just his compositions that made him stand out; his heritage Coleridge-Taylor’s piece, the smooth legato
as a British man of African descent was also a source of TRACK 10 LESSON
melody glides across the score, but you must
Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875-1912)

Born in Holborn in 1875 to an English

Op 71
Andante from ‘Three-Fours’ Valse Suite

mother and a father originally In the last few years, his music has re-entered
INTERMEDIATE/
ADVANCED

the classical concert

from the likes of the Chineke!

fascination among his English and American peers. Sadly, work to propel the harmonic changes underneath
identified as Anglo-African. hall thanks to brilliant new recordings
from Sierra Leone, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Samantha Ege. This lush
Orchestra, the Kanneh-Mason family
activist, he was once hailed by six-movement suite. Samantha Ege
As a composer, conductor and political Andante is the second piece from the
But his popularity seemed to Read her lesson inside.
20th-century critics as a ‘musical genius’. plays the track on this issue’s album.
died at the young age of 37.
wane – not helped by the fact that he

Andante q = 66
^ ^ ^

however, there were occasions where he suffered racist and maintain a clear sense of the waltz’s pulse,
^ F -f F -
b b3 f-f ‰ Œ fj
F F -
fff ‰ Œ fj ff ‰ Œ fj fff ‰
&b b 4 Πj
f fJ J J J

{
- -f -
pp
-
f ff > fff fff > fff ff > fff fff
? bb b 34 > ff fJ ‰ ‰ f J ‰ J ‰
b f ff J f
f
f f

bullying, particularly in his younger years. motion, and dramatic shape. In other words, it’s a
ø ø
° ø
^ ‰ f f ff f f
b F™ - - - F ™ f f
FF ™™ fff ff ff n-f -f FF - - - - f-
5
b f f f f f f f
& b b ‰ ff- ff- ff- f- ff-
f
‰ ™™

{
mf pp v - - - - -
mp
‰ f f f f ff
-ff -ff -ff -ff -ff ‰ ff ff fff fff fff FF ™™ ff ff ff ff f

Coleridge-Taylor was the son of a Sierra Leonean father balancing act!

? bb b f f f f f FF ™™ f- f- - - - F ™
b f F™
f v
- ^
‰ ff ff ™™ ff fff f f^
8
b b FF ™™ ‰ fff fff ff nfff f
& b b FF ™™ f-f -f -f -ff f-f FF f f ™ f
FF - - -

{
‰ f f f

and English mother. But rather than shying away from So, where do we begin?
f
mf pp - - - - - ‰ ff ff ff ff bfff fff fff nff
? bb b ‰F ff ff ff ff ff F f f f f f bf f
b ™ F f bf f
F™
ø ø
° ø
> ^
Œ

what made him unique, he embraced his mixed cultural First, I suggest working out the harmonic
poco rall.

bbb ‰ n ff ff f f ff ff f‰ f fff nf nfff f n FFFF f n f f bf nf

11

& b b ff
f- f- f- f f nf
f- f- ‰ - - - - -

{
pp

f f f ff bf nfff fff fff ‰ nff ff fff ff ff

? bb b f bnff ff ff f f f f f n f f f f
b F - - - - -
f f f f F

heritage, often composing with a blend of English outline of the piece. What are the main harmonies
ø ø ø ø
ø
© Gregory Booth

Romanticism and African-inspired ideas. This deeply in each bar? This will give you a better sense
SEE SCORES
resonated with African American composers across the of where the music is going, where there are
pond (such as Florence Price and Margaret Bonds) who SECTION moments of tension, and where chord progressions

20• Pianist 136

repeat. This is always a helpful activity when studying unfamiliar
repertoire, as well as when trying to memorise. For more tonally
centred pieces like this one, your harmonic outline is like a road
map. Once you have established the direction of the harmonies,
you lessen the chances of getting lost!
Taking the four-bar introduction, for example, simply play
through the chord progression: A flat major – C minor – B flat
minor (with a flattened 7th) – C minor again, but with an Eb
in the bass. Feel its rise and fall. Observe how Coleridge-Taylor
further emphasises this contour with a crescendo across the first
two bars, and then a diminuendo through to bar 4.
The main melodic theme enters in bar 5. Unfortunately, our
stronger fingers in the RH are busily engaged in the chordal
textures, leaving our weakest fingers (fingers 4 and 5) to
make the melody sing. So, practise playing each chord slowly,
listening for balance. I often think of the upper line as light and
the lower textures as shadow. We need both to give our sound
depth and dimension. Therefore, building on our work with the
harmonic outline, practise simply playing the accompaniment.
Find that hushed dynamic that will allow the light of this
lyrical melody to shine through. Then, just play through the
melody, listening to ensure that your fourth and fifth fingers are
maintaining the legato line. (It helps to play close to the keys.)
As you put the melody and accompanying textures together,
consider applying the crescendos (and diminuendos further on)
more to the upper voice than the supporting chords as this can
enhance your cantabile lyricism.
As a pianist with smaller hands, I incline towards
redistributing the notes between the hands if it will improve the
clarity and balance of my sound. As a result, I have redistributed passages or moments of high ‘appassionato’ drama.
some of the chords in this version of the score. For example, in As the music’s contrasting section comes to an end, the spread
the last two quavers of bar 6 (and again in bar 37) I have made chord at the beginning of bar 34 (in E flat major with the
it so that the LH keeps the C minor chords throughout, leaving flattened 7th) gives us a moment to indulge even more in the
your RH free to use a 5-4-3-2-1 fingering for the melodic notes. rallentando that Coleridge-Taylor initiates in the previous bar.
I encourage you to consider the role of redistribution in your The spread chord diffuses the intensity of the earlier passage.
other repertoire as it is a useful tool for navigating challenges Furthermore, if we use this chord as an opportunity to breathe
around texture, balance, or hand span. more deeply, it simultaneously allows us to diffuse any tension
In bar 23, Coleridge-Taylor introduces a contrasting idea within ourselves. As a result, we can move more effectively into
marked a tempo (poco animato). Indeed, the music must move, a tenderer sound that transitions into the return of the main
but without being jumpy. Legato lines are still important. Even theme (bar 36).
as the music becomes animated (and possibly more agitato, Our breathing, however, can also help us convey the heftiness
depending on how far you want to take your interpretation!), of the ff passage that begins in bar 44. We want to engage our
Coleridge-Taylor purposefully keeps the descending and body weight for a more robust sound, particularly in those
ascending scale-like shape of the melody. Therefore, this is punctuating LH octaves. How we inhale and exhale through
another instance in which to practise the balance of light and these ff bars may help us decide how to place and pace these
shadow in the RH. As for the LH, observe the use of slurs, notes within the context of a full-bodied sound.
even where the hand has great distances to travel. To achieve Finally, I’d like to suggest something a little controversial for
a smoother motion across these leaps, move more laterally in the last four bars of the piece. Stop counting! See where your
the LH, staying close to the keys, and avoid using too great an breathing leads you to place those final chords and the closing
upward motion in the hand from the bass octaves to the chords. staccato note in the LH. Allow your body to shape your rubato.
Enjoy making Coleridge-Taylor’s Andante your own… through
…and breathe to the very last musical breath. n
It is always useful to practise with a metronome, but it is just
as helpful to practise with your own internal sense of pace as Samantha Ege performs the Andante on this issue’s album.
this is what helps bring a performance to life. When I approach Having played this piece as her encore in her Oakland Symphony
Coleridge-Taylor’s various rallentando instructions, I do not Orchestra debut, Ege looks forward to upcoming performances
simply translate them as ‘play slower’ but as ‘breathe slower’. at Leeds International Concert Season and Southampton’s
Playing slower requires you to adjust your fingers, but breathing Turner Sims Concert Hall. Also within the season, she performs
slower requires you to adjust your whole body and mind. It Coleridge-Taylor’s Piano Quintet at Leeds and Southampton with
additionally has the benefit of releasing any tension that you the Castle of our Skins string quartet.
may have unwittingly accrued through some of those tricky Full details at www.samanthaege.com.

21• Pianist 136

 HOW TO PLAY
ABILITY RATING ADVANCED

SCHUMANN ARR. LISZT

WIDMUNG (DEDICATION) S566
Liszt has taken a sublime, tender and simple song by
Schumann and transformed it into a virtuosic masterpiece,
says concert pianist Lucy Parham
Key A minor Tempo Allegro maestoso Style Classical
Will improve your 3Passagework 3Trills 3Sudden dynamic contrasts

Widmung was composed by Robert Schumann in 1840, the It is important to follow the words as you progress. The
year known as his ‘Year of Song’. It is the first piece in his song harmonies will often mirror the meaning of the word. For
cycle Myrthen Op 25, using the lyrics from a poem by Friedrich instance, the word Schmerz (pain) in bar 7 is significant and it
Rückert. 1840 was also the year in which Schumann finally lands on a harmony that includes Ab and Fb. This chord needs to
married Clara Wieck, after so much struggle and opposition feel a kind of pain in the way that the word itself does. The word
from her father. Widmung translates as Dedication, and Grab (grave) at the beginning of bar 13 also coincides with the
Schumann gave this song to Clara as their wedding present. Fb again, and if you know this it will inform the way that you
play it.
The words of the poem encapsulate their relationship in
all senses. It has to be one of the most romantic and personal
songs that Schumann ever wrote. [The poem is printed on the LEARNING TIP
score, both in German and English.] The song also prominently Before you start, I strongly recommend that you listen to the
features Clara’s five-note falling ‘motif ’ – a theme that they original song, as it is important to have a sense of the line and
shared when composing to let the other know they were flow – and to also become familiar with the Rückert poem.
thinking of them – which you will notice right from the start in
the descending F to Bb in bars 6/7.
The first 15 bars should form one long line. Try not to stop
In his transcriptions of Schubert and Schumann songs on each bar line – rather, think through the phrases, as if you
(amongst others), Liszt often veers away from the original are singing them. In fact, it’s a good idea to sing whilst you play,
song to the extent it becomes a concert show piece. But with and it’s certainly a good idea to do this in the initial stages of
Widmung, although he has created a brilliant transcription, you learning the notes. Fade away with great care between bars 13 to
always feel the original message and sentiment is nonetheless 15 because you want to start anew at bar 16.
very much at the heart of the work.
Each time there is a new verse it becomes technically more
See the markings at the start: Innig, lebhaft. Lebhaft means challenging. From bar 16 until bar 31 the RH will play mainly
lively. Innig is a word not frequently used in German today in sixths, fifths and double notes. To help, I would suggest
but is one that is very particular to Schumann’s compositions. practising the top line alone with the correct fingers. Once
Heartfelt and tender are two of the possible translations of this that is achieved, reverse the process and practise the lower part
very intimate and ‘personal’ word. alone. I would also recommend learning the LH alone so that
you become secure enough with it that you can concentrate on
The first three bars form an introduction. Keep things simple looking at the RH – otherwise your eyes will be darting from left
and stay close to the keys; too much energy here will spoil the to right all the time! Keep as close to the keys as you can; you
intimacy of the opening phrase. are looking for a truly legato line, almost like two violins playing
simultaneously.
When the melody arrives at bar 4, make sure to highlight
it as much as possible. Imagine you have a fifth finger that The LH might have the melody in this section, but the RH
is made from steel. This will involve keeping the other parts a is also important. It’s a question of a very fine balance between
little less, balancing them against the melody. In effect, these the two. You will notice the little hairpin crescendos. These are
lower parts are what the piano would be playing in Schumann’s crucial for the expression of the RH, so pay particular attention
original version, and your top finger is of course taking the to them.
© Benjamin Ealovega

melody of the singer. Feel the upward stretch (a sixth) from the
end of bar 5 to the beginning of bar 6 (Ab to F); this needs to be Ensure you observe the pauses in bars 24 and 25. You want to
molto espressivo. hang onto that top note as if you are suspended in mid-air.

22• Pianist 136

In bar 26 you need a very generous ritardando and
smorzando. And then immediately in bar 27 re-establish your
THE SUMMER SCHOOL
tempo. The next five bars (27-31) need to be light and the FOR PIANISTS
tempo can even be moved on a little bit.

Though not marked on the score, take one long pedal from
bar 27 all the way to the end of this section at bar 31. If you
release the pedal, you will lose the bass note. Within that pedal
spread the final Ab chord as if it were harp.

The subsequent key change into E major is glorious. It is a The Summer School for Pianists is once
moment of peace and repose and it lies very much at the heart again at its glorious home at Stowe!
of this song. Try to balance the accompanying chords and focus
all your attention on the top finger of the RH and the lowest Stowe School, Buckingham, UK
finger (usually the 5th) of the LH. Make a crescendo through 10th – 16th August 2024
bars 41 to 43 and when you arrive at bar 44 you need a perfect An exciting week of masterclasses, tutor recitals,
subito piano. presentations and student concerts. One of Britain’s
friendliest courses! Ample practice facilities at this All-
From bar 44, when the LH crosses over the RH, take care Steinway school. Accommodation in single en-suite
with this movement so as to avoid any bumps. The textures bedrooms on site.
within the arpeggiated figures for the next few bars are very
Lisztian. Each note needs to sound within the pedal, so imagine
you are plucking each note, and not putting them down as a
group, otherwise they’ll sound lumpy. In this linking passage, TUTORS: Graham Fitch; Daniel Hill; Karl Lutchmayer;
Ann Martin-Davis; Christine Stevenson
from bar 44 to 46, you will notice that the first note of the RH
is always echoed in the LH. Try to gently point this out – it For further details contact:
The Administrator
should be a subtle, beautiful echo, as if a voice from afar. Telephone: +44 (0) 7853 415393
Email: info@pianosummerschool.co.uk
Website: https://www.pianosummerschool.co.uk/
The Summer School for Pianists is a charitable incorporated organisation, registered charity number 1174674.

Towards the end of the piece,

Liszt quotes the Ave Maria PLEYEL
theme as a farewell. For me, it’s Petit Patron 3bis grand piano no 73324,
same construction as Chopin’s own piano.
like a marriage blessing

Use bar 47 to accelerando into the last two verses. Note the
con anima (with feeling/passion) marking at bar 49 and voice
the LH melody by leaning into your thumb. Ensure the RH
Ab arpeggios are even and grabbed. It is useful to practise these
groupings in different keys for added security. Take time with
the RH triplets in bar 51, almost pronouncing them.

Preceded by con somma passione, the final utterance/variation

of the theme arrives at bar 58. Although vibrato is a difficult
thing to achieve on the piano, Liszt intends the pianist to play
with a full, warm volume. Actually, the LH repeated chords
can indeed replicate a type of vibrato if you stay close to the
keys. Use your full arm weigh to play the chords; they must not Built 1874, sold 1887 to Mme de Loudier for 1620 francs.
sound harsh, just mighty. Case in mahogany with extensively inlaid brass Buhlwork.
Faithfully restored 2023 using all original parts.
Bar 68 quotes the Ave Maria theme as a farewell. For me,
it’s like a marriage blessing. Play with love and tenderness here,
bringing this work to a warm, noble conclusion. n Price £8750.00
Lucy Parham plays Widmung on this issue’s album. For details
info@lochnesspianos.co.uk
about her concert appearances, go to www.lucyparham.com. Tel: 01463 861317
23• Pianist 136
 HOW TO PLAY
ABILITY RATING LATE BEGINNER

LATOUR
FIRST MOVEMENT FROM
SONATINA NO 1 IN C MAJOR
Brilliant fingerwork combined with a subtly-shaped melody
will ensure a winning musical performance of this spirited
Classical movement, says Melanie Spanswick
Key C major Tempo Allegretto Style Classical
Will improve your ✓ Rhythmic precision ✓ Articulation ✓ Evenness

French composer Théodore as the constant use of thumb and The minims and quavers, on the
Latour (1766-1837) wrote in a second finger in rapid succession in other hand, should be legato,
typically Classical style. This little bars 10-11. whilst passages such as those at
Sonatina exudes all the expected bars 4 and 20 – where the quavers
qualities of the era, with its Focus on creating crisp come to the fore – will need a
stylishly constructed scalic melodic articulation and even brighter, bolder tone in order to
line and clearly defined four-bar passagework. Once the RH note- support the RH melodic line.
phrase structure. The Allegretto patterns have been assimilated,
tempo marking and metronome start practising them with a heavy
mark of 138 beats per minute touch, going to the bottom of the LEARNING TIP
should ensure a fairly swift pulse – key or key-bed on every note. Each Dynamic contrasts will define
yet not too fast, or else the charm fingertip will need plenty of power every phrase, so aim to implement
and elegance may be lost. behind it, preferably with the the suggested ‘echo’ effects
support of the arm via a flexible, throughout the piece.
Rhythmic practice can be useful. relaxed wrist, so as to alleviate any
This can be done before work at tension. When secure, increase the Always shape the RH melody.
the keyboard begins. Start with speed and lighten your touch for Try to create greater colour at
a slow pulse, perhaps half that even, crystal-clear passages. specific points during the scalic
of the metronome suggestion, passages – that is, a deeper touch
and tap each hand’s rhythmic Pay particular attention to the combined with a ‘leaning’ into
pattern separately. Do this on fourth and fifth fingers. During particular notes throughout the
a table top, a piano lid, or your practice, to ensure firmness, these phrase. For example, in bar 2 the
knees. Whilst this may feel simple fingers may demand extra accents. top C would be more effective
when practised hands separately, Passages such as the end of bar with a slight ‘leaning’ into the
combining these fast-moving 1 into the start of bar 2, where note, preceded by a miniscule
rhythmic patterns will need focus the fourth and fifth fingers are break, or a ‘placing’ between the
and concentration. Once you can used repeatedly, should be played previous note (G) and said C. This
tap slowly all the way through the powerfully during slow practice turns the C into the ‘high point’ or
piece with good coordination and in order to banish rhythmic apex of the phrase, adding a sense
without any hesitations, tap the insecurity and unevenness. It can of direction and flow.
rhythmic patterns hands together help to use a metronome in these
and increase the speed slowly. places, so that you ‘sit’ on the Observe all the rests. They
tick whilst working at the quaver may seem unimportant, but in
Good fingering is important. With Théodore LATOUR (1766-1837)

passages. If you practise like this Classical music these moments of

BEGINNER/
INTERMEDIATE
in C
TRACK 3 LESSON
First movement from Sonatina No 1

to perform and compose, and

and composer. He wrote privately and at girls’ schools, continued
Jean Théodore Latour was a French pianist English novelist and poet Emily
also wrote some piano tutor books. The
too technically challenging – hence, by Latour in her collection,
several piano sonatinas which are not Brontë was known to have piano music

its gently contoured passagework, regularly, these ‘weaker’ fingers silence encourage rhythmic clarity,
It is unclear as to how and
perfect for the late beginner piano player. including one of his books of progressive
exercises.
was appointed official pianist
when he moved to England, but Latour Read Melanie Spanswick’s lesson.
King George IV. Latour taught
to the Prince Regent, later to become

the RH part contains the melodic will become firmer and rapid particularly at the ends of phrases
f f f f f
f f f f f f f
Alleg retto q = 1 38
f f f f f f f
f f f f
&c f

{?c F
p
F f f F F F

line and most of the action, thus 4

&
f f f Πf f f f
f f f f f f f f f f f f
quaver runs will be rhythmical. such as the fourth beat of bar 8.
{
f
f f F
? f #f f f f nf f f

requiring clean fingerwork. To

F

The final RH chords (between bars

F

f
7
f f f f f f f f f f f f f Œ ™™ f f f f f
&

achieve this fluency, suggested { The LH part provides the 24-27) require a rich, full sound,
p

f Œ ™™ f f f f f f
? F F f f
°

fingerings have been written into accompaniment. The crotchets a dab of sustaining pedal, and a
f f f f f f f f
f f f f f f f f f f f f f
10

&

{ ? f f f Πf f f f f f f f
f f f
f

the score. Work through the note in bars 2, 8 and elsewhere should slight ritenuto. ■
© Sarah Barnes

patterns slowly, paying attention to SEE SCORES be played non-legato for a nice
the various twists and turns such SECTION Classical-style, articulated touch. www.melaniespanswick.com

24• Pianist 136

 H A N S - GÜNTER HEUM A NN
BEGINNERS
KEYBOARD CLASS
LESSON 61:
CHORDS

On these pages, Pianist covers the most basic stages of learning through a series of lessons by Hans-Günter Heumann. The short
exercise below, by Danish composer Ludvig Schytte, concentrates on two- and three-note chords in both hands.

Schytte Melodious Study Op 108 No 25

Start out by practising hands seperately at a very slow tempo, making sure that the notes of each chord, whether in the LH or RH,
are played simultaneously. The fingerings should be able to help. The RH part requires a more legato touch.

Moderato ma deciso q = 108

4 5 4 Lud�i� Sch�tte �1�4��1�0��
2 2 2 5
5

       
1 4

 
1 1 3

    
        
2 simile
  
3

     
1 1


1

            
f

                                 
        
       
1


5

    
5 4 5 4 5


     
45

5 2 4 4

3 2 3

      
5 2 2

  1
2 1 2 2 2 3

           
1 1 1 1 1

 
    
1 1 1 1




                                 
       
1
1 1 3
5 5

    
   
           
9
  
               
     

                             
        
          
1


1 5
5

       
4 5 454 4


   
     

  

  
2 2 2 2 3


13 2 2 4


   
1 1 1 1 1 5 1

   
1

  


                             
           
 2 1 2
1
4
5 5 5

Hans-Günter Heumann continues his series for beginners in the next issue.
To find out more about Heumann, visit www.schott-music.com

25• Pianist 136

TRACK 1
Félix LE COUPPEY (1811-1887) BEGINNER
No 17 from ABC du piano

French music teacher, pianist and composer Félix Le Couppey wrote a ‘Melody’. How the ‘Air tendre’ came about, we aren’t sure; but it could be
series of elementary studies for piano students. This pensive study, from due to the piece’s tender quality.
the popular ABC du piano set, is sometimes referred to as ‘Air tendre’ or Look at the technical tips on the score.

The key is C major, which means no sharps When you start out, practise hands
or flats. However, you will come across the separately and at a very slow tempo.
odd accidental when the key briefly changes.
Make the melody sing out about the LH accompaniment.
Always follow the phrasing and see where the high points arise.
Andantino q = 98 5

3 f f f f f F™ f f f f f F™ f f f f f
3 4 2

&4
1

{ ?3 f f
4
mf

5 3
f
Keep a strict tempo for the LH crotchets, with
a slight emphasis on the first beat of the bar.
f f
5
f
2
f f
f
f f
f
Bars 3 and 4 are an ‘answer’ to bars 1 and 2.
f f
5 3
f

F #f f f nf f f f f
6 4
f
3

f F™ F f
2 3 4

& f
1

{
Get ready for the two Bar 8 is the end of the
f
accidentals in the next bar! Moving briefly to E minor... first long phrase. Firmly back in C major again.
? f f f f f f f
f f f #f f f f
5 2 5 4 2 2 5 2
3 5

Follow the crescendo...

f f f #f
11
f f f f f F™ f f F
3
f f F f
3

&
4 2 1

{ ? f #f
5 3

Continue the crescendo....

f f
4
f
2
f p
f f
2
f
1
f
5
f
1
f
2
f
5
f
2
f

Moving briefly to G major...

rit. a tempo
F™ nF ™ f f f f f F™
16
f f f f f F f
3
4

&
1

{
This bar is the
highlight of the mf Back to the original
? FF ™™
tempo and key.
f f f f
∑ f f f f
piece.
f f f f
2 Take your time 5
4
with the above ‘rit.’ The RH in bar 24 is tricky.
There’s no rush! Practise slowly (and remember
to make a decrescendo). Final chords to be

f f f f f F™
5
22 4 soft and light.
f f f f f f Œ f Œ
1 5 1

Œ Œ
3

F™
1

&
1

f F™

{
Lift the hands Lift the hands Keep notes held

f f f f ff for the rests. p again. for the full bar.

? f f f f f Œ Œ ff Œ Œ FF ™™
5 3 5 3 5 2 2
4 1
5

26• Pianist 136

TRACK 2
Melanie SPANSWICK BEGINNER
Mountain Stream

Notes from the composer: The flowing arpeggios in this little piece inspired Practise and play each bar as one chord – this is a good way to learn note
its title. Sweeping quaver passages in the first four bars pass between patterns and fingerings. Note that the RH crotchet on the fourth beat in
the hands, consisting of dominant seventh note patterns; this is the bars 1-4 and 11-13 has a tenuto marking. This note creates the melodic
stream just trickling down the mountain. By bar 5, the arpeggios move line, so try to ‘lean’ into it as it requires a deeper touch. Also note the
insistently around the keyboard, representing the stream in full flow. tenuto markings on the first quaver beat in the RH part of bars 6, 8, and
Whilst the note patterns in the final five bars return to those found at 10. These markings provide shape to those arpeggio figures. Pedalling
the opening, the dynamics are now more powerful; the stream has found is paramount, as it provides resonance. Finally, remember that the
new channels as it roars down the mountain. semibreve G in the final bar should be played by the LH.

Con moto q = 1 60

4 f-
5

&4 Ó Ó Ó Ó
4 4

f
1 2 1 1 1 5
f f
f #f - f #f - f #f - f #f

{ p

°
5
f
? 44 f #f f Ó
3 2 1
f
ø
5
#f ffÓ
f
ø
5
#f ffÓ
f
ø
5
#f ffÓ

5 3

& Ó f f f- f f #f j ‰ Œ Ó
5 3

f fj ‰ Œ
2 3 5 2 3

f fff
1 1

#f fff -

{
f f
mp
f ff f f
? f #f f Ó Ó ‰ J #f f f f Ó Ó ‰ J ff
1 2 1 1
4

ø ø
5 5

& Ó bf f bf- f f f j ‰ Œ Ó
3 5 3 4

nf
1 2 1

f f f #f -

{
f

? f nf bf f Ó Ó ‰ J bf f
f #f nf f Ó
f
2 1 1
3
ø ø
5 5

f- ‰ fj f f f f
12

& Ó Ó Œ ∑
1
f
3 5

f #f - f #f

{ mf

? f #f f
ø
f
Ó f #f
ø
f f Ó f
f f J ‰ Ó
5
ø
3 1
&
w-
2

27• Pianist 136

 Théodore LATOUR (1766-1837)
DON’T MISS
MELANIE
SPANSWICK’S BEGINNER/
TRACK 3 LESSON INTERMEDIATE
ON THIS PIECE First movement from Sonatina No 1 in C

Jean Théodore Latour was a French pianist and composer. He wrote privately and at girls’ schools, continued to perform and compose, and
several piano sonatinas which are not too technically challenging – hence, also wrote some piano tutor books. The English novelist and poet Emily
perfect for the late beginner piano player. It is unclear as to how and Brontë was known to have piano music by Latour in her collection,
when he moved to England, but Latour was appointed official pianist including one of his books of progressive exercises.
to the Prince Regent, later to become King George IV. Latour taught Read Melanie Spanswick’s lesson.

Alleg retto q = 1 38
f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f
5 5
f
4 4 4
f
3 3 4

&c f
f
1 2 2 2 2 1 4
1 2 3 1 1

{ ?c F
p

5
F
3
f
1
f
2
F
3
F
4
F
5

f f f f f f f f f f
f f
4 5 5
f
4 4

f f f Πf f
2 2
f
1

&
1 2 2 1 3

{ ? f #f f f f nf f f
1 2 1 2 3 4
f

F
5
F f
1
f F

f f f f f f f f
7
f f f f f f
4

Œ ™™ f f f f f
1 4 4

&
1 1 1 2 3 1 2 4

{ ? F F
f
1
f
5
°
f
2
Œ ™™ f
p

1
f
2
f f f f
3 1 5 1

f f f f f f f f
10
f f f f f f
f f f f f f f
3 4 3 5

&
1 2 2 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 4 3 4 2 4 3 2

{ ?
f
5
f
1
f
4
Πf
1
f
2
f f f f
1 5
f
5
f
4
f f f
1 2 1
f
5

28• Pianist 136

 f f f f f f f f
13
f f f f f f f f f f
4

& f f
1 2 3 1 2 4 1 2 1 3 2 4

{? f
f

1
f
2
f f f f
3 5
f
5
f
1
f
4
Πf
1
f
2
f f f f
3 5

f f f f U f f f f f f f f f
5
f f f f f f f
16 5
f
4

J f f f
5 4 1 2

&
3 4 1 3 2 1

{?
f
5
f
1
f
4
f U
1
f
°
5
Œ
p

F
5
F f
1
f F

f f f f f f f f f f f f
19 5
f
4
f
4
f f f Πf f
1 4 1

&
1 1 2 2 1

{? F F
f #f f f f nf f f
1 2 1 2
f

F
5
F

f f f f f f ff ff
2

f f f f f f f f f f
22 4 5 1
4
f f f f
2 2 1 4

&
1 1

{? f
1

5
f

4
F F

5
F
f #f f
1 2 1
f
5
f f f
f

2
ff ff ff FF
2

ff ff
2
1 1
25 1

f Œ f f f Œ f Œ F Ó
&

{? f
2
Œ
ff
f #f f
f f
2
Πf
f
1
ΠF
F
1
Ó

° ° ° °
5 5

29• Pianist 136

TRACK 4
António FRAGOSO (1897-1918) INTERMEDIATE
Aria

Portuguese composer and pianist António Fragoso started out with music requires a good sense of phrase-shaping and a deep touch. Make sure that
lessons from his uncle. At 17 he entered the Lisbon Conservatoire where the LH accompaniment remains steady and calm throughout, allowing
he studied harmony, score reading and piano. In October 1918 influenza the RH to ‘sing’ over it. There are places that require a dynamic drop to
claimed his life and he died in his house in Pocariça, aged just 21. Today, subito piano (e.g. bars 6, 14 etc). Remember to make these sudden and
the Associação António Fragoso exists to commemorate his work and to unexpected. This piece is great for practising soft playing and for keeping
promote recordings and performances of his music. This piece appears in the pulse going at a lento pace. It is also a good exercise for making all
the Três peças do século XVIII (Three pieces from the 18th century). the notes sound when playing pianissimo chords.
Playing tips: In the poignant key of G minor, this simple, slow melody Pedal tips: Legato pedalling is required. See markings on the score.

Lento q = 60
f
b 3 f™ f f f f
4 1 2

f f™ f
&b 4
2 5 3
f f f f
2

{
3
p e molto espressivo
fff fff fff f fff fff fff
? bb 43 fff f
f f
5 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2

°
4 3 4 4 3

ø ø ø ø ø ø
5 5

f™ f f f f f f f f f f
5
4
b f f f f f J
F™
2

b
1

&

{
3 3
pp
f ff f f f f
? bb ff ff nfff #fff nfff #fff
3
f f f
f f f
ø
2 2

ø ø ø ø ø ø ø ø
5 5

b f™ f f f f f f f f f f
8 1 5

b J f™ f f f
1 1

& F™
3

{
3

fff b ff
cresc.
f fff
? b bfff f f f
b f f
f f f
f f
ø ø ø ø ø ø ø ø
5 3

f f f f f f f
5 1
12
b f™ f #f
4

nf f f
3

&b f ™
2 1

F™
3

mf pp e molto legato

ff n#nfff # fff ff
f
? bb b f f nf
bf nf f f
f f
ø ø ø ø ø ø ø ø
30• Pianist 136
 b f™ f f nf f f f f f™
16 5

f f f F™
5

f f
&b J
2

{? bb
ff

ø
f
f
f
ø
ff

ø
f
f
ø
f
ø
ff

ø
f
f
f
ø
ff

ø
f
f
f

b f f
f f f f
20 5

b f f™ f f f
5

F
1

&
1

{
F 3

f f ff fff ff f ff
? b ff #fff f f fff ff
b f f
f f
f
ø ø ø sim.

f f f™ f f f f
b f™ f f f f
24
f f f F J
&b

{
3 3

ff fff ff f ff f ff
? bb f f fff nff #fff nff
f f f
f f
° ø

U
f™
f f f U
b f f
2
f
28 1

b f F™
5
F™
&
1

f f
sf pp e molto lento

f
? bb #fff bnbnU
FFF nbnnffff FFF ™™™ U
F
f
f
F™
ø ø ° ø
31• Pianist 136
TRACK 5
Samuil MAYKAPAR (1867-1938) INTERMEDIATE
Elegy Op 33 No 22

Born in Kherson, Ukraine, Samuil Maykapar studied law at Petersburg the end of bar 1. Use your best cantabile for the melody, shaping it well.
University, and went on to study piano at St Petersburg Conservatory, The RH bass note at bar 5 (which crosses over the LH) should sound
graduating in 1893. He continued his studies in Vienna with the famous like a soft bell. The LH remains as the accompaniment throughout, but
Austrian-Polish pianist Theodor Leshetitzky between 1894-1896. As well it should be well-shaped and have a life of its own. Bar 23 sees a short
as working as a concert pianist, he taught at St Petersburg Conservatory devolopment section which comes to a dramatico climax at bar 35. The
between 1910-1930, becoming a professor in 1917. His short piano opening returns at bar 37 and at bar 42 you will notice double notes
pieces remain popular to this day, especially the Biryulki (Trifles), the 20 appearing in the melody for the first time; they add extra poignancy,
Pedal Preludes and the Miniatures Op 33 – the latter being a collection so make a point of highlighting them (follow the crescendo and
of 24 small pieces in which this soulful Elegy appears. descrescendo signs). The last five bars die away sadly and gradually.
Playing tips: The LH should ‘glide’ us calmly into the opening theme at Pedal tips: See markings on the score. Mainly one pedal change per bar.

Andante cantabile q = 82

b 3
& b bbb 4 Œ ‰ fj F
r.h.

Œ ff F ff f ? Œ Œ
4
F
1 3 2 3

f- &

{
mp espressivo
pp
f f f ffffff ffffff f f f f f f
? b b 43 f f f f f f f f f
bbb
p 2 1 3 4

°
5 2

ø ø ø sim.
bb F
6
F™ bF
4

&b b b
3

F™ nF ™
5
f
2 2

{
mp
f f bf
? bb b f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f nf f f f
bb
4 5 1 4 4 5

b
11

& b bbb F
F F™
5 4

ΠΠf
4 2 1

f F™

{
f
mp
f f f f f f
? bb b f f f f f f f nf f f f ‰ f f ff fff ff fff
bb
4 1 2 4 5 1
4 4 2

b
16

& b bbb bF
3

F™ nF ™
5 2
F
4 1 5 2

f f F™

{
F™
bf f f ff f - -
? bb b f f f nf f f
f ff fff ff fff ff ff f nf f ‰ fffff
bb
4

°
4 4 5 4 4 2 2 3

32• Pianist 136

 bb
22

&b b b Πf
3 3 1 3 1 4
F™

{
F F f f f f F
- - -
mf

? bb f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f
b b b f f f nf f f bf f f f f f f f f
° °
4 4
5 5
sim.

b
27

& b bbb F
f ΠΠF
3 5

FF ™™
3 2 1 2 4

f f f F™ f

{
f
mf
fff f fff
? bb b f f f f f f f f f f f b f f f
f f f f f Œ Œ
bb f f
f f
4

° °
5

ø ø
5 5 5

rit.
U
4 n ≤ fj ≈ U 3
rall. Andante 4 Tempo I ( Andantino)
b f ff ™™ f f r
33 4

b
5 2

F F f
&b b b R f f ‰™
2

f FF ™™
5

4 ff f FF f 4 F
2
f
4

J f
pp
U™ f dramatico mp
U
mp

4 j ≈ nfr F f ‰™ ? nfR
F™ FF ™ f f f
? bb b bFF ™™ F™ 4 f & F f
3 f f f ffffff
FF ™™
4
bb
° ° ° ø ø
4 2 3
ø ø ø øø ø
4 5

b
39
FF ff
& b bbb f
4
ff
3 r.h.
? ΠΠFF ?
2 2
F F f
1

f- &
pp mp
f f f ffffff
? bb f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f ffffff
bbb
4 2 3 4
ø ø sim.
5

44 U
? bb b
r.h.
F F™ F™ FF ™™ FF ™™ FF ™™
4 5

Œ Œ
2 4

f FF ™™
3 1

bb & F™ F™ F™

{
f- p dim.
mp pp
f f F™ FFF ™™™ U
? bb b f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f FF ™™ F™ F
bb 1
f F™
5 4 5 2 2 2 5 4
pp poco marcato
°
5
ø
33• Pianist 136
TRACK 6
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) INTERMEDIATE
Waltz, Lyric Piece Op 38 No 7

It’s a testimony to the strength and integrity of Grieg’s musical voice much help from the pedal. It’s worth practising this part with the LH,
that his allusions to other composers can, at best, be described as ‘almost omitting the melody, to ensure that the accompaniment is well balanced.
Schumann’ (such as Canon Op 38 No 8) or, as in the case of this waltz, Linger a little over the staccato notes (think more portato); likewise the
‘almost Chopin’. Waltz is in ternary form: the A section comprises bars accents in bars 9 and 11 convey a sense of ‘leaning’ into the note rather
1-16, the B section bars 17-32 (bars 25-32 simply repeat bars 17-24 an than of a sharp attack. Graduate the long ritardando in bars 11-16 carefully
octave lower), and the A section reprise – which is approached by a five- – too much too soon risks grinding to a halt! – but the deceleration can be
bar bridge passage – is literal except for changed dynamics and a change more pronounced in the reprise. The B-section will benefit from a loose
of harmony in bar 41. RH wrist, allowing a gentle lateral swing to negotiate the wider stretches.
Playing tips: The fingering for the RH alto-voice accompanying crotchets Pedal tips: You might also consider the use of the left pedal to create a
allows the top fingers (usually 4 and 5) to play the melody legato without more delicate tone colour in the B section.

Poco alleg ro q = 1 38

#3
f ™ f fj ff f ™ fj f
5

fj
F f ff F f
4 4 3
j
F™ f f
3

& 4F f ff
Π#f f
4

f
Πf f

{
Π2 1 Π1
Π2 1
Π2 1 1

p f ff ff ff ff ff ff ff f f f f
? # 43 f f f f f f f nf f
f f
° °
2 3
ø ø ø ø
3

. .
#
7 ritard.
ff
3

f f f. f. nf. Œf nff f
j j
2 3

& F™ f ™ #f. nf. f. >f f f f f f. f. f. f. f f f f f

> . f.

{
.
f f f f f f f f ff #ff
?# f f f Œ f Œ f Œ f f #f Œ Œ
f f f f f f
° ° ° ° °ø
3 4 2
ø ø 4
ø

. .
# f f f f. .
Presto h. = 7 9
nf
5
f
14
Œ ‰ #f f f ‰ ‰ #f f f ‰ ‰ #f nf #f f ‰
1 1 1

& Πf
3 2 2 2
f j
5

Œ f
# FFF ™™™ F
F pp legg.
.
# ff ff. ff. ff. ff. ff.
ff
?# Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ
f F™ FF
°
2

° ° °
1 1 1
ø
2
ø
2 4 2 3

.
# ‰ f f f ‰ f f f f Œ
3
f f
20
f f
1

#f f f f f f f f f f #f nf #f
1 3

& f
2 1 1

{ ?#
# ff.

°
Œ
ff.
1
2
#f
°
f f
2
f
ø
f
f
f
ø
f
f
3
f
ø
f
# f.
Œ

34• Pianist 136

 #
25

& ‰ nf ‰ ‰ f‰ ‰ f‰ ‰ ff‰
1 3 1
2 1 2 1 2 1 2
f f

{
#f f f #f f f #f nf #f #f f ff ff
pp

? # #ff. Πff. ff. Πff. ff. Πff. #ff Πff f f

2
. . #f 2

° ° ° ° °
4 2 4 1
1
3 2

Tempo I
# >
30 3 1 2 3 5

f f f f f f F™ ffffff
3

& f F
1 4

f f f f

{
ff ff f #f nf #f f
p

?# f f #f Œ ∑ ∑ ∑
f f f
f f f
° °
3
ø ø ø

a tempo
#
f ™ f fj ff
36 ritard.
F f ff
4 3

& f f f f f f f f f f f f ŒF f ff F ™ #f f
j
3 4 4

f

{
2 1
Π1
Π2 1
Π2 1
p
ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff
cresc.

?# ∑ ∑ f f f f
° ø ø ø

# F f ™ fj f
42
f fj
2 3
j
& Œ f f Œ #f f F™ f ™ #f. nf. f. f f f f f f f. f. f.
> . f.

{
2 1 1 .
f p
f f f f f f f f f
?# f f nf f f f f Πf
f Œ f Œ
f f f f f
° ° °
3
ø ø ø
3

. . . . . . Lento
#
48 rit. 3
5

f f f f f f Œ
f f f. f. nf. Œf nff f
j
& f f. f f
3

Πf Πf
f j
5

f
# FFF ™™™

{
> . . F
F
f f
?# f f f #ff ΠΠff #ff ff
f f Œ F™ FF Œ
1

° °
2

ø ø °
2
ø
4 2

35• Pianist 136

TRACK 7
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) INTERMEDIATE
Bagatelle WoO 56

Beethoven wrote this C major Bagatelle in 1803. It may have originally precise chords and secure octave jumps. Lots to work on! Using a good
been intended to be part of a set of bagatelles, but it stands alone. range of the keyboard, this piece should be playful and humorous, so all
Playing tips: Both hands need to negotiate two independent voices, of the awkward corners will need to be ironed out. Great fun to learn for
so you will need to practise at a very slow tempo to make sure the an intermediate pianist with good fingers and a comfortable octave reach!
coordination is spot-on. The Trio section requires fluent LH passagework, Pedal tips: See suggestions on the score. We say less is more.

j
Œ Œ f nFF ™ f # FF ™ f f nF
4 5 5 5

f f
2 4
Alleg retto h. = 7 3 1

3 F f f f‰ ™
&4 Œ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑p J ™

{
1
cresc. p 1
f ff
? 43 f FF ™ f #FF ™ f f nF #f F
p 1

F™ F™ f f f f J ‰ ™™
3 2 1 1 1 1
5

Œ F f f F F™ F™ f f f
°
5 4

j f ffff ff ff
4

f FF ™ b f #fF F nf #f ff f f ff f f f f
4 5
f
2 4 5 5 4 2
8 1 3

™ FF ™ f J ‰Œ Œ Œ J ‰ ™™
& ™Œ

{ >
1 1 1
cresc. 1 f
p
ff f > j
f f f f f f FF f # FF f f nF
1

ff ™
1

? ™™ Œ f
1 2 1 1

∑ Œ J ‰Œ f f f ‰™
3

™ ™ F
5

2 4 1 5
J
° °
5 4 5

Trio 5
ff
4
F
Æ ffÆ Æ
5 2 3

ff
4
16 2 1

f Πn#fff nff F
1 2 5 1

ff Œ ff Œ
& ™™ ff F
1

#f
1

f f

{
F ' f
p cresc.
f f
? ™™ f f f f f f f #f f f #f f nf #f f nf #f f nf f f f f
f ffffff
° °
1 3 1 2 4 3 2 3 1 2 3 1 1
3 4 3 1 2 1 3 4 3 1 2 1 2

f # ffÆ ffÆ ffÆ fÆ Æ Æ fÆ

22
#f nf f f f
f f Œ ™™ ™™ ‰ j f j f j j
& Œ Œ f Œ ‰
f f Œ f ‰ f Œ f ‰ f

{
f f f
f ff '
f ' Æ ' Æ '
? f Πf Πf
f # f f nf # f f f f f ™™ ™™
f f f f f f Πf
f #f f f #f f ' f f f
f' ' ' '
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 3 2
3 3 3 3

° ° °
4

°
4

fÆ
f Œ #ffÆ ffÆ ffÆ Œ ff
28
Πf F ff Πf
f
& ff #f nf f f

{
F ' f
mf
Æf
p
f f f f f f f
? f Πf f #f f f #f f nf #f f nf f f nf f f f f
f
°
1 3 1 2 4 3 2 3 1 2
3 4 3 1 2 1 3 4 3 1 2 1

36• Pianist 136

 F ff fÆ # ffÆ ffÆ ffÆ fÆ 2. n f
f
#f nf ffÆ ffÆ
1.
f Œ ™ nf Œ
33
F f f
& Œ Œ ™ Œ

{
ff
cresc. f sempre cresc. '
? f f f ™™
fffff f f # f f f #f f n f # f f nf #f f
2

#f f f f f f #f f f
° f f f
3 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1
2 1 3 2
3 3 3 3

°
4 4

ø
38
>f ΠΠf
& nff
?f
f ff f Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ ∑ ∑ ∑
∑ &p

{
' > >
ff p
ΠΠf
FF ™ f #F ™
? f f nF #f F
2
F
3 1 1 1 1

Œ Œ
1 5

#f f f f f F f f F
∑
f f f 5 4

ø ø
j
nFF ™ f # F ™
f f nF bf
4 5 5 5

F f f f f F
2 4

F
4 2 4 5 5
45 1

F FF ™ f #F nf
1
f f f ‰ F™
& J Œ

{
1 1 1 1
cresc. p
f ff p f f f
? F™ F™ f f f f J ‰ Œ f f f f
∑ Œ
F™ F™ f f f
°
2 4 1 5

j f ffff j Coda
f f f f f f ff f f #F
4 5
f
4
f
f f‰
4

#f ff
5 2

FF ™ f F ™
52 4 3 2 1

& f J‰Œ Œ Œ Ó Œ

{ > >
1
1
cresc. f
j
cresc.
p
f f #F f f nF
1
f ffff
f f ff
1

? fJ ‰ Œ FF ™ f F ™
1 2 1 1

f f‰ Œ Œ Œ
3

F f
5

J 1 1

° °
5 4 5

j
f nF F- ™ fÆ ffÆ
sf
5

f f
5

j ?
5 4

f ff
4

F ™™
59 4 5

F
4 5

f f f‰ f
J f f f‰ f f ff Œ Œ
4

& f f 1 1
F™ F f &

{
f '
f '
f f f f f sf
pp
fÆ
p
f
? f J ‰Œ f f‰ Œ f Œ&f Œ
J F™ F™ f ' ' f'
F™ F™ f
°
4 1 3 2 1
sf 2 5 1
5

37• Pianist 136

TRACK 8
Sergei LYAPUNOV (1859-1924) INTERMEDIATE
Ramage des enfants Op 59 No 6

Russian composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Lyapunov is largely Playing tips: This is an immensely fun piece to learn and perform. It is
remembered for his challenging 12 Etudes d’exécution transcendentante. This full of rhythmic drive, with a moto perpetuo (perpetual motion) style
set completed the cycle of 24 major and minor keys that Liszt had started from start to finish. Just 47 bars that last 40 seconds! So as not to tire
with his own Etudes d’exécution transcendentante but had left unfinished. out (or tense up) the fingers, we suggest the repeated notes to be played
Lyapunov did write some ‘easier’ piano works, such as his Berceuse d’une with alternating fingers. So study the fingerings carefully (see bars 1-2
poupée Op 59 No 2 (which appeared inside issue 128) and Chanteurs de as an early example). Slow practice is essential from the start. Also study
Noël Op 41 No 3 (issue 111).This catchy piece, entitled Ramage des enfants the dynamics: Ramage des enfants starts out softly and gradually increases
(‘children’s chatter’) appears within the Six Easy Pieces Op 59 collection. in dynamics, ending in a sf forte flourish. It feels like one long exciting
Lyapunov emigrated to Paris in 1923 (and died of a heart attack the build-up (more and more children chattering, maybe?).
following year) – hence most of his pieces bear French titles. Pedal tips: Pedal is not needed. One needs to hear the ‘clipped’ staccatos.

Alleg ro q = 1 5 2

## 2 j ‰ . .
f. f. f f. f. f. f f.
3 2 1 2 1 2

& 4 f. f f f f f f f f
1 1
f. f. . . . .

{ ? ## 42
p

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ &

## f. ‰ f. f. f f f. ‰ f. f. f f . f. f. f f f f
6
.
5 1 2 5 1 2 1 2
f
4 3 2 4

& J . . J
2 1 3
f f f f
. . f . .

{ ##
& f.
1
f. f
1
2
ff
.
ff
.
f
f. f. f ff
.
ff
1
2
.
f
f. f
f.
f
f.
ff
.

## . f. f. f. f f f. ‰ f. f. f f f. ‰ f. f. f f
12 1 5 1 2

& . . J . . J
1
f f f f f f. f.

{ #
&# f
f. f
f.
f
f.
ff
.
f
f. f
f.
f
f.
ff
.
f
f. f
f.
f
f. ff
f.
?

. . . . . .j . .
## . f. f f. . . . .
2 2

f ‰ f f
2 2 5
18 1 1 3 1 1 3

& ff f
f f f f
f f ff f ff f f f f f
f f f f

{
. . . . . . . . . .
f. ff. f. ff. ff. f. ff. ff.
mf

? ## f ff. f ff. f
1 2
5 5

38• Pianist 136

 . . . . . . .
## f f . . fj ‰ f f
. . . .
4 3 2 2
23 1 1 3 1

& f ff f f f
f f f f
f f ff f f f ff f f f

{
Œ f Œ
. . . . . . . .
f . f. ff. ff. ff. ff. f.
? ## f f f ‰
J f. f. f. f. f. f.
3 2 4 2 1 3

. . . . . . .
## . f. f f. . .
fj ‰ f f
. .
fj ‰ f f
28

& fff ff f f f ff ff f f f ff

{
Œ f Œ Œ f Œ Œ
. . . . .
? ## f f. ‰ f f
f f. f. f. f. f. f. f f f f
. . J . . f f f f
. .
2 3 4 3 4 2 1 3 2 3 4 3 1

## f f . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
33 1

& ff f f ff f ff f f f f f
f f ff f ff f f f f f
f f

{
Π. . . . .. . . . . . .. .
. . .
. .
f. f.
f
? ## f. ‰ j ‰ f f f f
2 f f f f f f f f
J f Πf
f. ff ∑ Œ
v.
1 3
5
2

. .j .jaccel . .
5

. . .
## fj ‰ f f. . . . .
3 3

f ‰ f f f ‰ f f
38 1 2 1 2

& f f f f f f f f f
f ff ‰ f f f ff ‰ f f f
. . . .J . . . . .J . . cresc. .
. . . . . . .
f f fj ‰ f f f f fj ‰ f f f f fj ‰
? ##
∑ ff Œ ∑ ff Œ ∑
v v
. . . .
## f f . . fj ‰ f f
. .
fj ‰ Œ
43

& ff ff f f f
f f f f
ff ‰ f fJ ∑
.. J ‰ . . . . .J . .
. . . . . sf
.
f f f f fj ‰ f f f f fj ‰
? ## Œ
ff Œ ∑ ff Œ ∑ ff
v
v v
39• Pianist 136
TRACK 9
Sergei BORTKIEWICZ (1877-1952) INTERMEDIATE
Consolation Op 17 No 2
WATCH CHENYIN LI PLAY THIS AT WWW.PIANISTMAGAZINE.COM
Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sergei Bortkiewicz received his musical harmony. But the real trademark of Bortkiewicz’s music is his captivating
training from Anatoly Lyadov and Karl von Arek at the Imperial poetic melodies, and this Consolation is a perfect case in point.
Conservatory of Music in Saint Petersburg. A brilliant pianist and Playing tips: The first few bars make up a dreamy intro of which the tempo
composer, during his lifetime he was oppressed and persecuted by both should fluctuate naturally (this intro returns towards the end in a higher
Soviet and Nazi regimes (little wonder his music was neglected). The register). The melody requires a glorious cantabile and subtle use of rubato.
style of his music derives from the great Romantic composers of the 19th Try to lovingly shape the melodic line, using the LH as support, and think
century: He adopted Liszt’s rich and brilliant piano writing, Chopin’s in long phrases – never stopping at barlines, but ‘going over’ them.
lyricism, Schumann’s character-piece imagery and Wagner’s imaginative Pedal tips: See markings on the score. Lush, legato pedal is needed.

Tranquillo e pensieroso 3
2
rit.

## 9 ff ff f f ff ff f f ff f ff f ff f ff #f U
5

Ϊ
3

& 8
1

f f f f f f f f f #fJ

{ # 9
& # 8 Ϊ
pp

≈ #fr f j ?
™
<n>ff ™ ff ™™ U™
Œ

∏∏∏∏∏∏∏
f f f™
una corda 2
4

° dolce
ø ø
rit.
accel.
U
a tempo
# bf nf f f f f f f f f f f nff nf ff f ff f ff nf Π#ff
3 3

&# b
1

nf f f f f f nf f f nfJ J

{ pp

? ## Œ ™ ≈ r b b
n f
j ? bf ™ ™ f
f™
™ U
p

Π& nfj
∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

& f f f f bf ™ #f
° dolce
ø ø ø °

U Andantino poco rubato

rit. 3 4

ff n ff #fff
4

n f #f #f . . . . .
3 1 1

## ff nff. #ff ff #ff. nff #f f f

3 1 5

j
1
5 1 4 5
f
∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

™
5 5

& J J J J ff ™ f ff ‰ f f f # f f f

{
f™ f Œ™ n ff ‰
1 1

2
pp dolce cantando
ff
1

## j f n#ff #ff ff nff ™™ U pp

f f J Œ f ‰
& #ff #ff nff #fJ ff ‰ ‰ ?
f
f
°ø ° °
2 4 1 2
ø ø ø ø ø ø
1
5

# j f fj ™ j f
8
nf bf j
3
™
& # ff ™™ f ‰Œ
j ff ‰ J f fJ bfff ™™ ff
2 1

#ff ™
2 3 4

f™ f f™ f f f J f
ff
mf
ff ff f f f ff n f bf
? ## ‰ f ‰ J f f f f f f f b f f
ff f J f ‰ bf f J
f 4 1 2 f f bf 4 2 5 4
ø ø ° ø
1 2
5
ø ø ø ø ø 5

40• Pianist 136

 - f f
12
# j j ‰ f ff f
& # nf ™ j‰ j f j f fj ff™ ™
3

n J
3

f f™ f f
2

ff f n# ff ™™ f fFF ™™ J
1

f™ f™ fJ f
p p
f nf f f™ f f
? ## ‰ f nf f f- ™ ‰ f f f f™ f f f f f
nf J f
f
ø sim.
1 2 1 1 4 1 2 5 1

f™ f f f f
## ff ™™ ff f #f ™ f f ff ™™ ffj Œ fj ff ™™ f ff fj
15
f f f f f™ Œ ff
& f f™ fJ f

∏∏∏∏∏
{
f f f

nf #f ff nf #f f f
? ## f f f f f f #f f
J f f f f f f
J f f f f
f f f
2 5 1 2
4 f 1 4 f 1 4 2
2 4

f f f
ff f ff f b ff ™™™ ff nf bf n f™ f
## n#ff ™™ ff nnbfff ™™™ f f f
18

& #f ™ f ‰ J f f f f nf bff
J fJ bfff ‰ J f f
J
J J J
cresc. poco a poco animando

f f f f f n f f f bf bf f
? ## f f f f f nf bf f bf bf f f
∏∏∏∏

J f bf bf
5 5 4
bf 5 2 4 bf 5 1 4 1
5

#f #f #f #f
#f ™ ff # f f # ff ™™™ fff # ffff ™™™™ ff
f #fff # fff
## n#ff ™™ # # ff f #fff ff
21
f # f nff ff #ff ™
f f #ff ‰ J f J #f
& J #fJ J J J
f

f f #f
cresc.

? ## nf #f # f f f #f f f f #f f f
nf #f f f f f f f
f #f #f
#f 2
5
2

41• Pianist 136

 #f #f ff # ff # fff # ff ™™
rit.
ff ™™™ ff “” >f ™™ ff # >f #>f # ffff fff fff # fff ™™™ ## fff ™™™
24
#
## ff ™ ff # ff ff ™ ff ff f #f ™ ff #ff f n#ff ™™
& ##ff f™ #f #ff #f ™
J

{ #f f
p

f #f f f #f f f
ff

? ## f f #f ff f #f #f f f nf
f #f #f f #f &
#f 2
# >f 2
4 5 2 2 5 1

a tempo
# ff f
f n ff ™™™ f f f f
fj
ff ff f #f ™ nf f ff ™™™
## #ff
27
∏∏∏∏∏

f
& ‰ Œ J f f nf f f nf f f ff ‰ Œ
J

{
f f
nf f f f #ff ™™ f f f f f f f nf
pp dolciss.
ff
# f ‰ f™
&# # f f f ? nff f J f
f #f f 1 2 1
5
2 1
4

>
ff
30
## f ™ f ff f # ff ™ fff ff f b fff ™™™ FF ™™
f f n #ff ™™™ ‰ J f F™ nf
‰ f #f bf b.f .
& ff ™™ ff f f
∏∏∏∏∏

fJ f Ϊ
3

J J J
3 3

.
1 2

mf
r.h. . .
p (quasi arpa)
#f ff
? ## f f bf f #f nf f f ff ff bf FF ™™
f ‰ f bf F™
2
4
1 2 1 2 f 1 4 bf ™ F™
°

F™ nf ff. bf nf f f f f f f f f f f U
## FF ™™f f #f b f b f U
f ‰ nf
33
f f f f f
&
. . . . . .
dim. ppp lunga pp tranquillo e pensieroso

F™ ff U b f- bf
? ## F ™™ f f J
F f ‰ Œ™ & ≈ R
u
F™ f
°
dolce

42• Pianist 136

 n ff # f ff f ff f ff f ff f ff f U bb ff f ff f ff f ff f ff f ff f
## #f f f f f f f
35
f f f f f
&

{ #
& # Ϊ
°
≈#fr f nf- nf
j
u
più pp

°
Ϊ ?
bf bf
4 2
f bf
1
bf
4 2
nf

1
&
nf-
2 1
bf-

rit.

bb ff f ff f ff f ff f ff f ff f bb ff f ff f ff f nf
## f f f f f f f f f R U™
37
‰ Œ J 12
& 8

{ #
&# f f-
dim.

bf- b f- f n f-
morendo

bf- ™
ø
j
f™
U™ ™
‰ Œ
p

°
? 12
8

. . . . .
a tempo
U a tempo
## 12 fF f f f ™ f f™ j Œ j 9 # ff ™™
39

#fff ™™ Œ f 68
f f f nf f
5

f™
& 8 F ™™ ff f
Œ n#ff ‰ f ™ fJ
f ™ f # ff ™™ ff Œ
# f ™ # f 8 ff ™™
∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

{
J J ™ J
n ff ™™ ff U
pp p

f ™ f Œ ##fff ™™ fff Œ 9 n#fff ™™™

? ## 12 F™ f f™ ™ ff ™™ Œ ™ 6
8 F™ f Œ f™ 8 f™ 8
J J J
ø ø ° ° °

U
fj ff ™
rit.
f ff ™ f f™ F™
## 6 f ™ j ?J f ™™ ff ff ff ™™ FF ™™
42
ff ‰ f
& 8 f ™™ ‰ J

{
f f
nf f fff ΠU
pp pp
? ## 68 f ‰
f f J ff ™™ ff ff ™™ ff ™™ FF ™™
f
° °
1
ø ø ø
4 2
5 2 1

43• Pianist 136

 Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875-1912)
DON’T MISS
SAMANTHA
EGE’S INTERMEDIATE/
TRACK 10 LESSON ADVANCED
ON THIS PIECE Andante from ‘Three-Fours’ Valse Suite Op 71

Born in Holborn in 1875 to an English mother and a father originally In the last few years, his music has re-entered the classical concert
from Sierra Leone, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor identified as Anglo-African. hall thanks to brilliant new recordings from the likes of the Chineke!
As a composer, conductor and political activist, he was once hailed by Orchestra, the Kanneh-Mason family and Samantha Ege. This lush
20th-century critics as a ‘musical genius’. But his popularity seemed to Andante is the second piece from the six-movement suite. Samantha Ege
wane – not helped by the fact that he died at the young age of 37. plays the track on this issue’s album. Read her lesson inside.

Andante q = 66

^ ^ ^ ^
4
—

b b3
5

F F F F
&b b 4 Œ j ff- ‰ Œ fj fff- ‰ Œ fj fff- ‰ Œ j fff- ‰

{
f fJ f
J J J
pp
fff- - -
f -
? bb b 43 > ff > ff fff f
> ff ff > ff fff
1
f
1 1 1
2 2 2

‰ f ‰ f J ‰ f J ‰
2

J
3

f J
3 3

b f
4

f
1 1
f 1 1
f 1 1 f 1 1

f
2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2
5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5

° ø ø ø sim.

^
bb ‰
5
f F™ f
4 4

fff- f- f- nf- -
4 3 4

&b b ‰ ff ff
2 3 2
ff f f ff ff
5 5 4 3 2
ff FF ™™ F™ ff ff
5 5
f- f-
2

- f- f- f- f- - - -
2 2

‰ f f f FF ™™
1
1 1

mp mf pp
v - - - - -
ff- ff- ff- ff- ff- ‰ ‰ ff ff ff ff ff
? bb b ff ff ff ff ff FF ™™ f f f f f
1
f f f f f
1 1

b f FF ™™ f- f- f- f- f-
1 3 3
2 1 5 3

F™
3 5 5
5

F™
5

f v
- ^
b FF ™™ ‰ f f ™™ f f^f f
8

& b bb
ff ff ff
3 3

‰ ff ff nff
ff- ff- FF ff ff ™
5 4 3 2 2 5 5 5
FF ™™
ff- ff- ff-
3 2 2 5 3 4 5 5 5
2
1
f ‰
5
2
5
3 FF
1 1 2
1 f1 2
1 f- 2
1 f- 2
1 f- 2
1
1 2

- - - - -
1
mf pp
? bb ‰ ‰ ff ff ff ff bfff fff fff nfff
b b F ™ ff f f f f f f
1

F f f f
1 1 2
f f f f bf
1
2 2 5
f
2

F
5 5 3

F™ f bf f
° ø ø ø
>
poco rall.
^
b
11

& b bb ‰ bnfff fff Œ

4 3 4

ff f f f nf nf f
2
ff ff f F
5 1 2 1 2 3

f- ff f- f- ‰ nf ff ff
f n FFF bf nf
4 5 5 5

- -
3

nf
5

f f
2 2 2 2 2

‰
3
1 1 1 1 1 2

- - - - -
1

pp
f f f ff
? bb b bnff ff ff f bff
nnfff fff fff ‰ nff
f
fff fff ff ff
b f
1

f f f
1
f
1 1 1
f
2 2 2 3 2

F - - -
3

- -
1

f f
3 5 5
f f
2
5

F
ø ø ø ø ø
44• Pianist 136
 - - - - - ^ - - - - -
ff ff ff FF ™™ ‰ ff ff ff
bb ‰
14 5

f ff ff 5
FF ™™ ^ 5
f ff ff
ff- f- f- nf- -
4
ff ff
5

b
5 4

ff ff
2

& b ‰
4 2 5 5
f ff
2 2 4 4

bfff ff F™ ff ff
1 2 2

‰
2 1 3 2
ff ff
1 1 2 2

{
ff ff ff
1 1 1 1 1
f f f f f FF ™™ f f f
1 5 1
2

^
1

- - - - - - - - - -
1 1
3 2

b FF ™™™ ‰
5 5

‰
pp
? bb b bFF ™ fff fff fff fff fff FF ™™
5
3

b F™
2
FF ™™ - - - - - F™
1

F™ F™
v v
ø ø ø sim.

^ ff^
F
FF ™™™™ ‰
ff f ™ f ff ff ff ff f^f f
3 3

ff ff ™™ n ff
5

bb F
17 5 5 5 3
f ff f f
3 5 5 5

&b b ‰ ‰
3 2 5

ff- f- f- f- -
2 2 2 3 2 2
1 2
FF
1 1 1 2 1 1

{
1
1

f f f f ff F
5
3

>v fff fff fff

1

> fff f f f
b>f fff fff fff >f nffff
pp f
? bb ‰ f f f
1

f f
1 1 1
2

b b FF ™™ f- f- f- f
2
f ff
2

f- f-
2

bf
5 3 3
5 5 5

F™ f f
v poco rall.
n - f- f-
f ff b ff- ff- >f ™
ff ™™ FF^ ™™
bb fff
20
f f f
5
ff ff nfff fff
& b b ‰ nf f f
5 5

f™ FF ™™ ff fff
5

ff
5 5 3 5 3 5

J
2 3 3
2 2 2 3 2 3

{
1 2 2

f
1 1 1 2 11 1 1 2
1 1

ff f f
ff ff f > ff > bn fff > b f ff fff f
p
? bb > b f f nff ff fff ff
1 1 1 1 1

f
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1
2

bb f
1 3

f f
2 3 4 3 3

f f
3 4 3 1 2 5 4
5 5 5 5 5 5
3
f
5
5
f f f f
f
a tempo ( poco animato)
ff f f f ff f fff ™™™™ f
b
23

& b bb ‰ f ff f ff f nff f f f ff f
5 5 5
ff f f
4 4 5

nff f fff f ff f fJ
2 2 3 3

{
f
1 1 2 2
1 1

- ff-
fff- f
mf
? bb b ff ff- ‰ j > f f j
1
ff j bf f J ‰
J ‰ ‰ f ‰ f ‰
1 2

b
3

f f- f f- J
1 1 1 1 4

f
5

bf
2 2 2 2

f
3 5

>f f
4

>f^ f
F™ f
b nFFF ™™™ ‰ fff fff f ff f nff nf
26

& b bb ff f fff ff
2 3 4 4
1 1 5

FF ™™ f nff nf
1

n ff fff f f
2 3 2

‰ f nff fff ff f f
1 1 1

F™
5
3

- - - - - v mf
1

f p
-
? bb b ‰ ff ff ff ff ff ? ff fff ‰ j f f- j
f ‰ f ff- fJ ‰ f ‰
1

b FF ™™ f f f f f f f- J
1 1 2
2 2 3
5
F™ >f f
5

v >f f

45• Pianist 136

 ^ - - - - -
29
bb ff f fff ™™™ f nn#FFF ™™™™ ‰ n ff ff f n ff ff
nF nff
5 5

fff- nff- ff
&b b
5
ff f f™ ff
4 4

- - FF ™™ ff ff
5 2 3 3 3 5 5
f
‰ nff- n ff #fff
2 4
ff
2 2

n ff
4 1 1 1 1 2 2

J
1 1 2
ff ff ff
1

f
2 5 1 1

F™ f
1 1
1 4
2

- - - - -
1

v
4

fff- ‰
f p
ff
? b b >ff ff- ‰ nf f f f f f appassionato
f
1

‰ J ‰ n nFF ™™™
1 2

bb f f J nn FF ™™™ f- f- f- f- f-
F
1 2 3

F
2 3
5

^ > ^
rall.
> > > >
nn#FFFF ™™™™ ‰ n fff ff n ff b FFFF ™™™™
ff F ™- - - - -
3 5 5

b ff
32 3 2

b nF ™ FF ™™ nf
5 5 2 2

&b b fff- nff-

∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏
2
ff
1

‰ f ff bfff fff nnfff

2 1 1

- - ff ff ff
2 3 4 3 3

‰ nff- n ff #ff F ™ n ff
1 1 1 1 1

f ff ff ff ff
v
‰
mf
- - - - f
‰ ^ f
? bb b nnFF ™™ nnff ff ff ff ff nFFF ™™™ F ™™ f f f f f
1 2
1 3 4

b F™ - FF ™
5

- -
‰ - - -
°
- ff-
a tempo
bb ff- bf-
35

& b b nnfff nbfff nff FF ™™™ bff ff- FF ™™™ -

FF ™ ff ff- f- nf- -
bFF ™ b f
5

f- f f f
4 4

- - f f
5 4

‰ ‰
2 3 2 2
1 1 1 1

pp pp

? bb b f- 1
fff- bnfff-
1
‰ ff
f-
ff
f-
ff
f-
ff
f-
ff
f- ‰ fff fff fff fff fff
b FF ™ - - - - -
2 2

FF ™™
F ™™
4 4

3
F™
^
^ ff- ^ f f™ ff^
b ff- fff- f- f- FF ™™
38
b
& b b F ™™
f
f f f f FF ™™ f f FF ff ff ™™ f
ff
FF ™
‰ ‰ ff f ff ff ff FF
mf - - - - - ‰ cresc.
- - - - -
pp
‰F ff ff fff fff fff ‰ ff ff ff ff
? bb b f- f- ‰ f f f f ff
b F ™™ - - - F™ f f f f F f f f f f
F™ F f
F™
poco a poco accel.
ff f^f f nf f ™ f ff ^
b ff nff ff ff nfff f
41
f nfff
& b bb ff ff ff ff nff ‰ nff ff ™™
nf f f f
5
f
5

f f f
5 3
4 3
1 1
1

? bb b b>f ff ff ff >f
f f f nffff > nfff fff fff > ff > b fff fff fff > nn fff
f nf f
1 1 1

b bf
1 2
2 2
f f
3

f nf
5 3 5

f
5

f f
46• Pianist 136
 > > ^
rall.

n ff n f ™ f ff^ ff n >f >f b >ff n >f f n f bb ffff nnff b ff n ff b ff

4 5 5 5 5 5

b f nf f bf nf f nf
44 5

bff f
& b bb ‰ n f nf ™ f f
nf ‰ n f bf f
5 3 5 5
4 2 5 5 3
2

f
2 2 2

{
2 1 1
1 1 1 1

nf f f > bbffff > bnfff fff fff > bn nfff

ff

? bb b >f n ff ff ff n>f ff b>f bfff >

f 1 f 1
ffff 1 1
ff
1

b f
2

bf
2 2 2
f
3

nf bf
5
f
5 3 3 5

f
5 5

f bf f

b >ff >ff >f ™

FF^ ff f f f
>f
f
>f f ™™
f f
b n ff bfff ™™™ bfff f
47 5

& b bb f fff
5

‰ff
4

FF ff f f f f f f™
5 5
5
fJ
3

J
3 1 2
2 1
1

mf

> bn ff > b ff ff fff ff > ff >

f nf
ff >f n ff b>f b ff > nfff
? bb b bf
1 1 1
f f
2 1 1 1 1
3 2

b f
3 3 2
f
4 2
3
f
3

f f 5 5
f
5 5

^
molto rall.
> >f f ™™ f ff^ ™™™
F ff f f f ff f f ff ff ™ f ff f
bb F
50
ff f
5

& b b FF ff f f f f f f™ f
2

J
1

{ bb f
ff
f
ff
? b b >f f >f f b>f
bf
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
5
ff
f >f n fff b>f bb fff >
1
2

bf
f
f
1
3
1
2
3
nffff > fff
f
1
2
1
2
5
fff dim. poco
J ‰ f
f
j
‰

∏∏∏∏∏∏∏
f
5
f
5 5 5

f f
^
ff^ ™™ FFF ™™™
ff ™™ f ff f bff- fff- ff-
ff- ff- bff-
F™
5 5

bb ffff- ff-
53 4 3
ff f
fff- fff- ff
&b b f
ff-
2 2 5

bf
5
f
f f bf
5

‰
1 1 5 3
ff
5 3

{
5 5 5 3 3 2
3 4 4 3 2 2 1 2
2 2 1 1 1 1 1
1 2 2 2
1 1 1 1

- - - - -
? bb b ff fff ‰
j ‰ ‰ ff ff ff ff ff bfff- fff- bfff- fff- fff- fff-
1

b f f J
1
2
2
3
1
2 f f f f f 1
2
1
2
1
2

f 5
F™
5 4 5 5

f f F™
v
ff ff “F”™ ff
56
b FF ™™
& b bb
ff ff ff Œ Œ
5

F™
∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏∏

{
2
1

pp ^ ^ ppp
f FF f FF FF ™™
? bb b f nFFF f FF FF ™™ ? Œ Œ
b f FF f FF &
F f
v v
°
3

47• Pianist 136

TRACK 11
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) INTERMEDIATE/
ADVANCED
Moment musical No 6 D780

As their title suggests, Schubert’s Moments musicaux are quite brief in use a metronome now and then to keep things on track. Voicing is of the
length – shorter than his Impromptus. They were composed between utmost importance – the melody notes of the RH should always ring out
1823-1828 and comprise six pieces in various moods and of moderate (even when they are to be played pianissimo!). The Trio section, which
difficulty. As is the case with the cataloguing of Schubert’s works, the set appears at bar 77, is in the somewhat ‘brighter’ key of D flat major – and
is also labelled Op 94. This final piece in A flat major bears a plaintive, with it comes an air of optimism. In this section, aim to keep the melody
reflective mood, very much in the style of a Song without Words. line as legato as possible; the hand manoeuvres will need to be quick,
Playing tips: One of the main challenges in this heartfelt piece is the close to the key and controlled.
ability to keep the flow/pulse going; it may be marked Allegretto, but the Pedal tips: Very subtle pedalling will be required, which is almost
writing is static, so there will be a tendency to drag. It could be useful to impossible to place on page. Try some half-pedalling as well.

Alleg retto 5 5
4 4 5 3 3

b 3 f FF ™™
& b bb 4 fff nfff
2 2
fff ‰
2 2 3 5 4 2 2

FFF ™™™ fff Œ ff f FF ff

1 1
FF
1 1 1 1
F™ ff ™ f nf

{
1
FF ff F
p
F™ f ff FF ™™ ff
? b b 43 f Œ ‰ f f f FFF ff FF ff
bb f F f
3 1 3 1

° ° ° ø
2 3 5

ø ø ø
4 5

5 4

bb ff FF ™™ nff Œ ff bFF fff FF f f F ™

7
nFFF ™™™
4
ff Œ ff FF ™™
3 4 5 2

&b b f Œ n f Œ ™™
1 3 5 1

ff f F ™ ff f F ™ f f F F ff FF ™™
nF ™ 2 f
n ff b FF ff
fp p f p

? bb b F ™™ ff Œ f F™ f
Œ f F™
b FF ™ f Œ F f FF ™™ ff Œ ™™
f f F™ f 1 2 1
3 2
3 4 5 3 5
ø
5
sim.

b bf ™ j
16

& b bb ™™ bnfff bFF ™™ ff Œ bbfff bbFFF ™™™ ff Œ bff f fFF f bf bff

4 3 5 4 5

nF ™ bfFF ™™

{
f 1
f f f
2
pp p
bf bbFFF ™™™ ff bf b FF ™™ ff b ff FFF ™™™ FF ™™
? b b ™™ bff f Œ bff F™ bf Œ f
bb f bf f
° °
3
ø ø

b ####
23

& b bb FF ™™™
4 5

ff Œ bnfff bFF ™™ ff Œ bbfff bF ™ ff Œ bbfff

3

nF ™ b FF ™™

{
bF f f f
pp
bf bbFFF ™™™ ff bf b FF ™™ ff bbfff
? bb b F ™ f Œ bff f Œ bff F™ bf Œ f ####
b

48• Pianist 136

 #### f f ™ fj
29 3 4 3 5

f f f f™ j f
2 3 5 4
r
f n#FF #ff
1

&
2 4 1

FF ™™ f f # fF ™ > f ff f nff ff f f3

{
F™ F FF ff
mf p fp

? #### FFF ™™™ FFF ™™™ ff ff ff

F™ F™ #FFF ™™™ F™ FF ™™
F™ F™

#### j nf ™ fj f bbbb
35

f f nfF™ ™ f f f f n#FFFF
4 3

& f #fff
3 4 3 2

{
n f™ f f F f
f f
n f F™ ™ f f FF
J F 3 J F
pp fp

? #### j j Πbbbb
fF ™ f nf FF ™™ fF ™ f nf FF
™ F™ ™
5

bb
40 4 3 4 2

fF f f f f f
2

& b b bFF FF ff
1 1

ff bFf ™ fJ nff FF ™ fF ™ f f f F f F f

{
™ Œ
pp
f
2

bF bF
cresc.
f ff F™ F™ FF ff FF
? bb b bF f bF F™ F™ FF ff FF f
b

f ™ fj f bf
5

b F™ FFF ™™™
46 4

ff FF ff FF ™
4 5

& b bb FF ™™
4 5

ff Œ f ™FF f fff
5 5 4

f F f F™ FF ™™
J
p f p

bf
1

FF ™™ ff ff
f
FF
F
ff
f FF ff FF ™™
FF ™™
FF ™
FF ™™
? bb Œ
bb
4 4 1
2
4
4
1 2 4
1 3

bb F FF ™™
52
nf bFF f fff ‰ f FF
&b b F ™ ff FFF ™™™ fff Œ ff F™ f ff

{
f ff ™ FF ff
pp
F™ F F™ f ff FF ™™ ff ™
? bb b F ™ F f Œ ‰ f f f FFF ff
b f

49• Pianist 136

 ####
5

b
59

& b bb FF nfff nFF ™™F ™ ff Œ ff FF ™ f bf ff Œ nff FF ™ f bf ff Œ

2 4

n f n F™ ff f bF ™ f f bF ™ f

{
F
f

? b b FF ff FF ™™ ff Œ F™ f Œ f F™ f Œ ####
bb F f f
F™ f F™ f F™ f
f f
5

####
2 3
66
fff fff nfff ff nff ff
5 5 5

bF ™
4 3

nbFFF
1

& fff fff fff fff b FF ™™

{
f f f
fp
ff p
nf
3

? #### nf f f f
F nn#fff
r.h. 2

f nf f nf f f f f f
bF ™ fff nfff fff
nf f nf f nf f f bF ™ F
f f f 1
2

####
bbbb ™™ bbbbb
72
Fine
&

{
pp
r
n ff ff n ff b FF ™™
4 3 2

ff ff
4
f
f FF ™™ F™ F™
1

? ####
3 1 1 2

nfff b
b bb F ™ ™™ bb b
2
ff ff ff ff ff F™ bb
F™ F™ F™
2 1 F™ F™
5 3

Trio

bb
77 5 5 5

&b b b f
2 5 4 5 4

f f
4
1
F f f f f f F

{
F ff FF ff f
ff FF ™™ FF ™™ .
. .
3 3 5
2

ff fff fff
pp 1

? bb b f FF
bb f FF ™™ FF ™™™ ff fff fff FF ff FF ff f
f F™ F ff nf f F f f
1 1 1
2 5 3 4
2
5 5

bb f f
83
f F F f f
4 5

& b b b ff f
f ∫fff
4
f fff FF ff FF ™™ FF ™™

{
f
f f f ∫f ff F
f ff FF ™™ FF ™™
? bb b ff f f f F f F™ F™
bb f f f f f
5 4
5 4
f f F
4 5 4

50• Pianist 136

 . . . f f f f f ∫ fff
4
4
88
b f f ff ff FF f ffff FF
& b bbb ff ff f ff f ff f f ∫f
1 4

F f F f f F

{ f f ff
? bb b ff ff nff
bb 5
FFF ff
f
FF
FF f f f
f
ff f ff f ff f f
f f f
f
F
F

f
4
93
bb f FF
4
f f f 4

nff
ff f ff FF
5

& b b b ™™ ff ff ff ff f ff nf

{
F f f f f F
11
f
ff ff f f
f FF ff f ff FF ™™
? b b ™™ ff f f f ff ff
bbb F f f f f F™

bb F f f F
98
nf bF
4

ff f # F
4 4

f f F
& b b b FF ™™
3 5

FF™ nbFF nFF ff f f nf bf

nf FF ff

{
f f F™
pp
F™ FF ™ nf bF nFF
? b b FF ™™ bFF f ff F
FF f F f
bbb F nf nF F™

b
104
f
& b bbb F f f f ff f
f f f f f F ff

{
F ff FF ff f ff
FF ™™ FF ™™ . . .
ff ff fff FF f
ff f ff ff ff
? bb b F ™ ff ff f ff FF
b b F™
F™
FF ™™™
F ff ff n fff FF
f F f f f f
4
4

f f f ff F ff FF
110
bb ff F ff ff ff FF f FF
& b b b FFF FF
ff FF ff f ff
FF f f f FF fff FFF ™™

{
ff f f F f
ff FF ff f ff
? bb b FFF ff FFF f F f f f ™™
bb f
Alleg retto D. C.
51• Pianist 136
TRACK 12
Luiz LEVY (1861-1935) INTERMEDIATE/
ADVANCED
Valsa lenta Op 32 No 4

Luiz Levy was a Brazilian pianist and composer. He started playing note chords – is no mean feat. Think in one long line rather than six
the piano at an early age, performing in public at the age of nine at separate quavers per bar. Fingerings are there as a guide, so if they don’t
Teatro São José. Levy enjoyed partnering up with trios and quintets, feel comfortable, try alternatives. Make the most of the rallentandos; they
participating in concerts promoted by Clube Haydn, a musical society will help create that Latin flair. The writing at bar 17 becomes a little
he founded in 1883. Among his vast repertoire are several dances, the easier, as the RH melody-line is now less dense. Bar 45 sees a new section
First Brazilian Rhapsody (dedicated to Leopoldo Miguez) and the Second – slightly more animated. The melody returns at bar 61 which takes us
Brazilian Rhapsody (dedicated to Guiomar Novaes). The style of this through to another new section at bar 77 in the key of F sharp major (six
sultry Valsa lenta might remind readers of Rebikov’s Valse mélancolique. sharps to battle with!). The LH plays a crucial role here – it should act
Playing tips: Challenges appear right from the very first note! The RH like a duet partner to the RH.
melody should be smooth, which – with the ‘jumpy’ two- and three- Pedal tips: The legato pedalling will aid in keeping a smooth melody line.
q = 1 08

F f
### 4
3

F™
4 5

f F
5

f ff f ff #ff ff F™
f
1 2

f
2
f F
1

& 4f f f f
f f f F f f

{
f f f f
p

f f ff ff f f
? ### 44 ff f f f f
f f f f f
f
°
2 2
ø ø ø sim.

accel.
3 5 rall.
### fF #f f f f f f m
1 2 1 3 3
5
‰
1 5 4 3 2

& f f f f f # FFf™ f ‹f f f
1 2

#f f F ™ f f f f #

{
#F ™ f ™
# ff
#
? ## f f FF
f F FF f #f f #ff ff f
f f Œ ‰
3 4

FFF™
4 3

### f
FFF™
9 2 1

f f f ff ff ff #ff ff
& f #ff ff ff f ff f f

{
f f
p
f f ff ff f f
? ### ff
f f f f f f f
f f f f &
2
5

“”f
rall.
f fff Fine
### #F‰ f f f #f f f ff nff f nf f >f
5

>
ff ff bbff nnff #ff
13 2 5

f Œ J ‰
2

& ™ J f f f
f bf nf #f f

{
>f > > >
n fff bbnfff nn#fff #fff
p f
###
f
f
f f Œ
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52• Pianist 136
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53• Pianist 136

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54• Pianist 136

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55• Pianist 136
 Meno
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76
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D. C. al Fine
56• Pianist 136
 DON’T MISS
LUCY
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
TRACK 13
PARHAM’S
LESSON
ON THIS PIECE
arr. Franz LISZT (1811-1886) ADVANCED
Widmung (Dedication) S566

In her lesson on this glorious Liszt arrangement of Schumann’s first song You my soul, you my heart / You my rapture, O you my pain,
from the cycle Myrthen Op 25, pianist Lucy Parham suggests reading the You my world in which I live, / My heaven you, to which I aspire,
poem by German poet Friedrich Rückert on which the song is based. O you my grave, into which / My grief forever I’ve consigned!
The original German text is placed above the RH part on the score; see You are repose, you are peace, / You are bestowed on me from heaven.
the English translation opposite. Read Lucy Parham’s lesson inside. Your love for me gives me my worth, / your eyes transfigure me in mine,
Lucy also plays the track on this issue’s album. You raise me lovingly above myself, / My guardian angel, my better self!

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57• Pianist 136
 poco rit. più rit.
schwe
> du
> >
mein Grab,
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58• Pianist 136

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3

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32 Du bist die Ruh, du bist der

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59• Pianist 136

 #### . .
38 mir be - schie - den, daß du mich

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una corda

60• Pianist 136

 poco rall.

r . . .
b
45

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j
f f
f
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f

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poco rall.

.
mich, mein gu - ter Geist, mein bess - res

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47

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f
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Ich!
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>
ø
61• Pianist 136
 Du mei - ne See - le, du mein Herz, du mei-ne
bb j
49

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f
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51
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62• Pianist 136
 >
fj
Welt, in der ich le - be, mein Him - mel
b
53

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f
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f j ff nf f
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∏∏∏∏∏∏
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du, dar - ein ich schwe - - be, mein gu - ter
b
55

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passione

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b b
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f ‰ ff f f nf f f f ff f
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∏∏∏∏∏∏

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ø ø ø ° ø ø
63• Pianist 136
 a tempo

> >
Geist, mein bess - res Ich!
ff ff ff ff ™™™
bFFF^
ff ™ ff ff ff
b
57
b ff ff ff ff ff
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J
ff
f
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59
b ff ff ff FF ™
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3
ff ff ff ff ff fff fff fff
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61
b
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3

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ff ff
b ff ff f f f f f f f
f f f
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63
b
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& b bb
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3
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3 3 3
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b f f f
f f f
ø ø ø ø
64• Pianist 136
 >f >f ^
n FF ff ff ff > b >ff >f b FFF ff
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65
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65• Pianist 136
 FOR THE TE ACHER

PIANO TEACHER HELP DESK

AM u lt i- S e n s o r y P ia n o P a rty
Kathryn Page explains how the feel of a velvet scarf and the smell of a candle can do
wonders for your students’ playing

H
ow many of us use multi- of pure lemon juice. The sharp tangy
sensory stimuli in our bitterness comes as a shock to the palette –
teaching? Though a multi- rather like a Beethovenian outburst of dry
sensory approach has helped roughness after smoother sounds. Think
many SPLD students in academic subjects of the opening of the slow movement of
for some time now, it can be equally the Sonata in G Op 14 No 2, or the brittle
supportive, indeed inspirational, when percussiveness of Bartók or Ligeti. Bartók’s
used in piano lessons in a more general From the diary of a Fly shows that lemon
sense. Pupils of every age and level can association need not be the exclusive
be inspired by touching, seeing, smelling, preserve of loud dynamics.
and playing with objects, images, food, Light a lavender candle and play
aromas, and extra-piano sounds. Bach’s pastoral E major Prelude from
The next time you have a class concert Book One of the Well-Tempered Clavier.
or party for your students, why not Discuss how both Bach’s simple line Kathryn Page has appeared in concert and on
consider laying out a ‘platter of plenty’ and the candle’s distinctive smell evoke television as a soloist and in chamber music.
which could include contrasted delicious a sense of innocence, of a fresh summer She is a teacher, adjudicator and administrator
items for consideration as well as country walk. for Chetham’s International Summer School
consumption. You could light scented and Festival for Pianists. Her interest in
contemporary music has led to many world
candles. Find appropriate paintings for Chocolate cake and fluffy carpets
premieres including works by Gary Carpenter,
display. Above all play musical games: Ask Find pictures of landscapes, still life Alisdair Nicholson and Django Bates. She lives
pupils to suggest a pianistic sound or a and portraits. Find abstract drawings. in Cheshire and has five children.
piece that would complement a particular When we gaze at a painting we are not
object, taste, smell, image, or non- concerned with the brush strokes- we are
pianistic sound that you allow everyone in moving into the picture’s world. Relate Liszt’s Un sospiro and Chopin’s ‘Aeolian
the room to experience. sounds and actual compositions to images harp’ Etude Op 25 No 1.
When your pupils arrive at the party, on display. Ask everyone to take their shoes and
dish out food, and show how everything Serve up chocolate. The heaviest black socks off and feel as well as appreciate in
you eat has the potential to be ‘musical’! forest gateau reminds us of the rich their bare feet the contrasting textures of a
thick carpet, parquet flooring and finally
vinyl in turn. Take out both a silk and
‘Let your pupils drink sparkling water whilst a velvet scarf and celebrate the different
sensations as you wear first one then
you play some jeu perlé runs from Mozart’ the other. Press into a velvet jacket and
note how your fingers temporarily leave
an imprint/indentation. This can help
Can you relate lemon soufflé to the resonance and thickly enriching textures so much when playing passages in the
delicate right-hand runs in Chopin’s B flat and melodic lines in Brahms. Putting a Romantic repertoire where sensitivity and
minor Nocturne Op 9 No 1? Get your small segment of dark chocolate on our awareness of how our fingers can stroke
students to climb to the top of the house tongue and refusing to chew it equates to the keys counts for so much.
ladder. Allow them to drop a feather a seamless romantic melodic line full of All of these examples and ideas are
down from the top rung, observing its sweetness. there to inspire. We want to raise the
slow descent. Let them drink sparkling water whilst creative awareness of all our pupils,
Encourage more and more associations you play some jeu perlé runs from taking them into a world of sensory
with music and style. Does the gentle Mozart. Ask pupils to slowly pour out pleasure. We want to guide them in a
descent of the feather equate to Liszt’s milk into a bowl from a safe height. The creative direction via association through
Feux Follets or the filigree variations gorgeous sound of the milk as it makes their piano studies. We want to let
© Erica Worth

towards the end of Chopin’s Berceuse? contact with the bowl could inspire more music lift them away from the mundane
Dare your pupils to drink a spoonful evenness and care in the arpeggios of towards flow and peak experience. n

67• Pianist 136

E D U C AT I O N

Giving a piece of music a certain grade is a tortuous task, says Matthew Mills, who explains the
complexities of what makes for a difficult (or easy) score

hortly after Pianist issue 134 landed on doormats hardest piece you can play?’ I would always reply ‘Mozart K
across the globe, social media user Tea-Time-Gossip 545’, and would invariably get one of two facial expressions in
asked us why we had assigned Dora Pejačević’s response: ‘Huh?’, or ‘I know, right?!’
Remembrance, in A flat major, as an ‘intermediate’- I wasn’t just making a point about the fatuousness of the
level work, while Daquin’s Le Coucou, in E minor, was question. There is a special terror in playing something so
considered ‘intermediate/advanced’. (Frankly, I wish all gossip well known, and so texturally spare that any slight blemish
was so cultured, at teatime or any time!) The answer we gave will immediately be apparent. As Schnabel famously said, ‘the
then was limited to what social media allows. What follows is a sonatas of Mozart are unique; they are too easy for children,
more in-depth consideration of ‘difficulty’, and what that means and too difficult for artists’ and I, for one, ain’t gonna argue
for us pianists. with Schnabel!
It is, of course, vital for us to progress as pianists and
‘There is no such thing as a difficult piece. A musicians to tackle works that challenge us now and then.
piece is either impossible, or it is easy.’ Striving to overcome new difficulties forces us to grow
musically and technically. (Mark Tanner recently offered a
Photo © AdobeStock/Who is Danny

Louis Kentner useful counterpoint to the idea that we must always challenge
ourselves in issue 133.) In order not to bite off more than we
As a student, I often found myself stuck in waiting rooms full can chew, though, we must refine Kentner’s easy/impossible
of other aspiring pianists, and for some reason – maybe sizing dichotomy and ‘grade’ pieces according to their ‘difficulty’.
up the competition – many would gleefully ask: ‘So, what’s the Exam boards do this every time they publish a new ‘set works’

68• Pianist 136

list for their syllabuses. The process of assigning particular works
to particular grades is a complex, nebulous back-and-forth
between syllabus directors and examiners, and even then, they
don’t always get it right. Often music publishers or retailers
have their own broader categories to help customers make a
suitable purchase. Within each of these groups, though, there
often seems to be a wide range of works which at first glance
encompass varying degrees of technical or musical challenge.

Beneath the surface

Key, as Tea-Time-Gossip suggested, is indeed a factor in
difficulty, but one which I think is actually part of a more
general problem. Reading music and playing music are different
processes but, in most cases, are taught in tandem. Tutor books
generally focus on teaching rudimentary notation through
playing; mechanics are rarely mentioned, and only enough
notation is explained to be able to play the pieces contained
within the tutor books themselves. Once the student has at the required tempo. The rest of us have to learn it, because
graduated from method books, they might follow a graded it just goes by too fast to read. Rachmaninov writes generously
theory course, exam-based or otherwise, or their teacher might for two hands each possessing just five digits. Given his own
explain notational concepts as the need arises. The result is that superhumanly large span, it’s actually rather pragmatic and –
most students can play music they can barely read, or to put it speaking as someone who struggles to reach more than a ninth
another way, most students’ repertoire is limited by their literacy – very playable by regular-Joe hands. Working out what to play,
as much as it is by their technical capacity. As a result, some however, can be quite a time-consuming process.
pieces can look harder than they actually are and, conversely,
some can appear deceptively straightforward.
The length of a piece is a good example. Many young
students are initially put off something longer – ‘What?! Three
‘The process of assigning
pages?!’ – but a single-page piece can sometimes contain much particular works to particular
more challenging, and less repetitive, material. Schubert, for
example, thinks in quite large musical units, which usually grades is a complex, nebulous
means you’re often repeating entire paragraphs, possibly in
different keys, rather than playing completely new material.
back-and-forth between
While performing a longer piece might require more sustained
concentration, that concentration isn’t always so intense as in a
syllabus directors and
shorter, trickier work. examiners, and even then,
Never one to shy away from bold statements, I shall hereby
declare: Rachmaninov is harder to read than it is to play. Please, they don’t always get it right’
hear me out. Like many accomplished pianist-composers, little
Sergei Vasilyevich loved notes. He loved to play lots of them, Returning to the subject of key, another fairly decent pianist-
and so he wrote lots and lots of them: big chords, wide arpeggios, composer, Frédéric Chopin, started his students off with a scale
complex textures with lots of interweaving contrapuntal lines, of B major. He understood that that pattern is the one best
decorative figuration. It’s great to play, but only the very best suited to the shape of the hand. This ‘ergonomic’ approach,
sight-readers have even the slightest hope of digesting all of it ‘black-note’ keys being hand-friendlier than ‘white-note’
keys, is one of the reasons Romantic music often has ‘bigger’
key signatures. Many, if not most, of the works of pianist-
composers began life in improvisation, so tend to feature ideas
that lie quite naturally under the hand. Classical keyboard
style, on the other hand, often emulates orchestral or chamber
music textures, and the keys used reflect the dominance in this
period of stringed instruments, whose open string tunings most
naturally fit keys of up to three or four sharps, and are generally
happier with sharp keys than with flat ones. Baroque style
is entirely focused on the musical idea: instrumentation was
almost always flexible, so composers had little or no concern
for the music’s technical demands.

To each their own

The graded exam system’s introduction of scales with the fewest
black keys first reflects teaching’s notational bias. While C major
is the easiest key to read, as it doesn’t require you to remember
and make any adjustments to the notes immediately in front
▲

69• Pianist 136

E D U C AT I O N
of you, it is one of the least comfortable scales for the hand.
Notational simplicity trumps pianistic ease. Imagine printing
Schubert’s famous Impromptu Op 90 No 3 – in G flat major –
without a key signature, but using accidentals wherever they’re
required. Would it be easier to play? No! Would it be harder
to read? Yes! In fact, Tobias Haslinger, who first published the
Impromptus, had it transposed into G major, and doubled the
number of bar lines (it is in 4/2 time, but he printed it as if it
were in 2/2), believing that Schubert’s original key and barring
would deter potential customers. Anyone who has played this
version will confirm that it is, in fact, much harder to render
effectively than Schubert’s original.
Music in a Romantic style is inherently more ‘pianistic’
than that in Baroque or Classical styles. This is not a criticism,
of course; after all, we can’t blame Baroque or Classical
composers for not writing so idiomatically for an instrument
that hadn’t yet evolved! This isn’t just about black-key key A more active left-hand accompaniment means that overall the
signatures. The use of the pedal, for instance, is a given in piece requires more developed coordination between the hands.
Romantic music, while one can debate the extent to which it Despite being longer, however, Latour repeats more material
is acceptable to pedal Baroque and Classical keyboard music. than Le Couppey: bars 5-7 repeat bars 1-3; bars 9-11 and 13-15
The archetypal piano sonority relies on the sustaining pedal are identical; bars 17-23 are a literal repeat of bars 1-7, extended
to create a depth and richness of sound that can’t be achieved into a Codetta. While not unmanageable for a beginner, it will
with the fingers alone. need more work than Le Couppey, while an intermediate player
Obviously, once we have come to terms with the appearance should be well equipped to tackle it.
of the score, there remains a number of musical devices and Also in C major, Beethoven’s Bagatelle WoO 56 could almost
techniques that, when used alone or in various combinations, be a sketch for a string quartet – a minuet or scherzo, perhaps?
can demand more of us physically and/or mentally: octaves, Both hands have to negotiate two independent voices, so the
double-notes, trills, passagework, wide leaps and stretches, and coordination required exceeds that of both Le Couppey and
big chords. Of course, at a faster tempo, each of these things Latour. The Trio section needs good fluent passagework in
becomes even more demanding. Etudes aside, though, very few the left hand, clean chords, and secure octave jumps in both
pieces deploy these devices consistently throughout. A relatively hands. Using a good range of the instrument (in fact, the full
straightforward piece can contain just one or two exceptionally five-octave compass of the piano of Beethoven’s time), this
difficult bars. piece should be playful and humorous, so all of the awkward
This is why categories of difficulty can be so controversial, corners need to be dispatched with aplomb – great fun for
because every pianist has their own view on what is or isn’t an intermediate pianist with good fingers and a comfortable
challenging. Everybody is different: some hands are narrower, octave reach!
some broader; fingers are longer or shorter, of relatively even At first glance, Bortkiewicz’s ravishing Consolation is from
length or more pronouncedly ‘long’ and ‘short’, and so on. a different world – and of course, musically speaking, it is.
(Personally, I have a bit of a thing for double notes; on the other It demonstrates my point about the ‘pianism’ of Romantic
hand, tremolandi fill me with horror.) Pianists with larger hands music: its lush chordal textures depend on good pedalling, and
often find the dexterity required of a Bach suite or a Haydn a sensitive ear is required to bring the wide tonal range to life.
sonata more difficult to achieve than the big chordal writing It also exemplifies the difference between reading and playing:
of early Brahms, for instance. On the other hand, those whose there are plenty of unexpected harmonic twists and turns here,
hands are constantly ‘at full stretch’ might find it more tiring to and despite the two-sharp key signature, the music strays well
play Schumann, for example, who rarely wrote one note when beyond D major. Once you’ve taken the time to come to terms
three would suffice! with the notes, though, and provided you have a comfortable
octave, supple wrists and a good sense of line will see you
A glance inside this issue safely through.
Le Couppey’s Air tendre, from his method book ABC du Also in D major, and a mere 47 bars in length, Lyapunov’s
piano, is in two voices throughout, but for the closing chords. Ramage des enfants might appear much simpler than the
The left-hand broken chord accompaniment requires a few Bortkiewicz. But it’s fast, needs a good staccato touch, and there
position-shifts, but nothing outside the reach of the hand. The are lots of canonic passages which require attentive voicing to
right-hand melody does change hand-shape, but requires only make the ‘children’s chatter’ of the title really vivid and lively.
slight expansion and contraction of the hand to achieve this. Just these few examples show how tough it can be to make
The rhythm is steady and regular. With no key signature and a definitive pronouncement on how easy or difficult a piece is.
few accidentals to contend with, this is well within the reach of It depends on so many different technical and musical factors,
a beginner. and every pianist will relate differently to the challenges that
Let’s compare this to the Sonatina by Le Couppey’s fellow each piece presents. Regardless of whatever ‘level’ of ability or
countryman, Théodore Latour. He certainly turns up the heat, ambition you may be, if you approach every new piece with
with almost non-stop quaver motion in the right hand, which open eyes, an open mind, and an open heart, even if you can’t
features full octave scales and much more intricate patterns. master it perfectly right now, it will enrich you. ■

70• Pianist 136

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71• Pianist 136

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Op 109 K466 D899

WoO 52 L118 Op 90

COMPOSERS AND
CATALOGUE NUMBERS:
AN APPRECIATION
Why do the catalogue numbers of pieces we learn matter? And why do the types vary?
What is an Opus number – and what does BWV stand for? Colin Clarke reveals all

B
ut first, why ‘an appreciation’? number? Or, what happens if the same are loads of opus numbers, way past
Possibly for the hard work opus number is assigned to different 100 (think of the late piano sonatas or
that goes into this aspect of works (it happens, especially with quartets). But then there are those pesky
musicology by the compilers Dvořák: for example, his Op 12 was at ‘WoO’ numbers. This stands for ‘Werk
and editors; possibly for the various times the 1871 opera King and ohne Opuszahl’ – a magnificent Latin/
catalogues’ usefulness; maybe even for
the aesthetic beauty of their systematic
and diverse approaches (this last one is
a bit niche, admittedly – but some will ‘Scarlatti is a minefield: in addition to K and
surely have historical musicologists in
paroxysms of joy for their sheer rigour!). L, you might also find P and Cz numbers.
Let’s start with the most obvious way of
labelling works.
We need a catalogue – there are a lot of
‘Opus’ literally means ‘Work’ (think
the phrase ‘magnum opus’) but it has
Scarlatti sonatas in G major!’
come to mean that a particular piece
was published. And if it was published
after the relevant composer’s death, it Charcoal Burner, the Concert Overture German amalgam which means ‘Work
can take on the designation ‘Op. posth’ in F – with themes from that opera without Opus number’. Designations
(posthumous work, in other words – – and the String Quartet in A minor. are rarely glamorous in this line of
although that does rather sound like Musicologists come to the rescue, work... and beware, Beethovenian WoO’s
the composer wrote it after their own that’s what. sometimes appear as Kinsky-Halm
death). ‘Opus’ is what we are all familiar numbers, after the compliers of the WoO
with, however, what happens if we have The whys and the WoOs numbers, Georg Kinsky and Hans Halm
a manuscript but no assigned opus Beethoven is a good example. There (their catalogue was published in 1955).

72• Pianist 136

You’ll find WoO in other composers’
works, too: Schumann, for example, CATALOGUERS WITH A STORY
and, for Beethoven, you may well also
find ‘Hess’ numbers (the Swiss composer MOZART: The Austrian Ludwig Alois Friedrich Ritter von Köchel (1800-77)
and musicologist Willy Hess, who tried was not only a musicologist, but a composer in his own right, a publisher and –
to tidy up the stragglers in Beethoven’s wait for it – a botanist (he was in good company – so was Goethe!). His scholarly
output) and ‘Bla’ numbers – rare, but achievement in providing the first catalogue of scope for Mozart cannot be
from Blamonti’s catalogue (Giovanni underestimated.
Blamonti was a musicologist whose
reconciliation of the various catalogues HAYDN: Anthony von Hoboken (1887-1983) was similarly a polymath: a
was published in Turin, in 1968). An musical collector and bibliographer, as well as musicologist. Born in Rotterdam,
example might be the Andante in C, Holland, he trained in engineering before studying music at Frankfurt. When he
which appeared initially as Blamonti moved to Munich in 1917, he built his own villa (thanks to family money). He
52 and which appears in the WoO later studied music with Heinrich Schenker (1868-1935), arguably the greatest of
numbering as 211. all musicologists whose theory of tonal music changed analytical thought forever.
Also, there are 32 Piano Sonatas with
opus numbers by Beethoven. But are SCHUBERT: Otto Erich Deutsch (1883-1967) studied art history and literature,
there 32 Sonatas, or 35? Some pianists specialising in the so-called Biedermeier period (of which Schubert is a part).
include the three so-called ‘Kurfürsten’ Another friend of Schenker’s and a librarian in the Hoboken archives, he left his
Sonatas, probably written by a 12-year- native Austria after the Anschluss, living in Cambridge until 1951 (after which he
old Ludwig, and allocated WoO 47 (they returned, safely, to Vienna).
are really worthwhile listening, especially
the F minor). JS BACH: Wolfgang Schmieder (1901-1990) was born in Bromberg (now
Bydgoszcz in Poland). He was Special Advisor for Music for the City and University
The long and short of it Library at Goethe University, Frankfurt for over two decades; his work on Bach is a
Bach’s works (Johann Sebastian, that monumental achievement.
is) are accorded ‘BWV’ numbers – the
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis. ‘Verzeichnis’ SCARLATTI: Of all the cataloguers, Ralph Kirkpatrick (1911-84) is the one who
simply means ‘catalogue’; hence, you achieved most fame as a performer. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, and
will occasionally see ‘KV’ instead of also with harpsichordist Wanda Landowska; Kirkpatrick taught at Yale from 1940-
‘K’ for Mozart, ‘K’ standing for the 76. His recordings on harpsichord remain significant documents, from Scarlatti to
surname of Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Elliott Carter (just head over to YouTube); he also recorded Bach’s Well-Tempered
and occasionally ‘KV’ for ‘Köchel- Clavier on both harpsichord and clavichord!
Verzeichnis’, or ‘Köchel catalogue’.
The designation one sometimes sees, DEBUSSY: François Lesure (1923-2001) was a French librarian and musicologist
‘K. Anh.’, incidentally, refers to works who served as Professor of Musicology at the University of Brussels from 1964 to
in the appendix (Anhang) of the 1977; he also organised exhibitions at the Bibliothèque nationale and at the Opéra
catalogue, which take in lost works, de Paris.
fragments, works by Mozart transcribed
by others, doubtful works and finally
misattributed works. The Bach catalogue was first edited are BuxWV numbers: Buxtehude) in
by Wolfgang Schmieder (1901- comparison with Telemann, who not
90, librarian and musicologist) and only wrote a vast swathe of keyboard
published in 1950, grouping pieces by music (therefore easily transferrable to
genre (if not necessarily date); so BWV piano) but who wrote shiploads in just
1-224 are all cantatas; keyboard works about every other genre too. So, genre,
(including concertos) are BWV 772- then key, is the way to read them: TWV
994. Another famous example of this 33 (the 33rd ‘volume’ – also known
is Handel, known often by his ‘HWV’ as ‘genre numberings’) is ‘Fantasies,
(Handel-Werke-Verzeichnis) numbers, sonatas and concertos for keyboard
organised thematically. But a lot of (harpsichord)’, and then the number
Handel was published in his lifetime, thereafter. But when there are several
so there are opus numbers around as pieces in a TWV volume in the same key,
alternatives – think of the famous Op a number is added as a suffix as well to

BWV
4, which comprises his fabulous Organ indicate their order within the collection.
Concertos. A lesser-known example For clarity, think of the Trio Sonata D

533
might be the Lichtenstein composer minor TWV 42:d7, which is the seventh
Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901), in the Trio Sonata in the list in D minor in
fairly unlikely event you come across the 42nd volume (Trio Sonatas). An
‘RWV’ numbers – nothing to do with instance similar to this, of course, is the
Ralph Vaughan Williams! Hoboken catalogue for Haydn’s works
BWV numbers are relatively easy (as (Hob.XVI – the 16th volume – is the
▲

73• Pianist 136

E D U C AT I O N
Piano Sonatas, for instance). ‘Hoboken’ ‘Cz’ (the prolific Carl Czerny) numbers.
refers to Anthony van Hoboken (1887- We need a catalogue – there are a lot of
1983), the musicologist who took on Scarlatti sonatas in G major!
the daunting task of cataloguing Haydn’s CPE Bach, one of Bach’s (many, many)
complete output. children, is another one split between
two catalogues: ‘H’ (E Eugene Helm,
More to decipher an American musicologist born 1928
For Domenico Scarlatti (we should use who was the co-ordinating editor of the
his first name, given the importance CPE Bach Edition) and ‘Wq’ (Alfred
of his father, Alessandro Scarlatti), the Wotquenne, great name).
Sonatas, and there are 555 of them, Schubert had 173 opus numbers,
are listed with different catalogue but the Deutsch catalogue is the one
numbers, but it gets complicated because in current use (those ‘D’ numbers:
there are two principal non-aligned Otto Erich Deutsch, 1883-1967, a
catalogues, Kirkpatrick (compiled by musicologist who actually worked for
the harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick,
1911-84) and Longo (Alessandro Longo,
1864-1945, a concert pianist who
a period in the Hoboken archives –
remember Haydn?). Occasionally, you
see opus and Deutsch numbers as equals H o b . X V I : 5 2
also founded a number of Neapolitan (Impromptus, for example, when Op 90
musical institutions). When I worked and D 899 – a set of four – achieve equal
as a discographer for one particular billing) but mostly the D number rules. between ‘BV’ – Busoni-Verzeichnis – and
‘BV B’ – Busoni-Verzeichnis Bearbeitung,
used for arrangements (his works are
also known as another ‘K’, William
‘With Schubert, occasionally you see Kinderman, a famous American
musicologist and performer born in
Opus and Deutsch numbers as equals 1952), but also Debussy (François
Lesure, created in 1977), potentially in
(Impromptus, for example, when Op 90 Dvořák (another composer with four
options apart from Op), Franck (‘FWV’
and D 899 – a set of four – achieve equal – that’s why there’s a FuxWV for, well,
billing) but mostly the D number rules’ Fux), and Granados (interesting as
most of the abbreviation is one of that
composer’s most foremost interpreters:
‘DLR’, nothing to do with London rail,
organisation, we had tables to help us This becomes useful for a lot of smaller is from Alicia de Larrocha and Douglas
find equivalences – it’s a minefield, and pieces (Schubert liked German Dances, Riva).
in addition to ‘K’ and ‘L’, you might and so, generally, do pianists). Then there’s Liszt (‘S’ numbers, for
also find ‘P’ (Giorgio Pestelli, born 1938 Chopin, too, every pianist’s friend, Humphrey Searle, 1915-82, also an
who published an edition in 1967) and outside of his opus numbers, boasts established English composer – his
catalogues by Maurice J.E. Brown (‘B’ music is well worth seeking out, and
numbers; he published Chopin: An Index there are fine recordings on the German
of his Works in Chronological Order in CPO label), Mendelssohn (‘MWV’
1972 and was also a noted authority on outside of opus numbers), Saint-Saëns
Schubert), Krystyna Kobylańska (‘KK’ (Sabina Teller Ratner’s catalogue, or ‘R’
numbers; her Thematisch-Bibliographisches numbers, published by OUP and the first
Wekverzeichnis was published by Henle comprehensive Saint-Saëns catalogue),
in 1979 – Kobylańska, 1925-2009, was Sorabji (I feel sorry for whoever did
a Polish musicologist who also curated that one: Paul Rapoport, who taught at
the Chopin Society Museum in Warsaw), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada,
and Józef Michal Chomiński (numbers and his ‘KSS’ numbers) and Weber (‘J’
‘A’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘P’, ‘S’; a Polish numbers; Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns,

KKIVb/8
musicologist, 1908-1994, of Ukrainian 1809-99, was a successful vocal teacher,
origin whose scholarly output covers allegedly teaching some 1000 pupils).

Op 28
music from the Middle Ages to then- And many more, no doubt.
contemporary), and ‘WN’ (the Polish I do hope this has been useful, and

WN63
National Edition). the odd peppering of mild humour has

o sth
helped in the navigation of this vast

B1 5 0 O p. P And let’s not forget

Pianists of course, will be interested
subject. Perhaps take this article as a
starting point for your own investigations;
in Busoni where there is a distinction there’s plenty more out there. n

74• Pianist 136

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75• Pianist 136

A D V E RT O R I A L

The fascinating soundworld of

KAROL SZYMANOWSKI
Danuta Gwizdalanka takes us on a journey through the Polish composer’s
piano works and explains what makes his four cycles so unique

T
he name of Karol Szymanowski is most often which Robert Schumann hailed the appearance of a youthful
associated with King Roger, frequently regarded in composition by Chopin’. Thus was Szymanowski anointed the
recent years as an almost flagship ‘gay opera’, and ‘first since Chopin’ in Poland, and he has retained that position
also with Mythes – a fixture in the violin repertoire to this day.
for almost a hundred years. Yet an important place There is also no lack of emotions in the two cycles written
in his oeuvre is also held by music for piano, an instrument he a dozen years later, though there they are an addition to the
played himself. Szymanowski apparently wrote the earliest of programme. In composing Métopes and Masques, in 1915
his published Preludes (Op 1 Nos 7 and 8) at the age of 14. and 1916, Szymanowski illustrated or suggested pictures,
Also for piano are his last works, two Mazurkas composed four situations and characters in sound. That stimulated his musical
decades later. Particularly striking on that long imagination, and at the same time it opened up
and fascinatingly tortuous creative road are new horizons for pianism. Constrained by
four cycles. They stand out for their nothing other than his own flights of
varied expression, ranging from fancy, he ‘related’ in music episodes
ecstasy to lyricism, and also familiar from literature. Without
their broad palette of tone breaking with the pianistic
colours and – less typically tradition, he approached it
for music of those times – in a highly original way,
sound effects. treating the piano like an
Szymanowski was orchestra.
fortunate in that he
could already count at Tribute to Homer
an early stage on two He called them
virtuosos to perform ‘Odyssean pieces’,
his piano music inscribed explanatory
besides himself. The passages from The
first admirer was Odyssey in the music,
his cousin Harry and explained to
Neuhaus (whose Jachimecki: ‘One
enthusiasm spread cannot listen to this
later to students of music or analyse it
Moscow Conservatory, in isolation from the
including Sviatoslav programmes, but with
Richter). The composer them – not through
found another devoted them’. What should be
performer and friend in related when playing this
Arthur Rubinstein, when the music is suggested by the titles,
18-year-old pianist was seduced and the details are explained by
by the Preludes. They were perfectly Homer’s epic poem. The programme
attuned to the ecstatic atmosphere of of ‘L’île des Sirènes’ consists of words
late romanticism. As in his poems from from The Odyssey: ‘The Sirens, seeing the
that time, Szymanowski expressed in them his ship, intoned this song: “Come closer, Odysseus of
moods and feelings. When he decided to publish these ‘musical Ithaca! / Approach the shore! Listen to our wondrous song!”’.
confessions’, he chose nine pieces. So the piano’s cantabile should imitate the Sirens’ song and
‘Prae-ludus’ means ‘before the game’. In Szymanowski’s case, then – as the term lontano indicates – show the listener how
the term may be treated symbolically, as these works proved to Odysseus and his companions manage to sail away from the
be a ‘prelude’ to his life as a composer. He owed to them his island inhabited by the seductive Sirens. The piano paints a
Photo © PWM Edition Archive

earliest success, in the form of a prize in a competition held in picture of the Mediterranean Sea, and the waves form naturally
Warsaw in 1903, and when the first book about Szymanowski beneath the pianist’s fingers. ‘Calypso’, is the tale of Odysseus’
was published, in 1927, its author, Zdzisław Jachimecki, enslavement by a nymph who has fallen in love with him.
wrote about the Preludes: ‘After the first, joyful impression Intricate harmonies combine with a free rhythm. A lullaby is
on encountering these works, I was reminded of the cry with easily heard in this music, and its presence might be justified

76• Pianist 136

by a relevant line from Homer. The same applies to the siciliana of his earlier works. Unlike the ecstatic and melancholy
rhythm in ‘Nausicaa’. A reading of The Odyssey will help the Preludes, they are restrained, although not devoid of
performer understand how Szymanowski relates in music how differentiated expression. While Masques and Métopes constitute
the daughter of the Phaeacian king saved Odysseus, brought a challenge for the virtuoso, the Mazurkas can be played by
him to her father’s court and, of course, also became smitten by pianists of more modest ability. That is because Szymanowski
him. In vain – like Calypso before her. wrote them for himself, at a time when, having lost the income
Szymanowski gave his ‘Odyssean pieces’ the title Poèmes from the family estate in Ukraine, he was forced to work with
antiques. After a while, however, he altered it, clearly not his own hands – literally speaking, performing as a pianist. So
wishing to arouse associations with Debussy or Ravel. Heeding in 1924, with his limited technical abilities in mind, he wrote
the advice of his friend Stefan Spiess, with whom he had visited for himself ‘easy and functional’ miniatures ‘to add variety to
Sicily a few years earlier, he called them Métopes (and that title the programmes of my “recitals”’, as he confessed in letters to
still leads commentators astray today, just as the ill winds blew his friends.
Odysseus’ ship off its course back to Ithaca).
In Masques, too, the titles suggest whom the music is
‘telling’ us about. Hence, when playing the opening piece,
it is good to remember that it is relating successive tales told ‘While Masques and Métopes
by Sheherazade. Knowing that the Tantris of Ernst Hardt’s
play limps, we understand the intention behind the peculiar constitute a challenge for the
rhythm. Familiarity with Tristan’s fortunes also allows us to
suitably render the passage where a barking dog recognises its
virtuoso, the Mazurkas can be
erstwhile owner. played by pianists of more
Pianists ought to be warned that Masques, in particular,
represents a veritable challenge: while it does possess seductive modest ability’
power, it is not easy to perform. Szymanowski was a well-built
man with large hands. His fondness of orchestral music –
colourful, dense and complex – meant that he readily created After the First World War, when the map of Central Europe
similar constructs for the piano. He superimposed figurations altered, the situation favoured ‘national art’ that combined
– trills, tremolandos, even glissandos – onto one another, and the European tradition with local, folk traditions. From 1923,
also employed expansive, dense chords, the notation of which Szymanowski often stayed in Zakopane, at the foot of the
required three systems. However, forbidding this might look picturesque Tatras. The music of that region differed distinctly
on the page, the pianist may well imagine the pleasure the from the songs and dances of lowland regions of Poland. So
composer gained from bringing it to life with his own hands one would like to say that Szymanowski thus encountered
– virtually unconstrained, in the quiet of his compositional homespun exoticism. At the same time, however, albeit
study, at his own pace, no doubt savouring every chord, every probably unaware of the fact, he came across repertoire related
harmony. Szymanowski’s compositional imagination clearly to that which he had listened to as a child on the other side of
outstripped his pianistic abilities, but when Universal Edition the Carpathian Mountains, be it only from his Ukrainian wet
published Masques, in 1919, it soon found performers tempted nurse and those around her on the family’s Tymoszówka estate.
both by the qualities of the music and by the challenge that it As a result, intrigued by highland music, he combined it with
posed. Masques became one of the Szymanowski works most the tradition of mazurkas from central Poland, widely associated
frequently performed, and subsequently also recorded – in with Chopin, and in 1924 and 1925 he wrote 20 Podhale
recent years by Piotr Anderszewski and Krystian Zimerman, mazurkas. These miniatures are lyrical, lively dance pieces, at
among others. times almost coarse, and at the same time distinctly ‘ethnic’. In
1933 and 1934 he wrote two more mazurkas. With this quasi-
Polish dances both elegant and lyrical Chopinian accent, he brought his output for piano to a close. ■
The last chapter in Szymanowski’s output for piano consists of
the Mazurkas. In some respects, they represent a contradiction Further information can be found at www.soundsofpoland.com

77• Pianist 136

MAKERS
Entrance to Amsterdam’s Pulitzer Hotel

PIANO PURGATORY…
OR PIANO HEAVEN?
Is your old Joanna ready for the junk yard? Are your ivories all tinkled out? It’s sad, of course,
but it still might not mean curtains for your keyboard quite yet. Warwick Thompson
investigates the surprising afterlife of pianos
y partner and I needed was by the chandeliers and putti, I hadn’t untuneable old beast, with loose dampers,
to be in Budapest even clocked. What a delightful surprise wobbly keys, and general mechanical
recently, so we quickly when we arrived: a Bösendorfer, with a decrepitude. When I WhatsApped a few
hunkered down to case of inlaid mother-of-pearl to match bars of my jangly waltz to a friend, she
some prospective the general visual opulence. Result! remarked that it reminded her of one
Airbnb-ing. Pretty soon an apartment The apartment has a view of the of those comedy sound effects from The
appeared on screen that made my eyes Danube (or Duna, to give it its proper Goon Show. (She’s a retro kinda gal.)
pop out on stalks. Think ‘Versailles’ meets name while flowing through Hungary) No matter. We had a fabulous time in
‘Vanderbilt’ – gilded mirrors, ormolu so naturally the first tune on it had the flat, which I can heartily recommend.
everywhere, cherubs à gogo – and you’ll to be that waltz of Johann Strauss the (Search Airbnb for ‘Ultimate Panorama
get the idea. We couldn’t resist. There was Younger. Alas and alack, the sound wasn’t Central Luxury’ if you’re curious.) But
even a grand piano, which, bedazzled as I quite as opulent as the case. It was a sad it got me thinking: the piano was such a

78• Pianist 136

beautiful object that it was really only a
minor disappointment to discover that it
was just a gorgeous piece of furniture and
not an instrument. Better to be glad for
what it was – a feast for the eyes – than
what it was not.
At around the same time that I
was mulling this over, I came across a
couple of articles by journalist Cosmo
Landesman, recalling his wildly
bohemian sixties childhood in Islington,
London. His American parents (father
Jay, a publisher and nightclub owner,
mother Fran, poet and lyricist) were free-
loving artsy types. He recalled coming
home from school one day in October
1966, to find a semi-naked man on the
stairs, taking an axe to their lovely grand
piano and hacking it to bits. A small One quirky Bösendorfer in Budapest
crowd stood and watched. His father
reassured him that there was nothing to Television had arrived. The piano in has a few examples, and there are a few
worry about. It was Art. the front parlour became suddenly more from Churton Park Pianos based in
The hatchet-wielder was the American redundant. And there was little Wellington, New Zealand.
maverick Raphael Montañez Ortiz, who or no demand for second-hand But is it always worth it? Perhaps if a
has since become notorious for smashing pianos. So all over the country favourite instrument has vital sentimental
up pianos; the event was loosely related to at school fêtes and country fairs, value, then yes. But if not, then the
an earlier Destruction in Art Symposium an orgy of piano smashing broke slightly tinkly results – and the cost – of
(DIAS) held in London. The piano was out. On village greens, teams of restoration suggest that it’s probably better
the one upon which Cosmo’s mother had men with sledge-hammers, axes, to buy a newer piano than give a few
written her hit song ‘Spring Can Really hacksaws and crowbars attacked more years of playing life to an old one.
Hang You Up the Most’, and Ortiz had upright pianos and reduced them
demanded that it was tuned before he to debris that had to pass through a Going in for the kill
destroyed it. The surviving bits – twisted hoop about two inches in diameter, In which case, what are the other options
metal harp, bits of wood, flopped strings to verify that the destruction was for your unhappy upright or your
– are now hanging in Tate Britain. whole-hearted and thorough…. far-gone grand? The first is simply to
Cosmo was going to throw it out when Now, years later, I think that it was scrap it. But even here, the results are
his parents died as no-one seemed to possibly a symbolic act, the ritual not quite what you might expect. An
want it, but a friend offered to try to sell destruction of repressive Victorian avuncular Australian YouTuber called
it to a gallery, and the Tate obliged. values…, of primness and piety in The Ultimate Recycler posted a video in
the parlour. 2021 (‘Scrapping a 100 year old piano’)
Destruction or resurrection? in which he examined the scrap value of
I found the whole tale horribly depressing. Interestingly, Cosmo Landesman notes an unplayable and unrestorable upright.
It was easy to imagine all the pianists who that the Tate curator’s description of his He strips it out, bit by bit, and at the
would have been overjoyed to have access parents’ piano states that the instrument end gives an estimate of what he thinks
to a good instrument in 1966, and there was a symbol of ‘Eurocentric oppression’ he can fetch for the decorative panelling,
were the groovy Landesmans chopping it for the man who destroyed it. ‘That’s not the brass pedals, the castor wheels, a jar
up instead. If being biffed to bits was the how Ortiz framed it in 1966,’ he writes. of rescued screws, and so on. He guesses
end for a perfectly playable piano, what ‘He was much more concerned with the total to be around $175 Australian
hope was there for the poor Hungarian aesthetics than with politics.’ dollars, and concludes that – for the
Bösendorfer? So far, so depressing. But further number of hours he had to put in, the
I decided to investigate. Was there a research was more hopeful. From a result was not worth the effort. For
more hopeful afterlife for pianos past playing point of view, rather than an a man whose life’s work is to prevent
their best? The early research wasn’t artistic one, I tried to find out if it was things from going to landfill, he feels the
encouraging, but threw some fascinating ever possible to repair a clapped-out disappointment of this quite keenly.
light on the matter. In his touching piano – even one which seemed too far Suddenly the idea of taking an old
online memoir, Still Life with Goanna, gone for rescue. And, sometimes, yes, was Joanna to the village green for some
the Melbourne-based bookseller Anthony the answer. There are some heartwarming competitive bashing doesn’t seem quite
Marshall recalls his English childhood videos on YouTube which show really as terrible as it did. At least you’d get
in the 1950s, and the extraordinary moribund uprights brought back to some exercise out of it – and maybe even
phenomenon of piano-smashing playable form: the channel of Missouri- some symbolic catharsis if you happen to
competitions: based tuner and restorer Ryan Hassell associate the piano with ‘Eurocentric
▲

79• Pianist 136

MAKERS
oppression’ or ‘patriarchal tyranny’ or A different way of flower arranging
even just ‘the evil Ms Bloggs, my Sadistic
First Piano Teacher.’ Give it a whack! Get
it out of your system!
But still I hoped there might be some
other options. And at last, after a bit
more digging, the future seemed a bit
brighter. There are some amazingly
creative ideas out there in the interweb
for repurposing non-functioning pianos.
One which particularly caught my eye
was for a kitchen island. The website
homejelly.com has some wonderful
pictures of a grand piano, reshaped
into an oblong, with a gas hob in the
middle, which is the work of home
DIYer Tom Harber. He writes that he
was first attracted to the item because of
its intricate legs (though doesn’t explain
how there came to be four of them: it
seems an unlikely number for a grand,
surely?). When asked if it still might
be possible to play the keys after the
conversion to cooker, he replies ‘No, I upright – turned into desks, shelves and With these experiments, and several
needed the space inside for the cooktop cocktail bars. The desk idea seems a bit others that you can find online (check
and gas and electrical connections. For of a non-starter, personally: the top will out the Wikipedia page ‘Piano Burning’)
some reason, in my mind, it would be always be a little too high, and on an we come closer to the art projects of
tacky if it still played.’ upright there’s not enough depth for Raphael Montañez Ortiz. After all, the
Personally, I can imagine nothing comfort. But using an old case to store pianos Kranz uses are as unplayable after
more fabulous than learning the your Cointreau and Noilly Prat seems his projects as Cosmo Landesman’s when
accompaniment to, say, Bernstein’s song- rather cute, and the pictures of shelving Ortiz had got his chopper on it. But I can’t
cycle La bonne cuisine on a cooker in an (usually made from eviscerated grand help feeling that Kranz and others like
actual kitchen, but that’s just me. pianos, turned on their sides, and hung him at least have an instinct for creative
The website twistedsifter.com has on a wall) look rather arresting. destruction, whereas Ortiz merely delights
an equally arresting image of an old There are still yet more uses. YouTuber in – erm – destructive destruction, however
Steinway stuffed with begonias and Mattias Kranz performs experiments on hard he now attempts to make his ideas
water pouring over the keys into a pool old (but functioning) pianos: and here we chime with current sensibilities. To me,
below (‘Old piano turned into outdoor enter more curious territory. The kitchen- it seems like brutality for its own sake.
fountain’). The maker Bill Metzgar island maker, the fountain creator, and But perhaps it’s a fine line. The question
assures the site host that termite damage the scrap-merchant are all very keen to ‘What is art?’ will never have a satisfactory
had rendered the instrument beyond emphasize that they used completely answer, I guess.
repair. As a gift for mothers’ day, he defunct instruments for their works. I’ve looked at a few jokey places where
sealed the case with fibreglass resin, Kranz makes alterations to workable pianos can go when they die. But there’s a
hooked up a pump, used some pvc to pianos. In one experiment he replaces serious side to this question too. Pianists,
distribute the water properly, and hey all the hammers with real hammers, and as we all know, can form an emotional
presto! A fountain. asks pianists to perform (what else?) the connection with a beloved instrument,
Lucky mum, say I, to have such a ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata. In another he and when the connection breaks it can be
creative son. wires up the strings to produce electrical devastating. Probably, in that particular
The Pulitzer Hotel in Amsterdam has sparks when notes are played: it’s actually case, turning your dear Bechstein into
found an equally whacky use for an old rather exciting. And in yet another, he a campy kitchen island might be too
grand piano. The exterior of the building, fills a grand with water (just think how painful to contemplate. Perhaps just
situated on the Keizersgracht canal, complicated that is, to stop water leaking hoping for a real afterlife might be better.
looks gorgeously 17th century, all gables over the keys, yet retain the mechanism) When in 2020 piano movers dropped
and old brick. But when you step in the to see if sound waves would appear on Angela Hewitt’s personal Fazioli, which
modernist entrance, you find a piano the liquid surface. They don’t. (Wouldn’t had been customized with an extra pedal,
suspended above your head (see main it have been wonderful if Debussy’s Reflets and which she had used for the majority
image). Funky, if a little unsettling. dans l’eau could have caused actual visual of her recordings, she was naturally
reflections on the water?) But he finds devastated. It proved to be beyond repair.
Happily ever after another use for his project when he puts ‘I hope my piano will be happy in piano
Elsewhere, you can find hundreds of on a pair of trunks and climbs into the heaven,’ she said. And I don’t think she
images of pianos – both grand and case for a quick splash at the end. Cute! was really joking. ■

80• Pianist 136

 REVIEW

ALBUM reviews
INON BARNATAN SIMON TRPČESKI
Reviews by Peter Quantrill
and Warwick Thompson

ANNE QUEFFÉLEC
Rachmaninoff Reflections: includes Moments Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 2 Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos 20 & 27
musicaux, Vocalise, Symphonic Dances WDR Sinfonieorchester/Măcelaru Paris Chamber Orchestra/Kuokman
Pentatone PTC 5187 113 Linn CKD732 Mirare MIR686
HHHH HHHH HHHHH
I was half-expecting After the rip-roaring It comes as a shock
to see a portrait of a success of their to realise how little
swivel-eyed lunatic recording of the Mozart Queffélec
on the front of Inon two Shostakovich has recorded over
Barnatan’s latest concertos, her long career: this
album. Who else, Macedonian pianist is her first concerto
after all, would take Simon Trpčeski album, after two solo
on the challenge and Romanian discs for Mirare. The
of transcribing and recording a solo piano conductor Cristian Măcelaru offer this meticulous voicing and tender shaping of
version of Rachmaninov’s mammoth equally engaging live account of Brahms’s her Satie and Ravel serve her unsurprisingly
Symphonic Dances? But the Israeli-American two works in the same genre (although with (but satisfyingly) well in Mozart. This is not
Barnatan actually looks very presentable, a different orchestra). Trpčeski and Măcelaru a K466 boiling over with repressed, Don
and his transcription is most impressive – if display an obvious musical bromance – the Giovanni-like violence. There is no shortage
not, perhaps, 100 percent successful. The interplay of orchestra and soloist is handled of tension or pathos in the moment, but
loss of percussive effect and range of colour with delightful generosity on both sides, everything is in proportion, including the
from the two-piano version (let alone the and the result is that this feels like the kind sleek contours of the accompaniment,
orchestral version) hampers things, even of properly symphonic, muscular account expertly steered by Lio Kuokman. The
if there are some wonderful moments: the that Brahms must surely have imagined recording brings out the steel to her
touching finale of the first movement sounds during composition. But there’s no sacrifice fingerwork, especially at the keyboard’s
particularly tender and engaging from a sole of delicacy from the pianist either, and both lower end, but it also captures the classically
performer. There are more solid delights from slow movements sound wonderfully dreamy rounded, ‘jeu perlé’ feel of her upper register:
an energetic and wonderfully varied account and poetic. (The solo cellist – uncredited, not an ugly note or blemish. Bavouzet’s K595
of the Moments musicaux: I particularly but probably Oren Shevlin – in the Andante (on Chandos) belongs to the same tradition,
loved the fieriness of the C major Maestoso, of the Second Concerto does a particularly more inquisitive where Queffélec is serene.
and the way Barnatan creates a contrasting heavenly job as well.) There are no surprises, Both of these ‘French Mozarts’ nevertheless
sound for the middle section without losing nothing radically new: but these big-souled share a quality of intense listening among all
momentum. WT performances stand up against the best. WT the musicians involved. PQ

MARTINA FREZZOTTI JAVIER PERIANES SHAI WOSNER

Beach: Variations on Balkan Themes, Granados: Goyescas, El pelele Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
Out of the Depths, etc. Harmonia mundi HMM902626 Onyx ONYX4241
Piano Classics PCL10277 HHHHH HHHH
HHHH As the pre-eminent Not for Wosner the
Here’s a recital to Spanish pianist of infinite jest and variety
challenge received our time, Perianes of articulation which
ideas of Amy Beach owed this to himself, Uchida finds even in
as a salon miniaturist. if not to us: a record Diabelli’s own modest
If a friend had played of his take on the waltz. The March goes
me Out of the Depths second (after Albeniz’s merrily on its way
Op 130, I would have Iberia) and even with neat echo effects,
guessed at Scriabin or more extravagantly challenging of the two a spring in its step and a spontaneity which
Liadov, for its brevity and rootless harmony. landmark Romantic-Spanish piano cycles. becomes a hallmark of Wosner’s approach to
Beach was 66 when she composed it in 1933, His El pelele (inspired by Goya’s drawing the cycle. Not that transitions are arbitrary
and Frezzotti shows how far she had come of a straw man) is irrepressibly rhythmic, or abrupt – tempo relationships are always
from the stylish but predictable rise and fall unpredictably accented, with a feel for the smooth and intelligently worked out – but
of ‘Dreaming’ from her Op 15 Sketches. The elusive Granados rubato to rival de Larrocha Wosner gives off the air of sitting down one
focus here is on Beach’s ‘late style’ in all its herself. Hardly a bar moves in quite the evening and thinking, ‘Yes, the Diabellis. Why
variety, from the glittering impressionism of same tempo, yet Perianes conveys the courtly not?’ On a technical level, the trills of var. 6
the minute-long Canoeing Op 119 No 3, to manners of ‘Los Requiebros’ (No 1 in the (and elsewhere) glance off the keys like the
an American translation of Busoni and Reger cycle proper) as much as the mounting erotic prisms of a diamond. The relatively neutral,
in the Prelude and Fugue Op 81. An Op 128 tension of the Fandango (No 3). ‘Love and close studio sound nonetheless allows for
trio of sketches is absorbingly unclassifiable the Nightingale’ is often taken as the most generous weight in the bass for the solemnity
in style yet profoundly ‘pianistic’. A approachable of the Goyescas for players of var. 14, and razor-sharp articulation in
25-minute sequence of progressively more and listeners alike, but Perianes elevates it the bass makes a rustic satire of var. 17. The
intricate variations on Balkan themes to Lisztian heights of contemplation with cover design wittily reflects a theme of abstract
demonstrates what a virtuoso Beach the most considered kind of ‘improvisatory’ playfulness which is central to Beethoven’s
herself must have been, and Frezzotti takes phrasing. This is Goyescas as a worthy Spanish later music: as he searches deeper, and thinks
imperious command in a slightly constricted counterpart to the Berg Sonata and Debussy back to Bach in the later variations, Wosner
recording (or possibly piano). PQ Etudes. PQ ventures patiently with him. PQ

81• Pianist 136

REVIEW

SHEET MUSIC REVIEWS Reviews by Michael McMillan

PIANO ALBUM: 120 alternating legato sixths in the right scores. Almost all the pieces were originally
FROM BACH TO hand. Bärenreiter’s presentation is, as ever, written for multiple instruments, often
GERSHWIN top notch. using electronic effects, but the atmospheric
Henle effect of the music remains when
Henle published this SCHUBERT transferred to the piano medium. Photos
book to celebrate the Piano Sonatas Vol II of Jóhannsson are scattered throughout
75th anniversary of their Bärenreiter the hardcover book, and the inset black
founding. Produced with Bärenreiter have now and white photo on the front cover helps
a stapled binding, it contains 17 pieces, published Schubert’s create the impression of a musical book of
arranged chronologically from JS Bach to complete piano sonatas in remembrance. The price is eye-watering and
Gershwin, and ranges in difficulty from three volumes, and have the binding is too stiff but this represents a
Grade 4 to Grade 8+. Or, in terms of also issued the last four marvellous tribute to the composer.
Henle’s occasionally questionable difficulty sonatas individually. This volume, titled
rating, from level 2 to 6. Given the ‘all-time ‘The Middle Sonatas’, contains the five MY GARDEN
favourites’ subtitle on the cover, it will come sonatas that Schubert completed between NOTEBOOK
as no surprise that the majority of pieces are 1818 and 1825 – namely, D664, D784, Angeline Bell
well-worn classics such as Beethoven’s Für D840, D845 and D850. As with the other Editions Musica
Elise, Chopin’s ‘Funeral March’, and Ravel’s two volumes, no editorial fingering or Ferrum
Pavane pour une infante defunte, although pedalling suggestions have been added, This is Angeline Bell’s
there are a few (such as Scriabin’s Op 11 No whilst the 15-page Preface includes detailed third book of piano
2) that fit the epithet more loosely. background information to the pieces, along solos for Editions Music
with notes on performance practice which Ferrum, following on from My Quirky
THE PIANO address topics such as accents, dynamics, and Notebook and My Lyrical Notebook released
PLAYER: embellishments. The book is expensive, but last year. Similarly well-presented with
UPLIFTING this is the price one pays for a sumptuous an enticing cover, My Garden Notebook
CLASSICS overall package. Bärenreiter offer a small contains 24 pieces – a generous quantity –
Faber discount for those buying the complete and is pitched at a lower level of difficulty
This is the eighth book in three-volume set. than her previous albums, at Grade 0 to 4.
Faber’s Piano Player series, The music is all inspired by nature, and the
each of which includes 20 QUEEN FOR composer gives a couple of introductory
classical pieces that reflect the title, such as PIANO DUET sentences to help the performer capture the
Tear-Jerkers, British Classics, and Christmas Phillip Keveren right character. Written in a contemporary,
Time. The 20 pieces in this volume have Hal Leonard attractive style, several of the works leave
been selected for their uplifting qualities, Phillip Keveren is a prolific a memorable impression, such as the
from the rousing characteristics of ‘I Vow American composer with atmospheric ‘First Light’. Another note-
to Thee, My Country’, and ‘Nimrod’, to over 100 titles to his name worthy book!
the cheerful buoyance of ‘The Blue Danube in Hal Leonard’s catalogue.
Waltz’ and the ‘Can-Can’. The arrangements His solo arrangements of pop music include Urtext Primo 7
UT 52013
9 Female Composers from 3 Centuries
25 easy piano pieces with practice tips
9 FEMALE
are all pianistically conceived at around hits by artists such as Coldplay, Elton COMPOSERS
Grade 4 to 7, and a few of the pieces are John, Adele and The Beatles, but this is his FROM 3
printed in their original piano solo form. A first volume of duets from a similar genre. 9 Komponistinnen aus 3 Jahrhunderten
25 leichte Klavierstücke mit Übetipps
CENTURIES
fine addition to the series, with a range of The eight pieces in this book are skilfully Franke

Wiener Urtext
repertoire to suit a wide variety of tastes. arranged so that both parts are around the Edition
same level (Grade 4 to 6) and have equal Joining the recent flurry
Wiener Urtext Edition

SAINT-SAËNS interest, although those who can’t stretch an of books publicising

Schott / Universal Edition

Six Études for piano octave should take the top part. The parts are piano music by women is this offering
Op 52 printed in vertical alignment, which is ideal from Wiener Urtext containing 25
Bärenreiter for cross-referencing. If you’re familiar with pieces by nine composers presented
This set of Six Études the original songs, these arrangements offer in chronological order: Elisabetta de
was first published as a a wonderful opportunity to develop your Gambarini, Marianna von Martines,
collection in 1877 by ensemble skills whilst having a great time! Louise Farrenc, Fanny Hensel, Clara
Durand, when Saint- Schumann, Marie Jaëll, Chiquinha
Saëns was in his forties. Saint-Saëns often JÓHANN Gonzaga, Melanie Bonis and Lili
played the third Étude (Prelude and Fugue JÓHANNSSON Boulanger. Beginning with a neat little
in F minor), which he dedicated to Anton Piano Works Gavotte by Gambarini at around Grade 2
Rubinstein, whilst the 14-page-long sixth Faber level, the selection includes five études by
Étude (En forme de valse) has gained some Jóhann Jóhannsson was Farrenc, a Tempo di Minuetto by Martines
notoriety as a scintillating crowd-pleaser. an Icelandic composer, (on the ABRSM’s Grade 7 syllabus), and
These are all technically formidable pieces perhaps best known for some works by the French composer Marie
requiring stamina – the third Étude, for his award-winning film Jaëll (1846-1925) which should be better
example, consists of 377 consecutive rapid score to The Theory of Everything. This book known. A commendable book – let’s hope
chords played as alternating triplets between is around 100 pages long, and contains 30 for a similar one featuring more advanced
the hands, whilst the fifth starts off with pieces taken from his solo records and film music in the future.

82• Pianist 136

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