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One of the most difficult aspects of teaching music and art is the ambiguous and subjective transmission of abstract concepts to the learner. Teachers often fail to communicate the concept of musical interpretation effectively, due to the subjectivity of language and delivery. How can one identify the feeling of "calmness" in music? Furthermore, ho...
The Composer's Score from Conception to Publication: The Evolution of Ginastera's Piano Sonata No. 2
Pianists, when learning repertoire, are not always aware of the challenges faced in producing a published edition. Some composers seem to frequently change their minds, making it difficult for scholars to agree upon a definitive score. Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 53, by Alberto Ginastera is an interesting case study. I first encountered this work when ...
The Kanneh-Mason family is not your typical family. All seven siblings, whose ages range from nine to twenty-two, have achieved musical accomplishments far beyond their ages. As both soloists and in ensemble, they have quite an impressive list of performances to their credit, including the BBC Young Musician competition, BBC Proms, the BAFTAS ...
Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert was born with the fire of Spanish blood in his veins and claimed Manuel de Falla, the famed Spanish composer, as his cousin. The love of music and art that permeated the Ibert household laid the foundation for his acceptance into the Paris Conservatory in 1910, where he studied harmony under the tutelage of Emi...
As the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) approaches, it is a good time to get in the celebratory spirit by answering some FAQs. A warning, though: behind every seemingly straightforward answer, there are always more questions!1. What editions should I use? Simple answer: There are excellent Urtext editions avai...
If Mozart had had a modern concert grand piano, would he have composed the same music? Absolutely not! No doubt, he would have been strongly influenced by the characteristics of the modern instrument, and his musical approach on the piano would have been completely different. Why am I so sure about this? Did I have coffee with Mozart? Unf...
All learning of complex knowledge and sophisticated skills must be approached by first learning more limited and simplified versions of what students are eventually needing to master. The nature of the simplifications—the substance and magnitude of each task, the sequence in which the tasks are presented, the speed of ...
Franz Liszt's beloved Consolation No. 3 in D-flat Major from the Six Consolations S.172, is a character piece frequently performed by the advancing pianist in recital and festival adjudications. Reminiscent of a nostalgic nocturne, Consolation No. 3 features a stunning melodic line and unpredictable harmonic nuances that have surely contribute...
If someone had told me a decade ago that I was going to produce the first (and, so far, only) published reconstruction of Chopin's posthumous Mazurka in F Minor that includes every uncanceled measure of the composer's sketch, I would have laughed. But apparently when a performance opportunity inspires a research obsession, unexpected things can ha...