Classical Music Month was established by President Bill Clinton, who greatly appreciated the unifying power of classical music. On August 22, 1994, President Clinton spoke about the power of music:
Classical music is a celebration of artistic excellence. Great art endures through the ages… Classical music plays in harmony with that energy and spirit to become reinvigorated and reinvented with each new orchestra or chamber group, with every performance that rings out new and fresh.
This month we exalt the many talented composers, conductors, and musicians who bring classical music to our ears. These artists carry on a great tradition of musical achievement, and we are proud of their outstanding accomplishments. Whether in new American works or in the masterpieces of the great composers of old, music is a unifying force in our world, bringing people together across vast cultural and geographical divisions. Classical music speaks both to the mind and to the heart, giving us something to think about as well as to experience.1
September 18, 1899
On this day in piano history, Scott Joplin received copyright for the Maple Leaf Rag by the US Copyright Office. The Maple Leaf Rag grew to become the most famous ragtime composition, and Joplin became known as the “King of Ragtime.” Listen to a recording of Reginald Robinson performing the Maple Leaf Rag here!
Pianist Reginald Robinson performs Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag.
September 30, 1935
The original cast of Porgy and Bess.2
George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess premiered in Boston and appeared shortly afterward on Broadway. Porgy, as it was originally titled, cast and celebrated African American singers, including the first African American woman to be admitted to the Juilliard School, Anne Brown, who played the role of Bess. Brown’s singing so captivated Gershwin that he expanded her role and changed the title of the opera to include Bess.
Notes
William J. Clinton, “Proclamation 6716—Classical Music Month, 1994 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,” The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/218266.
2. Richard Tucker, The cast of Porgy and Bess, October 10, 1935. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress.
French pianist and composer Cécile Chaminade, whose work inspired the creation of numerous women’s musical organizations, was born on this day in Paris. Her initial musical studies were with her mother, but Chaminade also studied privately with members of the Paris Conservatoire faculty after her father prohibited her official enrollment.1 Her career became established and around 1900, her numerous published compositions and rising fame led to the creation of musical organizations across the United States called “Chaminade Clubs.”2 During her subsequent tours to the U.S., she performed extensively for these clubs.3 In 1913, she was the first female composer to be awarded the Légion d’Honneur, a significant recognition for her musical contributions. She passed away on April 13, 1944 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Chaminade was a prolific composer and wrote approximately four-hundred compositions, half of which are for the piano.4 Looking for a Chaminade piano work at the early-advanced level? Check out Chanson bretonne, Op. 76, No. 5 performed here by pianist Lynn Worcester Jones.
Also celebrating a birthday in August is British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who was born on this day in London. Coleridge-Taylor studied violin and composition at the Royal College of Music.5 He was one of the first recognized Black composers of Western art music, and he inspired many Black composers in the United States with his success. Although he primarily resided in London, he toured the United States in multiple visits to conduct his works with choral societies throughout the country.6 During one of these trips, he met with President Theodore Roosevelt.7 In addition to his work as a conductor and as a musician, he served as Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Trinity College of Music.8 One of Colerige-Taylor’s most famous piano works is his arrangement of the spiritual “Deep River” as part of his Op. 59 set, Twenty-Four Negro Melodies. Enjoy this recording by pianist William Chapman Nyaho.
Pianist William Chapman Nyaho performs Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Deep River” from the Op. 59 set Twenty-Four Negro Melodies.
August 24, 1787
Violinist Michael Barenboim and his father, pianist Daniel Barenboim, perform Mozart’s Violin Sonata in A Major, K. 526.
On this day, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Violin Sonata in A Major, K. 526. This sonata, his penultimate in the genre, was published in Vienna and contains three movements. The bustling “Molto allegro” movement in 6/8 time is in sonata-allegro form and contains exciting scalar passagework for both the violin and the piano. A highlight from this movement is the development section where imitative gestures between the piano and violin drive the musical energy to the recapitulation. The “Andante” movement follows and features the piano prominently. Despite being in D major, the minor mode is heavily emphasized in this movement beginning within the first eight bars. The “Presto” finale ends the piece with bravura from both instrumentalists. Interested in listening to this sonata? Listen to this recording by pianist Daniel Barenboim and his son, Michael Barenboim.
August 25, 1742
Carlos Seixas, a Portuguese composer primarily known for his keyboard music for the harpsichord and organ, died in Lisbon, Portugal. During his lifetime, Seixas served as an organist at important venues such as the Coimbra Cathedral and the Royal Chapel in Lisbon where he worked alongside Domenico Scarlatti.9 Surviving reports from the time indicate that Seixas was an extremely prolific keyboard composer who wrote over 700 keyboard pieces, but only a fraction survived.10 While the cause of this is unknown, many believe that many works were destroyed in an earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755.11 Curious to hear Seixas’s music performed on a Portuguese-style harpsichord? Listen to this recording of Seixas’s Sonata No. 50 in G Minor performed by harpsichordist Robert Woolley.
Harpsichordist Robert Woolley performs Carlos Seixas’s Sonata No. 50 in G Minor.
Marcia J. Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 July, 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000005388.
Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online.
Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online.
Citron, “Chaminade, Cécile,” Grove Music Online.
Stephen Banfield, Jeremy Dibble, and Anya Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online, 16 Oct. 2013; Accessed 20 July. 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002248993.
Banfield, Dibble, and Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online.
Banfield, Dibble, and Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online.
Banfield, Dibble, and Laurence, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online.
Klaus F. Heimes, “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de,” Grove Music Online, 2001; Accessed 20 July, 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000025354.
Heimes, “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de,” Grove Music Online.
Heimes, “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de,” Grove Music Online.
Banfield, Stephen, Jeremy Dibble, and Anya Laurence. “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel.” Grove Music Online. 16 Oct. 2013; Accessed 20 July. 2024. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002248993.
Citron, Marcia J. “Chaminade, Cécile.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 July. 2024. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000005388.
Heimes, Klaus F. “Seixas, (José António) Carlos de.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 July. 2024. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000025354.
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, whose work in music education made a lasting impression on the field, died in Geneva, Switzerland on this day. He completed studies in Geneva, Paris, and Vienna, working with the likes of Fauré, Delibes, and Bruckner among others. Early on, he became fascinated with rhythm, and while working at the Geneva Conservatoire, he began developing his influential method known as eurhythmics.1 His ideas were presented in 1905 at a conference in Switzerland, and from there, his work rapidly spread throughout the world.2 In addition to his work in music education, he composed a number of works for chamber and orchestral ensembles.
July 13, 1955
In Lenox, Massachusetts, the Beaux Arts Trio made their performance debut, beginning an international performance career lasting fifty-three years. The trio was originally formed with pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Daniel Guilet, and cellist Bernard Greenhouse. Pressler remained the pianist throughout the group’s existence, however the string members included violinists Isidore Cohen, Ida Kavafian, Yung Uck Kim, and Daniel Hope as well as cellists Peter Wiley and Antonio Meneses. The Grammy-nominated trio recorded nearly the entire piano trio repertoire within the Western canon before dissolving in 2008.3 Enjoy this recording of the ensemble performing Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio.
The Beaux Arts Trio performs Ravel’s Piano Trio.
July 19, 1759
Pianist Olga Kleiankina performs the first movement of Marianna Auenbrugger’s Sonata in E-flat Major.
Viennese composer Marianna Auenbrugger was born in Vienna, Austria. Marianna and her sister Katharina Auenbrugger were accomplished keyboardists of the time; both studied under Antonio Salieri and were well known to Mozart and Haydn.4 Haydn, who dedicated multiple pieces to the sisters, once wrote about them stating, “the approval of the Demoiselles von Auenbrugger … is most important to me, for their way of playing and genuine insight into music equal those of the greatest masters. Both deserve to be known throughout Europe through the public newspapers.”5 Although Auenbrugger’s compositional output was exceptionally limited due to her short lifespan (1759-1782), her Sonata in E-flat Major is frequently performed. Enjoy this recording by pianist Olga Kleiankina.
July 22, 1987:
Natalie Hinderas, one of the first major Black classical concert pianists, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on this day.6 Hinderas, originally from Oberlin, Ohio, was born into a family of musicians. Her father was a professional jazz musician and her mother was a classical pianist who taught at Fisk University.7 Hinderas studied at the Oberlin Conservatory before pursuing further studies with Olga Samaroff at Juilliard and Edward Steuermann at the Philadelphia Conservatory. She toured worldwide, performing throughout North America, Europe, and Africa. Among her significant accomplishments is a recording of works by African American composers such as R. Nathaniel Dett, George Walker, and William Grant Still.8 In addition to her remarkable performance career, Hinderas served as a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia from 1966-1987. Below is an excerpt from her celebrated recording which features George Walker’s Piano Sonata No. 1.
Pianist Natalie Hinderas performs the first movement of George Walker’s Piano Sonata No. 1.
From February 1-29, we celebrate Black History Month, a time to honor and reflect upon the remarkable music and contributions of Black people. In this Discovery Page post, we have curated a collection of Piano Inspires resources to help everyone discover something new. From our international webinar series, to articles in Piano Magazine and Piano Inspires Kids, to our online course, Unsung Heroes in Piano Pedagogy: 20 Pieces by Black Composers to Use in Your Studio Now, there is so much to discover! In March 2024 we will release a new course: Piano Teaching through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which is currently available for presale purchase. We hope these resources will provide useful tips and ideas to help you incorporate music by Black composers into your recital programs, lesson plans, and more.
Unsung Heroes in Piano Pedagogy: 20 Pieces by Black Composers to Use in Your Studio Now is a fully online course exploring classical piano music by Black composers from elementary to early advanced levels. This course is designed to help remedy the lack of inclusion of piano music by Black composers in the standard teaching repertoire, and the music heard on the public concert stage.
Piano Teaching through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusionwill be released in March 2024, but is available for presale today! This course aims to equip teachers with knowledge on how to evaluate their teaching material and how to effectively incorporate diverse literature into the teaching studio. In addition, it provides examples on how various teachers have created more opportunities for diverse populations to gain access to piano instruction.
William Chapman Nyaho performs at NCKP 2023: The Piano ConferenceArtina McCain presents at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference.Pianists Asia Passmore and Kasey Stokes.
Magazine Article: Awadagin Pratt: Pianist, Conductor, Music Education Advocate by Artina McCain
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing concert pianist, conductor, and professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, Awadagin Pratt. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Awadagin Pratt has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johns Hopkins, an honorary doctorate from Illinois Wesleyan University, and an Avery Fisher Grant. In November 2009, Pratt was one of four artists selected to perform at a music event at the White House that included student workshops hosted by the First Lady, Michelle Obama. He also performed in concert for guests including President Obama. He has played numerous recitals throughout the United States and internationally, including four tours of Japan. We had a great chat about his historic career, the competition his foundation will sponsor, and—BBQ!
Artina McCain
Tell me about your early exposure to music.
Awadagin Pratt
My father listened to classical music in our home. He was a nuclear physicist, but he loved music and actually played the organ as a child. He would often record from the radio to the old reel-to-reel tape machines. It was the only music in the house, and I liked it. My parents started me with piano lessons when I was six, but when we moved to Brazil for a year, I stopped taking lessons. I restarted piano lessons when I was eight and then began taking violin lessons when I was nine.
Read more of Artina McCain’s interview with Awadagin Pratt by clicking here.
In Autumn 2023, the Frances Clark Center launched a new initiative, Piano Inspires Kids, a magazine for young pianists developed by Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister. Through each quarterly issue, readers explore piano playing, composers, music from around the world, and music theory. The format is engaging and varied with listening guides, interviews, student submissions, music in the news, and games. The magazine includes an array of musical styles and genres, both from the past and present day. In addition, creative skills like improvisation, playing by ear, and composition are explored in step-by-step processes. Young pianists are directed to curated online content to deepen their engagement with the piano community.
The latest issue celebrates Florence Price. The issue includes a biography of Price along with an introduction to some of her piano works including the Piano Sonata in E Minor and her pedagogical piece The Goblin and the Mosquito. It also includes a short interview with pianist Karen Walwyn, a champion of Price’s music, along with new music composed by Artina McCain! To learn more, or to subscribe, go to kids.pianoinspires.com.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Bach met King Frederick the Great of Prussia on May 7, 1747. During this visit, Frederick the Great inspired one of Bach’s most important final works, his Musical Offering, BWV 1079.
Bach arrived in Potsdam on May 7, 1747 at the court of Frederick the Great. Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, worked at the court in service of the king. Despite his significant reputation as an excellent composer and musician, C. P. E. Bach was not given significant status at court by Frederick the Great, who preferred other musicians such as flutist Johann Joachim Quantz.1 The elder Bach’s visit to the court was marked by a flurry of activity and concerts. Among Bach’s itinerary were several concerts including an organ recital in the Heilig-Geist Kirche in Potsdam. Bach spent time playing on a number of other keyboard instruments throughout Potsdam including several fortepianos designed by builder Gottfried Silbermann. Previously, J. S. Bach was unenthused by the fortepianos, however, during this visit, he was very impressed with the design and capabilities of the rapidly developing new keyboard instrument.2 This impression led him to promote the instrument—he even assisted in the sale of one!
One of Silbermann’s fortepianos.
C. P. E. BachKing Frederick the GreatJ. S. Bach
In addition to his recital and other musical activities, J. S. Bach spent time performing for Frederick the Great. Frederick wanted to test Bach’s notable improvisational abilities and wrote out a challenging fugal subject for a ricercare. Bach improvised a three-part ricercar on one of Silbermann’s fortepianos. Despite this feat, the king dared Bach to improvise a six-part ricercar upon the same subject. Bach attempted, but was unhappy with his improvisation and decided to compose a more polished version of his improvisation.3
After returning from Potsdam, Bach was inspired by his visit with Frederick the Great and began writing his Musical Offering, BWV 1079.4 The work consists of works for keyboard as well as chamber music for flute, violin, and continuo. At first, Bach wrote out the three-part ricercare using Frederick the Great’s fugal subject and then reimagined it within a six-part ricercare. The other movements from this set, including multiple canons and a trio sonata, are all built from the same fugal subject. The work is dedicated to Frederick the Great and remains one of Bach’s most impressive works.
A playlist featuring all of Bach’s Musical Offering, BWV 1079, recorded by the Netherlands Bach Society.
Want to learn more about Bach and his keyboard compositions? Watch this webinar below by Marvin Blickenstaff from our archive: Bach Inventions: Prepare, Present, Perform.
Christoph Wolff and Ulrich Leisinger, “Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel,” Grove Music Online, 2001; Accessed 24 Apr. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278185.
Christoph Wolff and Walter Emery, “Bach, Johann Sebastian,” Grove Music Online, 2001; accessed 24 Apr. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278195.
Christoph Wolff and Walter Emery, “Bach, Johann Sebastian,” Grove Music Online, 2001; accessed 24 Apr. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278195.
Christoph Wolff and Walter Emery, “Bach, Johann Sebastian,” Grove Music Online, 2001; accessed 24 Apr. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278195.
Wolff, Christoph, and Ulrich Leisinger. “Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 24 Apr. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278185.
Wolff, Christoph, and Walter Emery. “Bach, Johann Sebastian.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 24 Apr. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278195.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember Taiwanese composer Ma Shui-Long who died on May 2, 2015 at the age of 75. A composer of a wide oeuvre of works, Ma is known for his efforts to blend Eastern and Western compositional traditions.
Ma Shui-Long, born on July 17, 1939, grew up in Ji-long and Jiufen, coastal cities in northern Taiwan. Ma’s family had limited financial resources, and because of this, Ma did not receive formal musical training. Despite this, Ma enjoyed painting and listening to music as a teenager.1 Ma taught himself to play using Ferdinand Beyer’s piano books and studied music theory and harmony from a textbook he found at a bookstore as a teenager.2 Ma entered the National Institute of the Arts in Taiwan where he studied composition with Xiao Erhua. Following the completion of his studies, Ma moved back to Ji-long and began his teaching career, working with students at local schools and helping to organize orchestras and choirs in the area.3
In 1972, Ma received a full scholarship to study at the Regensburg Kirchenmusikschule (Regensburg Music School) and worked with Oskar Sigmund. Following this round of study, Ma returned and began teaching at various institutions throughout Taiwan including Soochow University, Tainan University of Technology, and later, the Taipei National University of the Arts. Throughout his teaching career, Ma maintained significant relationships with musicians and educators in the United States. In 1986, Ma received a Fulbright Scholarship to lecture at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.4 In 2002, Ma’s music was featured at the Lincoln Center in New York City and received rave reviews, leading to performance and lectureship opportunities throughout the United States.5 Ma’s career garnered him several awards including Honorary Doctorates from National Tainan University and the National Taipei University.
Scholar Hsun-Yin Chang describes Ma’s output in three stages.6 Ma’s earliest compositions feature heavy use of Taiwanese folk material and influence of Eastern compositional elements. In his middle period, Ma’s works became more avant-garde, featuring significant dissonance and an improvisational style.7 Ma’s final compositional period includes music that combines both Western and Eastern compositional elements, styles, and materials.8 Ma’s compositional philosophy became a central focus in his teaching as he developed college courses to help students embrace Chinese and Taiwanese musical elements in deep, significant ways.9
Ji-long, Ma’s hometown.
Ma’s compositions include a number of important piano works. In 1979, Ma collected Taiwanese and Chinese folk material, documenting over two hundred different melodies.10 In 1980, he arranged these in his 32 Piano Pieces on Taiwanese and Chinese Folk Tunes for Children. The collection, designed for intermediate pianists, presents folk melodies in exciting and popular arrangements. In “The Northwest Rains Pouring Down,” the pianist uses glissandi up and down the keyboard to evoke a intense rainstorm, whereas “The Little Brook” presents interesting broken harmonies, melodic material in the left hand, and arabesques of quintuplets and sextuplets. Listen to recordings below by pianists Meng-Chun Chien and Rick Stanton.
Pianist Meng-Chun Chien performs a selection fromMa’s 32 Piano Pieces on Taiwanese and Chinese Folk Tunes for Children.
Rick Stanton, piano, performs selections fromMa’s 32 Piano Pieces on Taiwanese and Chinese Folk Tunes for Children.
Ma’s works for solo piano include multiple sonatas, the Taiwan Suite (1967), and his Yugang sumiao (A Sketch of the Rainy Harbor, 1969). Yugang sumiao consists of four movements: “Rain,” “Harbor Views on Rainy Nights,” “The Girl who Collects Seashells,” and “At the Temple Gate,” which depict various scenes in his hometown Ji-long.11 The pieces, in addition to evoking Taiwanese folk music, also depict sounds of various Chinese instruments including the zheng, known for its unique glissandi sounds.12 Listen to this recording by pianist Menghua Lin.
Pianist Menghua Lin performs Ma’s Yugang sumiao (A Sketch of the Rainy Harbor, 1969).
Interested in learning more about music by composers from Asia? Read this article below by Lisa Yui titled “Piano Music by Composers from Asia: A History of Self-Discovery.”
Ting-Yao Huang, “Selected Pieces by Six Taiwanese and Chinese Composers of the Twentieth Century: Ty-Zen Hsiao, Shui-Long Ma, Fan-Ling Su, Kwang-I Yin, Cehn Yi and Tan Dun,” Ph.D. Diss. University of Washington, 2015, 15.
Hsun-Yin Chang, “A Study of Selected Taiwanese Pedagogical Solo Piano Music of the Twentieth Century,” PhD. Diss. University of Northern Colorado, 2016, 31.
Ting-Yao Huang, “Selected Pieces by Six Taiwanese and Chinese Composers of the Twentieth Century: Ty-Zen Hsiao, Shui-Long Ma, Fan-Ling Su, Kwang-I Yin, Cehn Yi and Tan Dun,” Ph.D. Diss. University of Washington, 2015, 15.
Hsun-Yin Chang, “A Study of Selected Taiwanese Pedagogical Solo Piano Music of the Twentieth Century,” PhD. Diss. University of Northern Colorado, 2016, 32.
Ibid.
Hsun-Yin Chang, “A Study of Selected Taiwanese Pedagogical Solo Piano Music of the Twentieth Century,” PhD. Diss. University of Northern Colorado, 2016, 53-4.
Hsun-Yin Chang, “A Study of Selected Taiwanese Pedagogical Solo Piano Music of the Twentieth Century,” PhD. Diss. University of Northern Colorado, 2016, 54.
Ibid.
Hsun-Yin Chang, “A Study of Selected Taiwanese Pedagogical Solo Piano Music of the Twentieth Century,” PhD. Diss. University of Northern Colorado, 2016, 54.
Hsun-Yin Chang, “A Study of Selected Taiwanese Pedagogical Solo Piano Music of the Twentieth Century,” PhD. Diss. University of Northern Colorado, 2016, 128.
Ting-Yao Huang, “Selected Pieces by Six Taiwanese and Chinese Composers of the Twentieth Century: Ty-Zen Hsiao, Shui-Long Ma, Fan-Ling Su, Kwang-I Yin, Cehn Yi and Tan Dun,” Ph.D. Diss. University of Washington, 2015, 20.
Ting-Yao Huang, “Selected Pieces by Six Taiwanese and Chinese Composers of the Twentieth Century: Ty-Zen Hsiao, Shui-Long Ma, Fan-Ling Su, Kwang-I Yin, Cehn Yi and Tan Dun,” Ph.D. Diss. University of Washington, 2015, 21.
Mittler, Barbara. “Ma Shuilong.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 24 Apr. 2023. https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051529.
Chang, Hsun-Yin. “A Study of Selected Taiwanese Pedagogical Solo Piano Music of the Twentieth Century.” PhD. Diss. University of Northern Colorado, 2016.
Huang, Ting-Yao. “Selected Pieces by Six Taiwanese and Chinese Composers of the Twentieth Century: Ty-Zen Hsiao, Shui-Long Ma, Fan-Ling Su, Kwang-I Yin, Cehn Yi and Tan Dun.” Ph.D. Diss. University of Washington, 2015.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, Beethoven composed his infamous bagatelle Für Elise WoO 59 on April 27, 1810. The short piece is built around a recurring theme that is unceasingly popular with pianists of all ages.
One of the central questions regarding this piece is to whom it was written. Scholarship remains unclear about the identity of “Elise.” The autograph manuscript of the work is lost and there is speculation that perhaps the title was originally Für Therese.1 Other scholars, such as Klaus Martin Kopitz, suggest that ‘Elise’ was in fact the singer Elisabeth Röckel.2 She was a close friend throughout Beethoven’s life and was married to Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Röckel’s close relationship is obvious based on her visit to Beethoven just a few days before his death on March 26, 1827.3 Whether Röckel is the true dedicatee of Für Elise remains unproven, but she is certainly a likely candidate.
Beethoven through the years.
Für Elise is classified as a bagatelle in the form of a rondo. The repeating opening theme comes back three times, creating an ABACA form. Although the first section is manageable technically, the second and third sections pose significant challenges to the performer with thirty-second notes in the B section as well as repeated notes, arpeggios, and a chromatic scale in the C section. Besides the popularity of the opening theme, the work remains popular perhaps due to its moody nature and dramatic changes from melancholy to joy to mystery and back. Listen to this recording by pianist Lang Lang.
The piece is listed on the Royal Conservatory of Music’s 2022 Piano Syllabus as a Level 7 selection and is comparable in difficulty to the easier Bach inventions and other late-intermediate sonatinas. One of the challenges in approaching this work is carefully choosing a tempo that is manageable in the more virtuosic sections of the work, but is also not dragging at the beginning. Interested to learn more about Für Elise? Check out this article written and edited by Marvin Blickenstaff on the work, which provides teaching tips, a practice plan, and more!
Joseph Kerman, Alan Tyson, Scott G. Burnham, Douglas Johnson, and William Drabkin, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online, 2001, Accessed 20 Mar. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
Klaus Martin Kopitz, “Beethoven’s ‘Elise ‘ Elisabeth Röckel: A Forgotten Love Story and a Famous Piano Piece.” Musical Times (Winter, 2020), 9.
Ibid.
Kerman, Joseph, Alan Tyson, Scott G. Burnham, Douglas Johnson, and William Drabkin. “Beethoven, Ludwig van.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 Mar. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
Kopitz, Klaus Martin. “Beethoven’s ‘Elise ‘ Elisabeth Röckel: A Forgotten Love Story and a Famous Piano Piece.” Musical Times Winter, 2020, 9-26.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember pianist Nina Simone who died on April 21, 2003. Simone, born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, was a jazz singer, pianist, and civil rights leader.
Simone began playing piano at the age of three, learning at first by ear.1 Her initial piano studies began with an Englishwoman named Muriel Mazzanovich and continued after her high school graduation at The Juilliard School. At this time, Simone planned to become a famous classical pianist and applied to study at the Curtis Institute of Music. The rejection from the Institute sent her into turmoil as she believed racism to be the central reason behind the rejection, but it made her realize a different path forward.2 Simone began singing and playing piano at the Midtown Bar & Grill in Atlantic City, New Jersey as a way to make a modest income and, at this time, took on her stage name (“Nina Simone”) after actress Simone Signoret.3
Nina Simone through the years.
Simone’s career developed at first through engagements in different bars and nightclubs throughout the East Coast. She performed at the Town Hall in New York City in 1959 and later at Carnegie Hall in 1964. These concerts helped establish Simone as a major performer and recording artist. They were recorded and include some of her best known singles including “You Can Have Him” and “Mississippi Goddam.”
“Mississippi Goddam” is a form of protest music that Simone penned after the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers as well as the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in which four young African American girls died.4 In speaking about the song, Simone shared that, “Nightclubs were dirty, making records was dirty, popular music was dirty and to mix all that with politics seemed senseless and demeaning. And until songs like ‘Mississippi Goddam’ just burst out of me, I had musical problems as well. How can you take the memory of a man like [Civil Rights activist] Medgar Evers and reduce all that he was to three and a half minutes and a simple tune? That was the musical side of it I shied away from; I didn’t like ‘protest music’ because a lot of it was so simple and unimaginative it stripped the dignity away from the people it was trying to celebrate. But the Alabama church bombing and the murder of Medgar Evers stopped that argument and with ‘Mississippi Goddam,’ I realized there was no turning back.”5 Listen to “Mississippi Goddam” in this recording.
Nina Simone performing “Mississippi Goddam.”
Simone is known for producing dozens of recordings throughout her life. Her first album, Little Girl Blue recorded with the Bethlehem label, included hits such as “My Baby Cares for Me,” later recorded by the likes of Nat King Cole.6 Simone continued to record with others such as Colpix Records, Phillips, and the RCA label. Some of her most important albums include I Put a Spell on You (1965), Wild is the Wind (1966), Silk and Soul (1967), Black Gold (1970), Baltimore (1978), and her last studio album, Single Woman (1993).
Nina Simone performing “You Can Have Him.”
Her song “You Can Have Him,” written by Irving Berlin, was included in her concert recording on September 12, 1959 at Town Hall New York City. The song opens with a stunning introductory arpeggio up and down the piano before Simone casually utters “you can have him.” The song features Simone’s rich vocals set against sensitive chords throughout the piano. “Four Women,” a song Simone penned from her album Wild Is the Wind (1966) profiles four different African American women.7 Simone’s recording features her on piano in addition to the sounds of a flute, drums, and more. Listen to a recording of the song below.
Nina Simone performing “Four Women.”
Simone states in her biography I Put a Spell on You, “Critics started to talk about what sort of music I was playing and tried to find a neat slot to file it away in. It was difficult for them because I was playing popular songs in a classical style with a classical piano technique influenced by cocktail jazz. On top of that I included spirituals and children’s song in my performances, and those sorts of songs were automatically identified with the folk movement. So, saying what sort of music I played gave the critics problems because there was something from everything in there, but it also meant I was appreciated across the board—by jazz, folk, pop and blues fans as well as admirers of classical music.”8
Simone’s legacy as a trailblazing pianist and singer resulted in four Grammy nominations and induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame (2000), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2018), and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (2021). Simone additionally received honorary degrees from Amherst College and Malcolm X College, as well as the Curtis Institute of Music just two days before her death. Simone’s life ended in Carry-le-Rouet in Southern France where she died in 2003 after previously spending time in Liberia, Barbados, Switzerland, and more.9 In the final decade of her life, she sold over one million albums.10 In honor of Nina Simone’s incredible life and work, Awadagin Pratt founded the Nina Simone Piano Competition. Read more about the competition in the article below written by Artina McCain.
Mark Anthony Neal, “Simone, Nina,” Grove Music Online, 31 Jan. 2014; Accessed 31 Mar. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002258277.
Mark Anthony Neal, “Simone, Nina,” Grove Music Online, 31 Jan. 2014; Accessed 31 Mar. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002258277.
Neal, Mark Anthony. “Simone, Nina.” Grove Music Online. 31 Jan. 2014; Accessed 31 Mar. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002258277.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, born on April 11, 1916. Ginastera has been described as an important composer in the history of Argentina, with an impact on the collection and dissemination of folk music similar to that of Bartók in Hungary.1
Ginastera was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He began his official musical studies at the age of seven and studied at both the Conservatorio Williams, where he received a gold medal in composition, and the Conservatorio Nacional de Música.2 His early musical influences included Athos Palma, José Gil, José André, and later in life, Aaron Copland, with whom he studied at Tanglewood. Ginastera began to rise to national prominence as a composer in Argentina after his suite Panambí was conducted by Juan José Castro.3 From here, a range of commissions and teaching opportunities gradually solidified his name as one of the most important composers from Latin America.
Ginastera through the years.
Ginastera’s teaching career was extensive and included a variety of universities in Argentina including the Conservatorio Nacional, Liceo Militar General San Martín, the Conservatorio de Música y Arte Escénico in La Plata, and the Facultad de Artes y Ciencias Musicales at the Universidad Católica Argentina where he served as a dean for five years. Additionally, he was named the founding director of the Centro Latinoamericano de Altos Estudios Musicales (CLAEM) at the Instituto Torcuato di Tella in Buenos Aires. At various times, political challenges brought on by the Perón administration required him to leave or resign posts in Argentina.4 During the first of these challenges from the Argentine government in 1945, Ginastera fled to the United States where he stayed for over two years on a Guggenheim grant.5 After his return to Argentina, Ginastera again suffered due to the political influence of the Perón administration who made him resign temporarily from the faculty of the Conservatorio de Música y Arte Escénico in La Plata.6
Although well known for his ballets, operas, and symphonic works, Ginastera is perhaps equally well known for his impressive oeuvre of piano works which contains three sonatas, three concerti, the Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2, the Suite de Danzas Criollas, Op.15, and other works for solo piano. A popular work for advanced pianists, the Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2 contains three short dances that recall references to the guitar, the pampas (Argentine plain regions), and the varied dance genres of his home country. His Suite de Danzas Criollas, Op.15 contains five different dances that monopolize the full range and coloristic possibilities of the piano. Listen to this recording, by our very own, pianist Alejandro Cremaschi. Ginastera’s Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22, from 1952, is another of his most popular piano works. The piece includes evocations to Argentine dances and the guitar within a four movement structure.
Pianist Alejandro Cremaschi performs Ginastera’s Suite de Danzas Criollas, Op. 15.
A video highlighting Nissman’s personal connection to Ginastera.
One of the most prominent proponents of Ginastera’s music is concert pianist Barbara Nissman, who met Ginastera while he was Composer-In-Residence at the University of Michigan.7 During his time in Michigan, Nissman performed his first piano concerto and Ginastera invited her to perform it again during his sixtieth birthday in Geneva, Switzerland. Nissman has since gone on to record and perform all of Ginastera’s piano music, including the two numbered piano concertos as well as the Concierto Argentino, which she was given exclusive rights to perform.8 Interested in learning more about Nissman’s relationship with Ginastera? Watch this video highlighting her personal connection to Ginastera.
Ginastera’s life took a dramatic turn late in his life causing him to separate from his wife, and later he married the cellist Aurora Nátola.9 He moved to Geneva where he spent the remainder of his days and died at the age of 67. Ginastera’s life achievements were recognized by honorary doctorates from Yale University and Temple University as well as the UNESCO International Music Council Music Prize, which he received in 1981.10
Interested in learning more about Ginastera? Learn about him and his pedagogical works in our new course: Exploring Latin American Piano Music: A Cultural Journey with Elementary through Early-Advanced Pieces.
Marilou Carlin, “Celebrating Music of Alberto Ginastera,” News & Features (blog), University of Michigan, November 21, 2011, arts.umich.edu/news-features/music-of-alberto-ginastera/.
Deborah Schwartz-Kates, “Ginastera, Albertom” Grove Music Online, 2001, Accessed 20 Mar. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000011159.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Marilou Carlin, “Celebrating Music of Alberto Ginastera,” News & Features (blog), University of Michigan, November 21, 2011, arts.umich.edu/news-features/music-of-alberto-ginastera/.
Ibid.
Deborah Schwartz-Kates, “Ginastera, Albertom” Grove Music Online, 2001, Accessed 20 Mar. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000011159.
Ibid.
Carlin, Marilou. “Celebrating Music of Alberto Ginastera.” News & Features (blog). University of Michigan, November 21, 2011. arts.umich.edu/news-features/music-of-alberto-ginastera/.
Schwartz-Kates, Deborah. “Ginastera, Alberto.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 Mar. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000011159.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff, born on April 1, 1873. Despite his enduring fame as a composer, Rachmaninoff was largely known in his day as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, touring around the world.
Rachmaninoff was most likely born in Oneg in the Novgorod region in the Russian Empire.1 He spent much of his childhood here, initially learning to play piano with his mother and then with pianist Anna Ornatskaya. A series of financial issues led the family to move to St. Petersburg, where he studied at the Conservatory with Vladimir Demyansky.2 Tragedy struck the Rachmaninoff family again when his sister died. A series of family problems related to the tragedy resulted in Rachmaninoff’s failure of his classes at the Conservatory.3 This led him to move to Moscow to study at the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with Nikolay Zverev. During this time, Rachmaninoff was able to intensely practice and study. As a result, he received the Gold Medal from the Moscow Conservatory in recognition of his outstanding works as a student.
Rachmainoff through the years.
In January 1895, Rachmaninoff began work on his first symphony, which was conducted by Glazunov in a concert in late 1896. The premiere performance did not go well, sending Rachmaninoff into a three-year period of inability to write any major compositions.4 During this time, Rachmaninoff pursued a new career as a conductor. He began conducting in 1897 at the Moscow Private Russian Opera, leading numerous performances of a varied assortment of Western operas.5 With time and the help of Dr. Nikolay Dahl, a specialist in hypnosis at the time, Rachmaninoff again turned to composition, composing his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor between 1900 and 1901.6 The success of this performance helped Rachmaninoff regain his footing as a composer.
Seong-jin Cho, Hannu Lintu, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18.
Rachmaninoff’s hands.
In 1917, Rachmaninoff and his family said goodbye to Russia for good, fleeing the country after its gradual descent into turmoil following World War I.7 Rachmaninoff initially settled in Stockholm and Copenhagen briefly, before moving to the United States in 1918. From then on Rachmaninoff spent time in New York, Los Angeles, and in an estate on Lake Lucerne which he named Senar.8 Throughout this time, Rachmaninoff revised a number of his works including the Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Major. In 1943, his health began to rapidly deteriorate and he was diagnosed with cancer, dying on March 28,1943 in Los Angeles, just days before his sixtieth birthday.
Pianist Yuja Wang performs Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 36.
Rachmaninoff’s works for the piano have built him enduring fame both in Russia and around the world. One of Rachmaninoff’s most popular works for early-advanced pianists is his Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2, written very early in his life. This work became an annoyance to Rachmaninoff who struggled to understand the undying popularity of this work when compared to some of his other more mature compositions. Perhaps his most well-known work of all is his Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, which was composed in 1908 for extensive tours in the United States the following year. The work established Rachmaninoff as a master of lyrical writing, motivic unity, as well as piano pyrotechnics.9
Yuchan Lim, Marin Alsop, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30.
Interested in learning more about Rachmaninoff? Read this article by Laura Janota about Wael Farouk and the Rachmaninoff piano oeuvre.
Geoffrey Norris, “Rachmaninoff [Rakhmaninov, Rachmaninov], Serge,” Grove Music Online, 2001, Accessed 20 Mar. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000050146.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Norris, Geoffrey. “Rachmaninoff [Rakhmaninov, Rachmaninov], Serge.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 Mar. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000050146.
Dr. Curtis Pavey is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator. A performer of works from the 16th through the 21st centuries, he feels equally at home performing or teaching at the piano and the harpsichord. He is currently based in the Cincinnati area and maintains a private piano studio.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate Beethoven’s debut as a pianist in Vienna on March 29, 1795. At just twenty-four years old, Beethoven’s performance marked the beginning of a lifelong musical relationship with the residents of Vienna.
On the left is the Burgtheater in Vienna, where Beethoven performed his debut. On the right is Vienna, ca. 1800.
Beethoven came to Vienna in November 1792 to study with Haydn. His journey to Vienna was funded by the elector in Bonn who arranged for his visit to help Beethoven develop his skill as a composer. Upon arriving in Vienna, Beethoven studied with Haydn through 1794, when Haydn left for a trip to London and during his absence for the next year and a half, Beethoven studied composition with Johann Georg Albrechtsberger.1 Scholarship suggests that Albrechtsberger was a much more effective teacher for Beethoven, helping him to develop mastery in a variety of contrapuntal exercises that would serve Beethoven well throughout the rest of his life.2 During this time, Beethoven was not merely composing, he frequently performed in private concerts for the wealthy aristocracy of Vienna.3
Beethoven’s public debut on March 29, 1795 was the beginning of a three-day set of performances Beethoven gave in Vienna. Scholarship is unclear over the exact piece performed on March 29th at a charity concert, but it was most likely Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19.4 The concerto, written in three movements, is written for the identical orchestral forces of Mozart’s last piano concerto, K. 595, also in the key of B-flat major.5 The first movement, the longest, is in traditional concerto-sonata form. The fugal cadenza commonly performed in the first movement was actually composed in 1808 or 1809, so Beethoven likely improvised his own cadenza for this concert.6 The second movement is intimate and features moments of tenderness between the piano and orchestra, including moments where the piano accompanies solo instruments. The final movement is sprightly and vigorous with an impressive display of double thirds in the closing moments of the piece.
Krystian Zimermannperforming Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
The performance must have been a success, as Beethoven continued to perform for the following two days after his initial debut. On the second day, Beethoven performed his own improvisation at yet another charity concert, while on the third day, he performed a Mozart concerto at a performance of La clemenza di Tito that the widowed Constanze Mozart organized.
During the remainder of the year, Beethoven had additional success as a composer and as a performer. In the fall of 1795, Beethoven’s Piano Trios, Op. 1 were published in Vienna and dedicated to Prince Carl von Lichnowsky. Upon hearing the three trios, Haydn advised Beethoven not to publish the third trio, in C Minor, as he was concerned about how the Viennese public would react to it; Beethoven did not agree with his teacher’s advice.7 Besides this, Beethoven performed once again in December 1795. At this concert organized by Haydn, Beethoven performed another concerto, most likely his Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15.8
Examples of two fortepianos. On the left is a 1775 model by Johann Andreas Stein found in the Musikinstrumentenmuseum in Berlin. On the right is a copy after Walter & Sohn, c. 1805, made by Paul McNulty.
Interested in learning more about Beethoven’s piano works? Read this article below by Beethoven-scholar Peter Takács:
Joseph Kerman, Alan Tyson, Scott G. Burnham, Douglas Johnson, and William Drabkin, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 28 Feb. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Michael Thomas Roeder, A History of the Concerto (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994), 180.
Ibid., 181.
Joseph Kerman, Alan Tyson, Scott G. Burnham, Douglas Johnson, and William Drabkin, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 28 Feb. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
Ibid.
Kerman, Joseph, Alan Tyson, Scott G. Burnham, Douglas Johnson, and William Drabkin. “Beethoven, Ludwig van.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 28 Feb. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
Roeder, Michael Thomas. A History of the Concerto. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994.
Dr. Curtis Pavey is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator. A performer of works from the 16th through the 21st centuries, he feels equally at home performing or teaching at the piano and the harpsichord. He is currently based in the Cincinnati area and maintains a private piano studio.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember composer and organist Charles-Louis Hanon, who died on March 19, 1900 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Author of the infamous collection The Virtuoso Pianist, Hanon is little known besides this work.
Hanon was born in Renescure, a village in northern France. He learned to play organ and later moved to Boulogne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in northern France approximately sixty kilometers away, where he would spend the rest of his life. Hanon worked at the Église Saint-Joseph as a church organist, but resigned his position in 1853; there is speculation as to the exact reasons for his resignation, but some have speculated that he was forced to resign.1 Despite this, Hanon was a lifelong and devout Catholic. Hanon served in the “Les Frères Ignoran tins,” a monastic order that emphasized education for poor children.2 Although primarily focused on his religious callings, Hanon also composed and published a number of keyboard works.
A portrait of HanonThe cover page for Hanon’s l’ExileHanon’s Birthplace: Renescure, France
Hanon’s output includes several works with programmatic titles as well as many works specifically designed for pedagogical purposes. His work, Les montagnes de la Savoie, written for solo piano, is a fantasy in which limited thematic material is repeated with slight alterations to the dynamic level and register. The piece includes a significant repeated note passage as well as chromatic scales, arpeggios, and broken chords. Another work, Souvenirs de Bretagne or Fantaisie brillante sur des airs bretons (Brilliant Fantasy on Breton Tunes), includes melodies from the Brittany region of France. Some of the melodies are given virtuosic accompaniments, while others have more traditional accompanimental patterns. In his L’exilée (The Exile), Hanon presents a work that contains a significant amount of music for left hand alone, complete with filigree, variation, and arpeggiation.
Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, where Hanon passed away.
His most famous work, The Virtuoso Pianist was first published in 1874 and is known worldwide for its use amongst pianists of all levels, including virtuosos such as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Josef Lhévinne.3 Despite this, the work is clearly influenced by other composers, such as Aloys Schmitt who wrote an identical exercise to Hanon’s first exercise more than fifty years prior.4The Virtuoso Pianist contains five-finger exercises in various patterns, all the scales and arpeggios, as well as more challenging exercises in octaves and repeated notes. Hanon’s work was so popular in the twentieth century that Dmitri Shostakovich even included varied excerpts of the patterns in his Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102. Today, many pianists continue to study the work significantly, transposing the exercises into various keys.
Yuja Wang, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and the Philadelphia Orchestra performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102, in Carnegie Hall.
Interested to learn more about using piano etudes in creative ways? Read this article by Scott McBride Smith:
REPERTOIRE VIDEO SERIES: Etudes with Marvin Blickenstaff
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Sources
Andrew Adams and Bradley Martin, “The Man Behind the Virtuoso Pianist: Charles-Louis Hanon’s Life and Work,” The American Music Teacher 58, no. 6 (Jun, 2009): 18-21, uc.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fman-behind-virtuoso-pianist-charles-louis-hanons%2Fdocview%2F217493040%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D2909.
Ibid.
“Charles-Louis Hanon,” In Wikipedia, Accessed February 27, 2023, wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Louis_Hanon
Andrew Adams and Bradley Martin, “The Man Behind the Virtuoso Pianist: Charles-Louis Hanon’s Life and Work,” The American Music Teacher 58, no. 6 (Jun, 2009): 18-21, uc.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fman-behind-virtuoso-pianist-charles-louis-hanons%2Fdocview%2F217493040%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D2909.
Adams, Andrew and Bradley Martin. “The Man Behind the Virtuoso Pianist: Charles-Louis Hanon’s Life and Works.” The American Music Teacher 58, no. 6 (Jun, 2009): 18-21. uc.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fman-behind-virtuoso-pianist-charles-louis-hanons%2Fdocview%2F217493040%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D2909.
“Charles-Louis Hanon.” In Wikipedia. Accessed February 27, 2023. wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Louis_Hanon
Dr. Curtis Pavey is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator. A performer of works from the 16th through the 21st centuries, he feels equally at home performing or teaching at the piano and the harpsichord. He is currently based in the Cincinnati area and maintains a private piano studio.
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of composer Mario Ruiz Armengol, who was born on March 17, 1914. A Mexican composer, Ruiz Armengol wrote a number of important piano works including a sonata, the 31 Piezas para niños, and 12 Estudios.
Ruiz Armengol was born into a large family in Veracruz, Mexico. His father was a famous pianist and conductor Don Ismael Ruiz Suárez. He began playing piano at the age of eight and also learned to play numerous wind instruments. His early studies occurred at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música. Throughout his life, he continued his studies and took lessons with famous Mexican composers José Rolón and Rodolfo Halffter.
Mario Ruiz Armengol through the years.
Ruiz Armengol’s music blossomed from an eclectic set of influences including classical, folk, and jazz music. He frequently performed folk music before becoming involved with XEW, a famous Mexican radio station, in 1931.1 During this time, he became acquainted with a number of important classical singers and was well known as an expert accompanist.
The “Presto” finale from Ruiz Armengol’s Piano Sonata (1971)performed by Claudia Corona.
As a composer, Ruiz Armengol wrote music for young pianists and for virtuosos. His 31 Piezas para niños, features 31 short, pedagogical pieces that explore a diverse range of concepts for developing pianists. His Piano Sonata from 1971 is a virtuosic work in three movements that lasts about ten minutes. The finale, marked “Presto,” contains sprightly and vigorous passagework for the pianist. In addition to these large collections, he also wrote miniatures such as Las frías montañas (The Cold Mountains), which contains beautiful, long melodic lines. Because of his use of interesting harmonic progressions, Duke Ellington among others called Ruiz Armengol ‘Mr. Harmony!’2
Ruiz Armengol’s Las frías montañas performed by Jorge Eduardo.
Sources
Ricardo Miranda Pérez, “Ruiz Armengol, Mario,” Grove Music Online, 2001; Accessed 17 Feb. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000046061.
Mario Ruiz Armengol, “Mario Ruiz Armengol, Excelso Músico Mexicano, Orgullosamente Veracruzano.” 2004, Accessed July 10, 2022, mruizarmengol.com/.
Pérez, Ricardo Miranda. “Ruiz Armengol, Mario.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 17 Feb. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000046061.
Dr. Curtis Pavey is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator. A performer of works from the 16th through the 21st centuries, he feels equally at home performing or teaching at the piano and the harpsichord. He is currently based in the Cincinnati area and maintains a private piano studio.
Happy National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day! Created by the organization Black Women in Jazz, this day celebrates the remarkable impact of Black women in jazz and all the arts. Today, we are highlighting several Black women pianists and composers who have made special contributions to our field.
Nina Simone, born February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, was a jazz singer, pianist, and civil rights leader. A child prodigy, Simone studied at the Juilliard School of Music as a classical pianist before becoming interested in jazz composition. Simone recorded over forty albums and received four nominations for a Grammy Award. She received multiple honorary degrees from institutions including Amherst College, Malcolm X College, and The Curtis Institute of Music. One of her most significant works is “Mississippi Goddam, a song which reflected on murders of multiple Black people including Emmett Till. The song challenges listeners to consider the atrocities of racism in the United States. Interested to hear Simone perform this important song? Listen to this recording from 1964. Also, check out this article below about the Nina Simone Piano Competition, founded by pianist Awadagin Pratt.
Margaret Bonds’ Troubled Waters performed by pianist Samantha Ege.
Composer, pianist, and teacher Margaret Bonds was born on March 3, 1913 in Chicago, Illinois. Bonds is often connected to composer Florence Price, with whom she studied piano and composition throughout high school. She later performed Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, becoming the first African American soloist to perform with the orchestra.1 Bonds studied at Northwestern University as well as the Juilliard School of Music. While in New York City and Los Angeles, Bonds was active as a teacher and arts leader, creating performance opportunities for Black musicians in her community. She is well known especially for her spirituals, songs, and choral works. Interested to hear Bond’s famous composition Troubled Waters? Listen to this recording by pianist Samantha Ege.
Dr. Valerie Capers is a pianist, composer, and arts advisor. The first person to graduate from the Juilliard School of Music with a bachelor and master’s degree who is also blind, Capers has served as a faculty member for multiple important conservatories including the Manhattan School of Music and the City University of New York. She has received four honorary doctorates including an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Susquehanna University, recognizing her tremendous contributions to jazz and classical music. Capers is well-known for her intermediate-level collection titled Portraits in Jazz, which contains twelve pieces in varying jazz styles. Want to learn more about Caper’s life as a musician and composer? Watch this video in which she shares her experiences.
Dr. Valerie Capers shares about her life and her music.
The New York Philharmonic rehearses Tania León’s Pulitzer-Prize winning piece, Stride.
Originally from Havana, Cuba, Tania León is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer as well as a conductor and educator. Among her many other awards are four honorary doctorates from conservatories such as Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Curtis Institute of Music. Beginning in September 2023, León will serve as Composer-in-Residence for the London Philharmonic Orchestra for two seasons. Her compositions can be heard by top-tier orchestras around the world including the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to her accomplishments as a composer, León has served as a founding member of several important arts organizations including Composers Now, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Son Sonora Ensemble. Interested in hearing some of her work? Listen to this excerpt from rehearsals for her Pulitzer Prize-winning work Stride, performed by the New York Philharmonic.
Currently serving as the Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies at The Curtis Institute of Music, Michelle Cann has performed with orchestras around the world including the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others. In 2022, the Sphinx Organization recognized her accomplishments, awarding her their 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence. Since 2016, Cann has championed the Piano Concerto in One Movement by Florence Price, whose music she frequently performs. Besides maintaining an active performance and teaching career, Cann helps create opportunities for young musicians in Philadelphia. She has served in the organization Play on Philly, directing multiple children’s choruses. Want to hear one of Cann’s performances? Listen to this recording of her performing Florence Price’s Sonata in E Minor.
Michelle Cann performs Florence Price’s Piano Sonata in E Minor.
Barbara Garvey Jackson and Dominique-René de Lerma, “Bonds [Richardson], Margaret Allison,” Grove Music Online, 30 Sep. 2020; Accessed 17 Feb. 2023, oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-90000318953.
Jackson, Barbara Garvey, and Dominique-René de Lerma. “Bonds [Richardson], Margaret Allison.” Grove Music Online. 30 Sep. 2020; Accessed 17 Feb. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-90000318953.
Neal, Mark Anthony. “Simone, Nina.” Grove Music Online. 31 Jan. 2014; Accessed 17 Feb. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002258277.
Tucker, Sherrie. “Women in jazz.” Grove Music Online. 2003; Accessed 17 Feb. 2023. oxfordmusiconline-com.uc.idm.oclc.org/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-2000730100.
We encourage you to watch Regina Tanujaya’s archived webinar here: “Piano Music by Composers of Asian Heritage, Part 2,” who’s joined by Chee-Hwa Tan and Li-Ly Chang, and Luis Sanchez. This webinar shares appealing and accessible piano teaching music by composers of Asian heritage.
1.Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Debussy first heard the gamelan at the 1889 Paris World Exposition. In his “Pagodes,” the first piece of his solo piano work Estampes (1903), the influence of the gamelan sounds in his compositions are heard due to the use of pentatonic scales and the repetitive rhythmic patterns.
Debussy’s use of close intervals, a semitone or two semitones apart in this piece, could be an effort to imitate the gamelan’s unique tunings that do not exactly fit the western tuning system. With the help of the damper pedal, Debussy’s clusters emulated ambiguous pitches similar to the gamelan.
2. Leopold Godowsky(1870-1938)
Leopold Godowsky, a Polish-American composer, went to Indonesia and wanted to recreate his journey in music and wrote a set of pieces for solo piano called the Java Suite (1925). The first piece of the set is titled “Gamelan.” In his own description of the piece, he mentioned that “the sonority of the gamelan is so weird, spectral, fantastic, and bewitching… so elusive, vague, that on listening to this new world of sound, I lost my sense of reality, imagining myself in a realm of enchantment.”
Like Debussy, Godowsky also used small intervals to create clusters in an effort to mimic the ambiguity of pitches in gamelan music. Aside from the tunings, other distinctive qualities of the gamelan sound are the unique textures and repetitive rhythmic patterns. Godowsky captured that by incorporating repeated interlocking patterns and overlapping voices in this piece.
The sonority of the gamelan is so weird, spectral, fantastic, and bewitching… so elusive, vague, that on listening to this new world of sound, I lost my sense of reality, imagining myself in a realm of enchantment.
Leopold Godowsky
3. Henry Cowell(1897-1965)
Henry Cowell often listened to gamelan recordings and one of his piano works, The Fairy Bells (1928), clearly displays characteristics of gamelan. In this piece, the melody is produced by the right hand plucking strings inside the piano while the left hand plays constant parallel cluster chords underlying the melody. The sounds produced by plucking the strings inside the piano resemble the metallic sounds from the gamelan “xylophones” and the parallel cluster chords recreate the gamelan bell-like sounds.
Cowell was very influential to many other composers who later wrote for prepared piano, including John Cage and his work Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano, which has some traits of gamelan sounds.
4. Colin McPhee(1900-1964)
Colin McPhee, a Canadian composer, was not only influenced by the gamelan, but also lived in Bali, Indonesia for a while, studying the gamelan extensively. He incorporated substantial gamelan elements into his compositions and wrote significantly about the gamelan in books and in other writings.
McPhee transcribed gamelan sounds in many of his compositions and many of his best-known works are transcriptions of Balinese music. One of them is a two-piano piece, Balinese Ceremonial Music (1940). The use of two pianos aids in the evocation of the rhythmic complexity and multi-layered texture of the gamelan.
5. Lou Harrison(1917-2003)
Lou Harrison, an American composer, was a student of Henry Cowell. He read Colin McPhee’s articles on Balinese music. Harrison later became so fascinated by gamelan music that he composed many gamelan-inspired compositions and even composed for the gamelan orchestra. In one of his compositions for piano and gamelan orchestra, Concerto for Piano with Javanese Gamelan (1987), the piano must be tuned to an equal temperament to complement the gamelan’s unique tunings.
