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.
