Teaching qualities in piano works by Henryk Pachulski in the context of the development of piano technique in children and youth. Part 1

Henryk Pachulski (1852-1921) – a Polish composer, pianist, and teacher. He graduated from the Warsaw Institute of Music, having studied piano with Rudolf Strobl. His harmony and counterpoint teachers were Stanisław Moniuszko and Władysław Żeleński. After that, he studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Nicolai Rubinstein and then Pawel Pabst. He learnt harmony from E. L. Langer, then Anton Arensky with whom he also had a special course in counterpoint. In 1886 he started his teaching career at the Moscow Conservatory, which lasted over 30 years. He also performed as a pianist in Moscow, Petersburg, and Warsaw. Pachulski was acknowledged for his technical aptitude, but he gained the greatest recognition as a teacher and a composer. He created over a hundred piano works, including three sonatas, two cycles of variations, two polonaises, two mazurkas, three waltzes, preludes, studies, impromptus, and more. He also wrote chamber, vocal and orchestra compositions, as well as piano transcriptions for orchestra and chamber pieces. This article presents the composer’s music and teaching activity, it also touches on teaching qualities of his piano works. It pays special attention to technical aspects, and the analysis also covers the formal side of these compositions. While preparing the text, the author used information included in the Polish music press from the turn of the 20th century, music collection of the National Library in Warsaw, archive documents, and foreign sources.

The specific development of piano technique at secondary educational institutions of China and Russia: comparative analysis

The research object is the process of developing piano technique among students of secondary educational institutions (schools and colleges) in China and Russia. The article substantiates the methodological aspects of forming finger actions of college students necessary for performing musical pieces and dwells on the professional training of pianists in music academies of China and Russia. The authors of the article have drawn a number of conclusions. The work on musical technique in the Chinese secondary educational institutions is divided into several stages. Each stage focuses on the repetition of technical exercises and rote memorization. Western teachers consider this approach to learning unproductive, but it corresponds to such Chinese personality traits as diligence, hard work and perseverance. The article discusses effective teaching methods that allow the Chinese colleges to achieve high results in the professional training of pianists.

The specifics of the influence of the russian method of teaching piano on the professional training of pianists in China

The object of the research is the process of the formation of the piano performing school and the methods of teaching pianists in colleges and conservatories in China during the 20th century in the context of the influence of the Russian method of music education. The study reveals the reasons that led to the spread of the high finger technique and the corresponding teaching methodology, which determine the specifics of the formation of piano technique among piano students in China, as well as the obstacles that prevent the more active implementation of the technique of playing using the arm weight for more expressive interpretation of the compositions. The results of the study can be applied in assessing the prospects for the development of music education in China and finding ways to further improve it.

History of Piano Technique Development: Methodical Aspect

The history of the development of piano technique has been counting down since the 17th century. The most common keyboard instruments before the invention of the piano were the harpsichord, clavicord and organ. These early instruments had much lighter keys compared to modern ones. Therefore, performers could easily press the keys without feeling much resistance. With the advent of the piano, both the playing technique and the training technique for professional pianists and amateurs began to be reviewed. Musicians, summarizing their own performing experience, wrote treatises, textbooks and manuals, looking for the most effective method of mastering the technique of playing the keyboard instrument. In history, there are two schools of piano technique: the so-called school of “high lifting of fingers” and “playing with all the weight of the hand”. This work is devoted to the history of the development of these schools and methodological approaches to piano training. The views on piano technique that developed in the 18th–20th centuries, which were reflected in the textbooks of pianistsperformers and teachers, help to understand how to perform music of a particular period and what finger technique to use for a perfect interpretation of piano works of the past.

Ancient Music in the Piano Transcriptions by Serhii Yushkevych

Relevance of the study. A new wave of creative interest in the piano transcription combines the constructive and destructive vectors of the development. In the performing sphere the former stimulate the search for original ways of presenting the personal “I”. The destructive influence is connected with the possible hyperbolization of any artistic ideas. The presented problematic situation determines the relevance of the topic of the article: the transcription legacy of the renowned Kharkiv pianist-pedagogue Serhiy Yushkevych still remains little studied in domestic art history.Main objective of the study. The objective of the research is concluded in comprehending the stylistic dominants of S. Yushkevych’s transcriptional approach.Methodology. The research is based on the principles of an integrated approach that motivates appealing to the genre, stylistic, intonation, structural-functional, compositional-dramaturgical and comparative-interpretative methods of analysis. The biographical method is used to provide additional important informational data Results and conclusions. Transcriptions demonstrate not only the aesthetic preferences and stylistic guidelines of a particular era (according to B. Borodin), but also the individual performing and interpreting tendencies of the transcriptor himself. This allows considering transcriptions as the key to understanding a musician’s artistic credo. S. Yushkevych’s transcriptional interests include the works of composers of the Baroque and Romantic eras, Soviet-era music, and Ukrainian folklore; he is attracted by various samples of orchestral, organ-harpsichord and vocal music. The transcriptions of the “Badinerie” collection can be divided into three groups: 1) ancient music; 2) the compositions which in the original are intended for the voice with accompaniment; 3) Ukrainian music. A significant role in understanding the creative search is played by the interpretation of Yushkevych-pianist.The specificity of the transcriptional style of the Kharkiv maestro lies in the ability to create the “sound op-art” with the help of typical formulas of piano technique (similar to the op-art by V. Vasarely). This is reflected in his own system of means of expression, the specifics of the texture and register distribution of the artistic material, the use of polyphony as a technique of additional ornament, the embodiment of various acoustic effects and more. This creates a different type of the pianosound relief. The stylistic features of S. Yushkevych’s transcript handwriting are: the special register framing of the composition, the multi-layered nature of piano texture, the openness to timbre orchestration, the use of quartet writing peculiarities, the tessitura fragmentation of thematic complex, the intonation-motive detailing of musical fabric and a significant freedom from the author’s remarks. The pianism itself is the main “factor of influence” and is a representative of the individual style.

I. B. KRAMER’S PIANO WORK IN THE ASPECT OF INTERRELATION OF PERFORMANCE AND COMPOSITION

Background. The article is devoted to the piano work of the famous English pianist, teacher and composer Johann Baptist Kramer (1771–1858), whose 250th anniversary is celebrated in 2021. I. B. Kramer, like other pianists of the late XVIII – early XIX centuries, tried to solve a significant problem – mastering the basics of composition, its laws, principles, techniques, their combination with the game nature and capabilities of the piano. Objectives. The purpose of the article is to reveal the relationship between performing and compositional means in I. B. Kramer’s piano works. Methods. The basis of the methodology is a systematic approach, through which musicological research methods are combined with historical ones. The main document of the era in the field of musicological research is the musical text, so the analysis of musical works is carried out from the standpoint of performance at the levels of performing technical means, musical thinking of the composer and performer. Other components of the texture, the development of its individual layers in the whole system, as well as the coverage of one or another feature of the playing nature of the piano are also taken into account. Conclusions. I. B. Kramer’s pedagogical system is considered, which is a system of technical means of performance, which contributed to the embodiment of the game nature of the instrument. In works of art, the composer used these techniques as needed to create a certain figurative sphere. Analyzed “Pathetic Fantasy” op. 87 (1837), four notebooks Suite – arrangements for piano chamber works of classical composers, where the composer embodied ensemble thinking on the piano, introduced the principles of dialogicity and comparison of registers as a method of artistic development of musical material. Results. Continuing the work of his teacher M. Clementi, I. B. Kramer contributed to the development of concert activities in Europe, the differentiation of pedagogy, performance and composition into independent musical activities. His methodical works and opuses of etudes were the basis of pedagogy for the next generations of pianists, defined the foundations of piano pedagogy as a scientific discipline. The piano instructional material created by I. B. Kramer allowed to master the techniques of piano playing in a short time. Along with L. V. Beethoven, I. B. Kramer made an important contribution to deepening the content of musical works by means of composer’s writing. The perfection of the presentation of piano technique had a positive effect on the development of compositional techniques in the works of the musician – the development of contrasting themes, the principles of development of musical material, the improvement of musical forms. The sphere of dramatic pathos and heroism defined the image of pathos in music, which corresponded to the possibilities of the instrument and at the same time contributed to the formation of a romantic style in piano art.

Didactic qualities of piano pieces for children by Miłosz Magin (1929-1999)

Miłosz Magin was a renowned Polish pianist and composer. He was born in Łódź, studied in Warsaw, was a prizewinner of several international piano competitions, successfully concerted all over the world and in 1960 he finally settled down in Paris. His compositional output covers numerous piano pieces, orchestral, chamber and vocal works, as well as a ballet. Pieces for children constitute an important and relatively large part of his oeuvre. The article discusses five cycles of miniatures (38 pieces in total), dedicated to pupils at the elementary level of piano learning: Obrazki z Polski (1982), Miniatury polskie (1982), Kółko graniaste (1987), Karnawał lalek for four hands (1990) and Zaczarowane zabawki (1996). The pieces have didactic qualities and play the two roles: they gradually introduce a pupil into the world of music and they help to master the piano technique. They develop, in particular, fingers’ dexterity, chordal and arpeggio technique, precision while realization various rhythmic structures, mastery of large leaps on the keyboard. Performing Magin’s music sensitizes to the timbre of pitches in different registers, to changeable dynamics, original harmony, bitonality, phrasing, articulation, agogic and proper interpretation. His compositions develop children’s imagination and familiarize them with diverse timbres of the piano. They are little masterpieces, put into a terse form of a miniature.

Nannette and Johann Andreas Streicher - their role in shaping musical life in Vienna in the early 19th century

Nannette and Andreas Streicher were important figures in the musical life of Vienna in the early 19th century. The article introduces their profiles, describes the history of their company, their social, cultural and teaching activity as well as different types of artistic activity. It also explains how keyboard instruments shaped sound and aesthetics-related piano ideals at the turn of the 19th century. The versatile activity of the Streichers, which first of all included instrument building, piano play- ing, composition, teaching and organisation of musical life, made a great contribution to Europe’s cultural heritage. We can notice their numerous connections with outstanding figures of musical life of that time, one that deserves particular attention is their acquaintance with Beethoven. Nannette Streicher was an extremely talented builder who not only coped with the typically masculine craft at that time, but she was also significantly successful in that field. Her instruments were popular, earning general recognition, and the innovative solutions introduced by her also influenced the work of other builders and further development of the piano. Their marriage became the basis for a very fruitful cooperation. Andreas’s numerous connections and his familiarity with the community became an important part of the activity of the company and contributed to its development. Nannette and Andreas shared their passion and passed it on to their son Johann Baptist, who successfully continued their piano making tradition and introduced further improvements, earning a great reputation as well. Social, cultural and teaching activities of the Streichers also played an important role in the musical life of Vienna. Andreas Streicher taught his students the secrets of piano technique and apart from that he shaped their musical and aesthetical awareness. His Kurze Bemerkungen are a valuable source of knowledge also for modern-time performers who can – thanks to this text – learn more about the piano playing aesthetics at the turn of the 19th century as well as a number of universal music and performance topics, which remain accurate to this day. Concerts organised in their house had an educational function too, on the one hand they shaped the tastes of music lovers and supported composers, allowing them to present their latest pieces, and on the other hand they contributed to the promotion of young performers for whom concerts there were often the first step leading towards Vienna’s professional musical stage. The development of the topic of the article in this issue of “Notes Muzyczny” is the trans- lation of the text by Andreas Streicher entitled: Some observations on the playing, tuning and maintenance of pianos built in Vienna by Nannette Streicher nee Stein.

Fizjologia i ergonomia gry na fortepianie

Ergonomics and Physiology of Piano Playing Much has been said about performance, styles and interpretation. However, we should ask ourselves where they come from, what they depend on, and what factors influence them. The answer is much more complex. This article deals with the problem of piano technique as an element on which interpretation, sound and expression depend to a large extent. The piano is an instrument with incredible tonal possibilities, but it requires fingering skills, the ability to “feel” the key and certain physical strength which is directly related to the technique we use. Achieving a high level in playing requires years of diligent work, perseverance and determination. Technical proficiency, in turn, facilitates the expression and appropriate interpretation, in line with the style of a given musical period and the feelings of the pianist-performer. So we are talking about two things that inexorably influence each other – the workshop and its result, the hape of latter depends largely on the first. This article deepens the knowledge of piano workshop so that in the end nothing comes in the way between performers, listeners and music.