I thought it would never happen! An instant banishment from cyber-space! Mozart's beloved Andante from Sonata K. 283 was the victim of pure and simple tyranny by the you tube police! The stand-in argonaut imperialist Hyperion, a recording company whose reach extended above and beyond PUBLIC DOMAIN, wrenched my upload from its earthly existence with… Continue reading Would Mozart believe he was “banned” worldwide?!
Joyce Di Donato, "lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano," is my model for trilling. In an embedded you tube video, the opera singer emphasizes the undulating character of a beautifully executed trill that leans on the upper note. (Too often pianists deliver a robotic stream of alternating notes that's shapeless and out of breath, ignoring an internal flow and… Continue reading Piano Technique: Trills and the vocal model
After my review of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Drawing Room" Sonata K. 545 in C, Allegro, I discovered by comparison that the opening movement of K. 332 in F Major, had a more complex mosaic. In the short space of its nearly three page exposition, K. 332's multiple themes weave through markedly contrasting sections. *A Sturm… Continue reading Thoughts on learning Mozart Sonata No. 12 in F, K. 332 (first movement)
Each teaching encounter brings a new awakening. A composition that's been practiced to death, taught times over, recorded, retired and reviewed, can still experience a rebirth when a student embarks upon his/her individual musical journey. It's like a parent (mentor) reliving one's own childhood by having children. On Skype today, a pupil who had conscientiously… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Mozart Rondo, Allegretto- Sonata K. 545 with a pedal pushback to Andante
While we all experience head on collisions with tricky measures despite our best efforts to avoid repeated catastrophes, (through careful, methodical practicing) there comes a time, to let go, and give the whole undertaking a rest. In my case, it was at least a year before I revisited the last part of Mozart's Rondo: Allegro,… Continue reading Never say never to a finger-trapping passage (Mozart Rondo: Allegro K. 545)-Video
I haven't mastered the split screen on iMovie 11, but I decided to aim my camcorder at Mac and Steinway to get the same effect. Basically I recorded Primo first and on playback added Secondo to Mozart's final 4-hand movement, Sonata 1, K.318-Allegro Molto. Needless to say, it's valuable to learn both parts when contemplating… Continue reading Mac, me and Mozart: a continuing 4-hand journey
Last night, I challenged myself to have a double duo identity. I separately recorded the bass and treble parts of Mozart's Sonata No. 1, K. 318, scored for 4-hands at one piano. Logistics-wise, I had to decide which part to render first as the playback for the other's insertion. But that wasn't fair to either… Continue reading When two hands play a 4-hand Mozart Sonata
I have four piano students in rehab who are grappling with metrical issues. They might start with a healthy quarter note in a five-finger position warm-up; manage proportioned 8th notes, but totally relapse playing 16ths. That's when their confidence sinks to new lows. It's just in time for the metronome, not used as a crutch,… Continue reading Adult student Rhythmic REHAB
Murray Perahia clarified the "singing pulse" when he discussed a form of rubato, or flexible time that he believed could apply to Classical era repertoire. In an interview conducted by Sir Dennis Forman in the 1980s, the pianist, known as a formidable musical poet of his generation, discussed the Mozart Concerto No. 21 in C,… Continue reading Practicing a Mozart Andante movement, using a “singing pulse”
