An invitation to play and lecture for the Alabama State Music Teachers Convention in Jacksonville made for a great visit to the land of my youth. Having lived in Birmingham until the age of 13, I was eager to see if any traces of those years still abounded. The weather was hot...and that means hotter than Columbia, which is a stretch. The plus side is that the Jacksonville State campus is surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in Alabama, so everywhere you look brings a new vista. But.. those cooling mountain breezes were on vacation.
I was asked to speak about how I go about finding a concept in a piece of music, one that I could pass on to the student in such a way as to help them learn useful learning tools. That seems logical enough in concept..(no pun intended)..but in reality was a great challenge. I opted for the deeper route, hoping my reliance on simple tools to solve complex issues would hold up. The other thing was, it was a richly illustrated presentation, meaning hands were on the keys the whole time, yet the audience had no score. So every example had to be clear and focused, and not too long. I choose the Brahms Intermezzo in B Flat Minor, Opus 117 as the opening work.
It didn't take me long to discover that it was a complex piece, hidden under a beautiful, moving melodic line. Finding just that small cell of notes at the beginning lead me on a journey of discovery that I was able to share. It always amazes me how complex Brahms really is, and yet how approachable.
I moved on to the Schubert Impromptu in G Flat Major, and by contrast it could not have been more different from the Brahms. The main themes of my presentation began to clarify, and here one has to draw dramatic contrasts between major and minor, with mood changes very introspectively introduced. The repetitions in Schubert are an opportunity to expand not only the emotional content, but also challenge the player to find infinite variety of details to bring out or subdue.
The "Ondine" by Debussy finished up the presentation, and it proved a child of the Brahms in more ways than one. Like Brahms, Debussy's technique is very Beethoven in that he works with the smallest cells available, but they become transformed in an almost kaleidoscopic world of instant variation and new coloristic discoveries.
I had a rather plodding Steinway concert grand, that only yielded what I hoped for in short flashes. The main problem was a very uneven action, where every key seemed to have a different tone spot. I soon forgot about it and things went along acceptably, but I am spoiled by my own Steinway concert grand which is kept in excellent order.
Comments were surprising. Almost everyone spoke about the Brahms, and how moved they were by its profound spirit yet haunting melodic appeal. The comment about repetition in Schubert caused comments about my take on repeating sections in a Beethoven sonata, and how important they are in giving the proper weight to the depth of the composition. Viewing repeats as opportunity seemed to be a new insight to many. A prominent teacher from Birmingham made the comment that she was delighted to hear someone lecture and play with such obvious love for the music, and the relief she felt in being challenged intellectually. "Far too many come and say..do this, do that..don't do this.. but you avoided the commercial aspect with just good old fashioned common sense and love of the art" Thank you kindly, lady!
The comment that touched me most was from a long time Alabama teacher who said I should have never been allowed to leave Birmingham. That really touched me to the core. Thanks, Alabama, and God Bless.
