Claude Debussy Commemorative Concert
Louisa Harmer, Piano*
John Kenneth Adams, Piano
Applegarth Studio
Brook Green, London, UK
November 4, 2012
Petite Suite
(arranged for two pianos by Henri Busser)
Ms. Harmer and Mr.Adams
Group of Five Preludes
Ms.Harmer
La Mer
(arranged for solo piano by Lucien Garban)
Mr. Adams
* (Ms.Harmer is a former student of Denise Lassimone)
Piano Portrait - "Liszt in Italy"
Charleston Southern University
Charleston, South Carolina
October 9, 2012
John Kenneth Adams, Piano
Myungsook Stoudenmire, Piano*
Eugene Koester, Piano*
Les jeux d'eau a la Villa d' Este
Gondoliera
Valse Impromptu
Mr. Adams
Sposalizio
Ms. Stoudenmire
Sonetto del Petrarca 104
Mr. Koester
* (Ms.Stoudenmire and Mr.Koester are former students of John Kenneth Adams,
both currently on the piano faculty at Charleston Southern University)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
To Bach Again!
A summer of notes. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Or rather, old dogs
know most of the tricks, but sometimes have trouble remembering what they actually are!
I spent a long summer at home, I think the first time I have ever stayed in Columbia for the whole time. I have several projects on the fire, but two have taken most of
my time. The first one has been learning four Preludes and Fugues from Bach's WTC II.
I always stayed close to WTC I in my teaching, finding the Preludes especially useful
in building up quick thinking and strong fingers. The distance up to WTC II is over
twenty years, and they are totally different in many aspects. One of the most striking ways is the stronger connection between the Prelude and its accompanying Fugue. Also, the counterpoint of the Fugues is more chromatic and challenging in its execution. There is also a very Italian feel to the vocal lines, reflecting Bach's deep study of Italian religous works in preparation for his great Passions and Mass. Many of the Fugues call out for texts derived from the liturgy. Bach is still up to his borrowing of themes, or outright theft, for instance the subject of the Fugue in E Major, taken from Johann Fischer and his Adriana Musica.
After reviewing Bach recordings by the most successful of the current crop, and also returning to some favorites from the past, I was struck more than ever by the wide
choices still open to us today. One can easily throw up ones hands (hopefully not while
playing!). I have zeroed in on articulation and fingerings. If we actually do what
Bach implies in his figurations, we must have incredible control, and patience in
the learning process. Great care must be taken in understanding the principles of
holding notes, especially with the thumb, while playing rapid figurations with the
other fingers...in other words...learning to play on both sides of the hand without
developing undue tension and stress. So, you think, just put the pedal down and let
it hold everything. Disaster looms! Instead, you must often pass the fourth finger over
the firth finger, devise quick finger substitutions, break up some knotty places by
taking a note with the opposite hand, and not relying on the pedal, except in special
circumstances.
How much easier it is to just pedal away in Bach. I was often startled by teachers
who would ask me if I used the pedal in Bach, or just left it out altogether. I guess
the answer to this is just how much blur can you endure! What I actually do is hard
to teach. I use the pedal in tiny dabs, almost like a glue gun, where I can bind a
note to another in an instant, or connect a far flung line. What I do NOT do is just
pedal away, with no thought about purity of line and clarity of counterpoint. I think
of Bach has layers of voices, each with its distinct character and articulation.
This raises the question of the early instruments versus the piano. I think Bach is
wonderful on any instrument, and the piano adds its own dimension. What is most important is to do the scholarship for an enlightened performance, but be catholic
enough in taste that you can take inspiration from varying viewpoints. What I want
to avoid is becoming trapped in dogmatic arguments that squeeze all the life out of
the music.
Wanda Landowska was the wonderful soul who revived the harpsichord in France between
the world wars. She actually had her instruments souped up to the hilt. She was not only advancing her own knowledge and performance practices, but she was also stirring
up a public uninitiated in both the literature and the instrument. She took rather
bold action to get herself extablished at a time when Baroque music was in the background. In our time, Glenn Gould established a new goal post for the playing
field. He was equally as bold as Landowska and to some a radical. Since those heady
days of his first "Goldberg Variationa" things have leveled off, and scholarship has
made incredible advances. But it also remains true that many still teach Bach from
poor editions, or ones that are so heavily edited you lose track of where to look.
The answer to all this is to set a plan of self directed study, and work from an urtext
score. Take advantage of all the main editions, especially suggestions for fingering.
I found a copy of Gabriel Faure's Well Tempered Clavier which has the most incredible
fingerings, and as he was very adept at the organ, a lot of these fingerings are
based on organ techiques. Another rather lost edition is by Alfredo Casella, published by Ricordi. I find his edition comforting and brilliantly realized.
In conclusion, I find there is always intense interest from teachers in the execution
of ornamentation, but rarely any interest in articulation. That is because to get
interested in articulation, you have to develop your own criteria, or for want of a
dangerous word, PHILOSOPHY. You must go back and study the earlier writings of Forkel,C.P.E. Bach, Schweitzer, Tovey, Landowska, Edwin Fischer, et alia, and be amazed at the completeness of their vision and boldness of approach. Only then can one begin to dig into the present.
(to be concluded..
know most of the tricks, but sometimes have trouble remembering what they actually are!
I spent a long summer at home, I think the first time I have ever stayed in Columbia for the whole time. I have several projects on the fire, but two have taken most of
my time. The first one has been learning four Preludes and Fugues from Bach's WTC II.
I always stayed close to WTC I in my teaching, finding the Preludes especially useful
in building up quick thinking and strong fingers. The distance up to WTC II is over
twenty years, and they are totally different in many aspects. One of the most striking ways is the stronger connection between the Prelude and its accompanying Fugue. Also, the counterpoint of the Fugues is more chromatic and challenging in its execution. There is also a very Italian feel to the vocal lines, reflecting Bach's deep study of Italian religous works in preparation for his great Passions and Mass. Many of the Fugues call out for texts derived from the liturgy. Bach is still up to his borrowing of themes, or outright theft, for instance the subject of the Fugue in E Major, taken from Johann Fischer and his Adriana Musica.
After reviewing Bach recordings by the most successful of the current crop, and also returning to some favorites from the past, I was struck more than ever by the wide
choices still open to us today. One can easily throw up ones hands (hopefully not while
playing!). I have zeroed in on articulation and fingerings. If we actually do what
Bach implies in his figurations, we must have incredible control, and patience in
the learning process. Great care must be taken in understanding the principles of
holding notes, especially with the thumb, while playing rapid figurations with the
other fingers...in other words...learning to play on both sides of the hand without
developing undue tension and stress. So, you think, just put the pedal down and let
it hold everything. Disaster looms! Instead, you must often pass the fourth finger over
the firth finger, devise quick finger substitutions, break up some knotty places by
taking a note with the opposite hand, and not relying on the pedal, except in special
circumstances.
How much easier it is to just pedal away in Bach. I was often startled by teachers
who would ask me if I used the pedal in Bach, or just left it out altogether. I guess
the answer to this is just how much blur can you endure! What I actually do is hard
to teach. I use the pedal in tiny dabs, almost like a glue gun, where I can bind a
note to another in an instant, or connect a far flung line. What I do NOT do is just
pedal away, with no thought about purity of line and clarity of counterpoint. I think
of Bach has layers of voices, each with its distinct character and articulation.
This raises the question of the early instruments versus the piano. I think Bach is
wonderful on any instrument, and the piano adds its own dimension. What is most important is to do the scholarship for an enlightened performance, but be catholic
enough in taste that you can take inspiration from varying viewpoints. What I want
to avoid is becoming trapped in dogmatic arguments that squeeze all the life out of
the music.
Wanda Landowska was the wonderful soul who revived the harpsichord in France between
the world wars. She actually had her instruments souped up to the hilt. She was not only advancing her own knowledge and performance practices, but she was also stirring
up a public uninitiated in both the literature and the instrument. She took rather
bold action to get herself extablished at a time when Baroque music was in the background. In our time, Glenn Gould established a new goal post for the playing
field. He was equally as bold as Landowska and to some a radical. Since those heady
days of his first "Goldberg Variationa" things have leveled off, and scholarship has
made incredible advances. But it also remains true that many still teach Bach from
poor editions, or ones that are so heavily edited you lose track of where to look.
The answer to all this is to set a plan of self directed study, and work from an urtext
score. Take advantage of all the main editions, especially suggestions for fingering.
I found a copy of Gabriel Faure's Well Tempered Clavier which has the most incredible
fingerings, and as he was very adept at the organ, a lot of these fingerings are
based on organ techiques. Another rather lost edition is by Alfredo Casella, published by Ricordi. I find his edition comforting and brilliantly realized.
In conclusion, I find there is always intense interest from teachers in the execution
of ornamentation, but rarely any interest in articulation. That is because to get
interested in articulation, you have to develop your own criteria, or for want of a
dangerous word, PHILOSOPHY. You must go back and study the earlier writings of Forkel,C.P.E. Bach, Schweitzer, Tovey, Landowska, Edwin Fischer, et alia, and be amazed at the completeness of their vision and boldness of approach. Only then can one begin to dig into the present.
(to be concluded..
Monday, June 25, 2012
Hail to Thee...Master CLass!
Remember that scary play "Master Class", all about Maria Callas tormenting young
singers while flipping the channels of her life story? The thought of it went through
my mind more than once the past couple of weeks, while doing master classes for the
South Eastern Piano Festival at USC Columbia, as well as at the Charleston Soutern
Piano Camp at Charleston Southern University. There was one thread that seemed to run
through all the students, and that was the high level of preparation and concentration on the task at hand. I am not a tormentor I hope, but I do think most anyone in that
situation is already nervous and apprehensive and it is my duty to relax them in every way possible so they can open up and do their best.
A master class for me is more about encouragement more than any other single aspect. Obviously the students have worked hard to get to the stage, and I certainly cannot decide in a single sitting if they have the type of talent to go to the top, or perhaps that they might be headed the other way! All one can deal with is what is heard at that moment, be it an up day, or a down day. So it is more like asking the same question over and over..."Are you aware that you are.......?" Once made aware, then one has to offer a solution. That's where the fun starts.
It is certain there are things best not addressed in a master class. Top of the list
would be fingerings. The moment you draw attention to fingering the pianists tend to freeze up. Then there is the quesion of changing a basic technical aspect. Other than just casual remarks that can cause the participant to at least think about technical solutions, it is again best to not try to teach technique in front of an audience. The same goes for pedaling. Many pianist unfortunately have poor pedal techniques, most using a rather generic pedaling technique that has very little room to manuveur.
So just what CAN one do in a master class. I find the most important one thing is to get a hold of the student's imagination by whatever means possible. This is where a limitless vocabulary by the master teacher comes into play. One plays against the personality of the student, probing here and yon for clues to how they THINK! As they relax one can begin to judge how they use their body, how they tend to think musically, and what are their strongest/weakess links to the score at hand.
Its all rather like Plato..."Study the Object at Hand", the object being the STUDENT!
Just the pointing out of a few simple laws of music can transform a performance in
a matter of minutes into a whole new vista of what is possible. I often think that
the things that have helped me the most to be a better musician, have occured by
almost idle comments from others, professionals as well as amateurs. At the top of the list is a "salient example" by a master teacher at exactly the right moment for permament absorption!
singers while flipping the channels of her life story? The thought of it went through
my mind more than once the past couple of weeks, while doing master classes for the
South Eastern Piano Festival at USC Columbia, as well as at the Charleston Soutern
Piano Camp at Charleston Southern University. There was one thread that seemed to run
through all the students, and that was the high level of preparation and concentration on the task at hand. I am not a tormentor I hope, but I do think most anyone in that
situation is already nervous and apprehensive and it is my duty to relax them in every way possible so they can open up and do their best.
A master class for me is more about encouragement more than any other single aspect. Obviously the students have worked hard to get to the stage, and I certainly cannot decide in a single sitting if they have the type of talent to go to the top, or perhaps that they might be headed the other way! All one can deal with is what is heard at that moment, be it an up day, or a down day. So it is more like asking the same question over and over..."Are you aware that you are.......?" Once made aware, then one has to offer a solution. That's where the fun starts.
It is certain there are things best not addressed in a master class. Top of the list
would be fingerings. The moment you draw attention to fingering the pianists tend to freeze up. Then there is the quesion of changing a basic technical aspect. Other than just casual remarks that can cause the participant to at least think about technical solutions, it is again best to not try to teach technique in front of an audience. The same goes for pedaling. Many pianist unfortunately have poor pedal techniques, most using a rather generic pedaling technique that has very little room to manuveur.
So just what CAN one do in a master class. I find the most important one thing is to get a hold of the student's imagination by whatever means possible. This is where a limitless vocabulary by the master teacher comes into play. One plays against the personality of the student, probing here and yon for clues to how they THINK! As they relax one can begin to judge how they use their body, how they tend to think musically, and what are their strongest/weakess links to the score at hand.
Its all rather like Plato..."Study the Object at Hand", the object being the STUDENT!
Just the pointing out of a few simple laws of music can transform a performance in
a matter of minutes into a whole new vista of what is possible. I often think that
the things that have helped me the most to be a better musician, have occured by
almost idle comments from others, professionals as well as amateurs. At the top of the list is a "salient example" by a master teacher at exactly the right moment for permament absorption!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Letter From London
London in May was suddenly hot, which makes Mad Dogs and Englishmen seem quite true. Looking out my window onto Green Park found masses of people trying to make it into
the Riviera, or at least the Costa Brava. The days leading up to the Jubilee seemed to
find the English happy with their Queen, and indeed, photos of Elizabeth and Phillip showing them walking up or down airplane stairs without so much of a holding on, instead straight down the middle, would seem to say they are both amazingly fit. There was not so much decoration around, the thought being on village parties, especially
"The Long Table" set for this weekend, where everyone in the UK sits down to celebrate with Coronation Chicken, that famous Constance Spry recipe from the Queen's Coronation Celebration....seems like yesterday. You would have to enjoy that blend of curry, apricot, mayonaise, chicken and rice...rather a dated affair, but I still fix it, and will do so this weekend.
I visited my friends at Attadale Gardens in Scotland. Nickie Macpherson has the artist;s eye, and has transformed this estate into the most popular garden in Scotland. Taking a chalenging landscape of hillsides, rock cliffs, meadows and bogs, she has created a series of gardens witnin a garden. I like best the original rhododendrum planting, all brought from the Himalayas in the 19th Century. They are all towering trees now, and looking ar the tops full of bloom, the eye is carried up rock cliffs, where all firs and decidious trees tower at the top...over 150 feet above you. It is rather like a Chinese scroll painting from ancient times.
This part of Scotland is very wild, and one goes miles at times with only barren hills and lochs, with great penensula jutting out into the Atlantic, even wilder still. I love the little train that goes from Inverness to Attadale, having to request a stop at Attadale, where the estate station sits beside Loch Carron. You have to make sure you are at the head of the train when you alight, as the platform is only one car in length, otherwise you plunge into the void. I noticed many Japanese are now discovering this area to tour, and in fact, Attadale with its Japanese Garden is a magnet.
This was not a musical trip for once, and I didn't see a piano the whole time, which is
good for the body in general. I never seem to have to search again for my fingers after a break, and I attribute this to the Matthay technique of relaxation. When I have a moment in the days ahead, I will comment on Stephen Siek's new bio of Matthay, which reveals an astounding amount of detail about his life, and the politics of music in London at the turn of the last century. Thought provoking, and worthy of a long article. Be back soon!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
"La Mer" in Charlotte
A wild, wind-swept drive to Charlotte March 2 found me fighting pounding rain and black clouds trailing omnious fingers. I was a month earlier than expected, when a last minute cancellation brought a call the day before, asking if I could trade places with the March 2 presenter, rather than coming March 30, as planned. Since I had just been in Charlotte the week before, and stopped by Miller Pianos to try out the piano, I decided I was ready...so go for it. I last played for the Charlotte Piano Forum about 40 years ago!...right after I came to USC. At that time we were a very small music departmant, with a low profile. What a surprise to find our USC School of Music is a recognized force; many people told me of family members or friends who have attended USC, and several had students there at present. The best thing was the respect for our piano program, and several teachers told me they had students planning to audition for scholarships. So I felt at home, and could communicate easily with the group assembled to hear Debussy's "La Mer".
Audiences are surprised with this Lucien Garban arrangement of the orchestral score. As I may have mentioned before, Garban was an editor for Durand and Sons, the Paris publishing house for Debussy and Ravel, and a host of other famous French composers. He was a close friend of Ravel, and there is a letter from Ravel to Garban in my Collection of French Music in the USC Music Library. He made this arrangement in 1938, and I had never heard it performed publicly when I started learning it about one year ago. I am sorry now I didn't learn it years ago, as i could have enjoyed introducing it over the years.
Judging from the comments I received, i think many teachers are somewhat uncomfortable with teaching Debussy as he does not give any pedal indications, and certainly no fingerings. It's all up to "the ear" and one's sense of style. I promised to return and give a class on these points, with approachable literature for intermediate students. It is so interesting to me how Germanic our approach to muisc remains in the USA, but that was the early prevailing influence.
The Charlotte Symphony will perform "La Mer" this coming season in honor of the 150th Anniversary of his birth.
Audiences are surprised with this Lucien Garban arrangement of the orchestral score. As I may have mentioned before, Garban was an editor for Durand and Sons, the Paris publishing house for Debussy and Ravel, and a host of other famous French composers. He was a close friend of Ravel, and there is a letter from Ravel to Garban in my Collection of French Music in the USC Music Library. He made this arrangement in 1938, and I had never heard it performed publicly when I started learning it about one year ago. I am sorry now I didn't learn it years ago, as i could have enjoyed introducing it over the years.
Judging from the comments I received, i think many teachers are somewhat uncomfortable with teaching Debussy as he does not give any pedal indications, and certainly no fingerings. It's all up to "the ear" and one's sense of style. I promised to return and give a class on these points, with approachable literature for intermediate students. It is so interesting to me how Germanic our approach to muisc remains in the USA, but that was the early prevailing influence.
The Charlotte Symphony will perform "La Mer" this coming season in honor of the 150th Anniversary of his birth.
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