The Pianist's Craft 2: Mastering the Works of More Great Composers

(Hardback)

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In The Pianists Craft 2, pianist and scholar Richard P. Anderson gathers together a new collection of essays by renowned performing artists and teachers and discusses the preparation, pedagogy, and performance of selected works by an entirely different set of composers whose works are standard in the piano literature. In this volume, readers will find an invaluable collection of contributions on C.P.E. Bach, Antonio Soler, Felix Mendelssohn, Gabriel Faur, Erno Dohnnyi, Francis Poulenc, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Dmitri Kabalevsky, Alberto Ginastera, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Olivier Messiaen, and John Cage. The contributorsall nationally and internationally recognized as performing artists, teachers, recording artists, and clinicianswrite thoughtfully about the composers whose work they have studied and played for years. Each author addresses issues unique to an individual composer, examining questions of phrasing, tempo, articulation, dynamics, rhythm, color, gesture, lyricism, instrumentation, and genre. Valuable insight is provided into teaching, performing, and preparing these great worksinformation otherwise available only in conferences, master classes, and private lessons. This collection, with more than 250 musical illustrations, is intended for teachers and students of the intermediate and advanced levels of piano, instructors and performers at the university level, and those who love piano and piano music.

Reviews

Continuing what he began in The Pianists Craft, Anderson brings together 15 essaysall by concert pianists, recording artists, college professors, or scholarsabout specific composers and musical concepts. Anderson did not impose a particular format for these essays, so they vary significantly in length and depth of content. Some contributors provide a broad overview of their assigned composer/topic, whereas others go much more into detail on specific compositions. All of the essays are interesting to read, providing insights into performance practices from the perspective of a pianist who is well acquainted with the particular composers output. Some essays stand out: Barbara Nissman writes about Ginastera and her personal connection to him; Christopher Taylor provides a meticulous, in-depth look at Messiaens Vingt Regards; Alexandre Dossin takes on fellow Brazilian Villa-Lobos; and Robin Hancock provides a phrase-by-phrase dissection of the Soler Fandango. Also included is an appealing essay by Scott Holden on the importance of playing music by living composers. More than 260 musical illustrations are helpful in clarifying the concepts discussed. This is a book for those with significant piano background. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division through faculty and professionals. * CHOICE *

Author Bio

Richard P. Anderson is professor of piano at the School of Music of Brigham Young University. He teaches piano performance and pedagogy, serves as the group piano coordinator, and has taught music theory and composition. He is the editor of The Pianists Craft: Mastering the Works of Great Composers (Scarecrow Press, 2012), has published two college-level textbooks, and has contributed to Clavier and the Piano Pedagogy Forum. Contributors: Hilary Demske, Alexandre Dossin, Timothy Ehlen, Robin Hancock, Joel Hastings, Scott Holden, Caroline Hong, Jeffrey Jacob, David Korevaar, John Milbauer, Louis Nagel, Barbara Nissman, Timothy Shafer, Christopher Taylor, and Jerry Wong