Tag Archives: Composers
I would have towered over Beethoven
… by an inch and a smidge. _____________________________________________________________ Image: via Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Posted in Beethoven, Music History, Music Humour
Tagged Classical music, Composers, Music Humour
12 Comments
A composer’s prerogative
I quite enjoy reading pianist/composer/writer Stephen Hough’s posts on culture at The Telegraph; I also follow him on Twitter. He commented on learning one of his own compositions – his 2nd Sonata – in preparation for an upcoming recital in … Continue reading
Musings on Chopin: It’s a Wrap.
And there we have it. I’ve sight-read through most of Chopin’s solo piano music – all the Preludes, Etudes, Nocturnes, Waltzes, Ballades, Impromptus, Mazurkas and a few miscellaneous pieces (notably absent – the Polonaises and Sonatas). Definite favourites have emerged … Continue reading
Posted in Musings about Chopin, Sight Reading
Tagged Composers, Frederic Chopin, Sight Reading
3 Comments
So what’s MY problem?
Credit goes to David McKay, a piano teacher in Australia, for this post. He was one of my first blog followers and has contributed numerous comments, made suggestions, and is now a Facebook friend, where he posts prolifically on all … Continue reading
Repetitive Music
Here’s something I couldn’t have said better myself – why saying you don’t like a particular genre because it is repetitive is not valid. This is my 20-year-old son, who is a geology student at University and does a lot … Continue reading
New on my Bookshelf
Last week I aquired a few more books to add to my collection of Books-Waiting-to-be-Read. I loved The Virtuosi by Harold Schonberg and ordered his The Lives of the Great Composers, and The Great Pianists. He brings history and peope to … Continue reading
Posted in Books about Music, Studio News
Tagged Composers, Great Pianists, harold c schonberg, Joy of Music, Piano pedagogy
4 Comments
Seasons – by Teresa Richert
Youtube is a fabulous source of many great recordings of many classical works and I encourage my students to look for recordings of their pieces. If I haven’t had the time to search for specific videos, I tell them to … Continue reading
Contrapuntal Music for Young Students
I’ve been reading Joan Last’s The Young Pianist (first published 1954, Oxford) – not from beginning to end, but in bits and pieces. The chapter on interpretation offers many very good, helpful points about music in general, playing the piano … Continue reading
Chopin’s Funeral
The funeral of Frederic Chopin was attended by thousands. In his last days, knowing he was dying, he planned the service. The organist played the Funeral March from Chopin’s Sonata in B-flat minor. Mozart’s Requiem was performed by an orchestra … Continue reading
Posted in Books about Music, Musings about Chopin
Tagged Chopin Preludes, Composers, Concert pianists
2 Comments
Chopin’s Preludes as Respite
Having made it through the Hammerklavier – never have I been so happy to see a final barline – I treated myself to a read-through of Chopin’s Preludes, op. 28. A few of these pop up regularly on festival and … Continue reading
Posted in Musings about Chopin, Sight Reading
Tagged Chopin Preludes, Composers, Sight Reading
2 Comments
Sight-reading Beethoven
I’ve made it all the way up to the Hammer-Klavier Sonata, opus 106. It’s probably the hardest of Beethoven’s solo piano works, written quite late in his life. I’ve been reading through all the Beethoven Sonatas,
Posted in Quotes, Sight Reading
Tagged Beethoven Sonatas, Composers, Piano Performance, Sight Reading
3 Comments
