"Summertime...

...and the livin’ is easy." No one says it better than George Gershwin. It is my sincere hope for you that your summer brings an abundance of "easy livin’" that allows for fishing, swimming, hiding and seeking, firefly chasing, star gazing, hammock swinging, great book reading, and easy music making that includes some outdoor listening.

Simple living and simple music has influenced the classical genre throughout the ages. The many dances that made their way into the formal ballrooms and concert halls are grounded in period folk music. One can almost hear the boots thumping in a gigue and the flowing skirts swishing in a minuet. Beethoven delighted in his walks in the Vienna Woods: listen for the birds chirping, the thunderstorm booming, and the river flowing in his Sixth Symphony, dubbed the “Pastoral Symphony.” Brahms was greatly influenced by the folk music introduced to him by his Hungarian violinist friend, Joseph Joachim, and today we enjoy the resulting gift of Brahms' Hungarian Dances! Chopin’s Mazurkas bring the Polish melodies of his childhood to our living rooms. Saturday Night Waltz from Copland’s ballet score to Rodeo uses American folk song I Ride an Old Paint as its inspiration. A fun summer project may be to explore the biography of your favorite composers to learn of simple factors that influenced their style.

Most communities have embraced summer music events wholeheartedly.  In my community there is a free event almost every evening somewhere throughout the city from Memorial Day to Labor Day and beyond.  There are also many family-friendly events with very affordable ticket prices. If you are a parent looking for ways to enrich your child’s music foundation, there is no better way than to expose him or her to a variety of musical styles.  Imagine attending a Monday Mall outdoor cover band concert, Tuesday Jazz in June, Wild Wednesday at the Zoo with folk singers, Thursdays at the park featuring various local artists, Friday Shakespeare in the Park, the local community band on Independence Day…you get the idea. 

Attending outdoor concerts in a relaxed setting allows children the freedom to take in the sounds through osmosis, allowing the sound and style to filter in through play, the way children learn best. An added bonus is that most of these events are free. When little ones reach the saturation point, pick up the blanket and head home for baths and bedtime!

When the season grows to the oppressive heat of summer, turn off the electronics and sing “The Ants Go Marching One by One” or “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt” as you walk or bike to the pool for a refreshing, cool dip!  Explore American folk songs and the silly lyrics. Learn how the lyrics that seem silly today had relevant meaning at the time. Then, encourage your young pianist to create his or her own folk songs. Rather than expect specific practice at the piano, require “butt on the bench time.” No assignment to prepare, just simple music-making. (I have vivid memories of returning from the pool and sitting down at the piano while wearing my still-wet swimsuit that prompted parental checks to make sure there was a towel under me to protect the bench!) In this easy way, the blossoming pianist is given the gift of using the talents developed thus far to create his or her own music or enjoy fun tunes that there are rarely time for during festival and recital season.

"Summertime…and the livin’ is easy." Livin’ and learnin’ in an easy way. 

"Affekt"—the Foundational Pillar in Eighteenth Century Music

This post was first published by Oxford University Press:

http://blog.oup.com/2016/03/affekt-the-foundational-pillar-in-eighteenth-century-music/

How does one capture the Classical style sound aesthetic when approaching performance of eighteenth century repertoire on the modern piano?  Although it is important to know of the period instruments and their associated physical sound qualities, knowing how period musicians approached their art emotionally and intellectually will provide even deeper insight into discovering how to recreate the sound aesthetic.  And in doing so, we turn to affekt, probably the single most influencing factor upon which the eighteenth century musical experience is built.  Every esteemed treatise from the eighteenth century impresses upon the reader the immense importance of understanding the influence of affekt on playing.  Whether it was Leopold Mozart in his Violinschule, Türk in his Klavierschule, Kirnberger in his The Art of Strict Musical Composition, or Quantz in his On Playing the Flute, affekt is at the crux of this music-making matter.

Affekt is the foundational pillar for eighteenth century style. It is the ability of music to stir emotions and was described in a variety of ways, including character, affections, expression, affect, and emotion. It was achieved through attention to detail and proper execution. And done in good taste, which implies a deep understanding of proper practices of the time.

All manner of composition and performing, from formal structure down to phrasing and execution of individual notes had the understanding of affekt at its foundation. Nearly every notational and performance decision was based on affekt – everything from formal structure to note values, dynamics to articulation, as Türk instructs.

Whoever performs a composition so that its inherent affect (character) is expressed (made perceptible) to the utmost even in every single passage, and that the tones become, so to speak, a language of feelings, of him one says that he has a good execution. Good execution, therefore, is the most important, yet at the same time the most difficult aspect of music making.

      ---Daniel Gottlob Türk, Klavierschule (1789). Translated by Raymond H. Haggh. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press (1982), 321.

Looking to specifics in eighteenth-century practice, meter decisions have a strong influence on affekt. Baroque dances and their varying affekt are expressed through the intentional use of specific meters. The time signature alone also describes the weight of a piece:  a two in the denominator indicates a heavier weight or execution, a four in the denominator calls for a lighter weight and an eight in the denominator indicates an execution that is lighter yet. A textbook example of this concept is found in Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, no. 1 by Muzio Clementi.

Likewise, specific note values project affekt. A passage primarily containing half notes is associated with a heavier sound and affekt, a quarter note passage is lighter, and a passage full of eighth notes is lighter yet. This is also evidenced in the Clementi Sonatina.

The chosen key center of each composition is particularly married to an associated affekt. Furthermore, the tuning system (mean tone tuning) of the period makes the affekt of a given key even more marked. Three varying examples from eighteenth-century repertoire bear witness to and support this idea.

• The key of C major is associated with simplicity, joy, and purity as is evidenced in Sonatina in C Major, op. 36, no. 1 by Clementi 

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch5/audio/ex_5.20b/

• The key of F# minor is associated with melancholy, gloom, and discontentment as can be heard in Prussian Sonata for Piano, Wq 48, no. 6 by C. P. E. Bach. 

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch5/audio/ex_5.21b/

• The key of A major is associated with playfulness, jesting, and gaiety as is found in Sonata in A Major, op. 2, no. 2 by Beethoven.

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch5/audio/ex_5.18b/

Understanding the intentionality of eighteenth-century composers’ choices allows the modern pianist the opportunity to develop a new perspective regarding Classical Era repertoire. Look at a new piece of music from the Classical Era (to avoid pre-conceived notions).  Using eighteenth century conceptual understanding, experiment with various approaches to incorporate the elements into the fabric of the piece with an end goal of expressing affekt.

• Analyze the form of the piece. What is the musical concept?  Is this a minuet, a waltz, or a march?
• Examine the meter. Based on the time signature should the piece be heavy and majestic or light and frivolous?
• Examine the chosen note values to determine the described affekt.
• Determine the key centers in the piece. What affekt clue is the composer providing from these key centers?
• Much of eighteenth-century scoring leaves room for individual input that allows for changes or variations in articulation, rhythmic and dynamic grouping, pedaling, textural balance, and use of agogics to create the desired affekt. Use of Urtext editions is crucial to achieve this goal.

Conceptual elements come first. It may seem easier to focus on physical execution details such as note values, articulation, and ornaments but the over-riding point (affekt) may be entirely missed. When time is taken to work through concepts first it will pay handsomely in terms of overall practice efficiency and historically informed outcomes. The reward will be understanding and executing the gestalt of eighteenth century performance practice: affekt and good taste. 

Discipline – It’s not a Dirty Word!

 As musicians we live with, struggle with, and reap the benefits from our discipline. During these final weeks of winter I find myself weary of the incessantly cloudy, frigid, blustery, monotonous, weather. And I consequently find my interest in any form of discipline waning. A closer look at discipline has provided a lift to propel me through until Spring arrives – as I hope it will do for you.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2016, Oxford University Press) provides four definitions of discipline. Let’s take a look at how they relate directly to the study of music.

          1.      the practice of training people to obey rules and orders and punishing them if they do not; 

                 the controlled behavior or situation that results from this training 

Most often musicians begin music study with a teacher at a young age. The teacher assigns rules or expectations for the amount of practice to be achieved each week with parental support to back up the expectations at home.  It the expectations are not met, punishment ensues: loss of privileges, fear of disappointing or a scolding from the teacher, a poor performance at lesson or in recital. All of these external methods do have the capability of changing behavior…for a while.  Much research has been conducted to support this premise. 

Although the results of this form of discipline are not long-lasting, it may be the best initial means to achieve the end until other forms of discipline can kick in and take over.  I encourage parents to implement negative consequences to impart on the student the need to follow the “rules of the roost” until they can see the inherent positive rewards for their work. And as a trained pedagogue, I provide much guidance and many positive aides to encourage accomplishing goals, which leads us to the next definition.

     2.      a method of training your mind or body or of controlling your behavior; an area of activity                where this is necessary

It is necessary for the student to seek a teacher to learn how to train the mind and body to be able to attain and improve skill.  Moreover, it is imperative to seek out a master-teacher who is proficient at the instrument and has pedagogical skill to be able to impart their knowledge to another.  It is here that internal discipline begins – a discipline that feeds on itself and creates the inner-drive to want to learn more. Once we have accomplished something well, the desire to learn more and work harder is self-perpetuating. This is when the external “because I said so” is no longer necessary because a love and affinity to the art has developed at a proficient level.

     3.      the ability to control your behavior or the way you live, work, etc. [oftentimes referred to                as self-discipline]

And here we are in winter; aware of the negative consequences of not practicing (being grounded, having a bad performance), aware of the positive consequences of practicing (becoming a better musician, having a great performance), but we just don’t wanna!  This is when we avoid “I’ll just play through things for today” because this is not practicing to improve. This is when we are disciplined and look at small, miniscule goals and improvements to carry us through the dark moments. When we choose one thing in our practice today that will carry us through to tomorrow. When we know that cleaning up that pesky four-measure spot or truly nailing down the dynamic plan today will pay handsomely tomorrow, next week, or at the next performance! When we do this, we have mastered the ability to control our behavior in music study – we are disciplined!

     4.      (formal) an area of knowledge; a subject that people study or are taught, especially in a                 university

When we have spent enough time dealing with and tackling definitions one through three, we can honestly say that we embrace the discipline of music study.

I invite you to take time during these final weeks of winter to examine your discipline.  What is motivating you today?  What are the positive elements that you can feed to drive you in your art; that will carry you through those “I just don’t wanna” stages? If we take the time to examine, understand, and adjust our perspective as it relates to discipline, growth opportunities to improve as musicians and in all areas of our life will appear. Find something you love.  Seek out a teacher to help you improve. Feed on and let your successes propel you to the next level. Be positively disciplined as you study your discipline.

The Fortepiano: Capturing the Sound Aesthetic for Modern Playing

This post was first published by Oxford University Press:   http://blog.oup.com/2016/01/fortepiano-capturing-sound-aesthetic-modern-playing/

Grappling with performing the music of early Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn on the modern piano can be a daunting experience. The modern piano is not the instrument for which their music was composed. Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn all preferred Viennese pianos (today called the fortepiano) and the traits from the inside out are distinctly different than those of the modern piano. A comparison between various physical traits of the modern Steinway D grand piano and the 1790 Walter five-octave fortepiano sheds light on the divergence between the instrument of “yesteryear” and today.

• The modern grand weighs 990 pounds compared to the fortepiano at 187 pounds. This leaves a modern instrument capable of withstanding much more tension – 45,014 pounds of iron string tension compared to 2,094 pounds of steel string tension on the fortepiano.

• The modern piano contains heavier keys attached to much larger and thicker hammers that are covered by felt and wool compared to keys half the weight with hammers that are covered by 1-3 thin layers of buckskin or leather on the fortepiano.

• The key dip on the modern piano is three times that of the fortepiano and requires four times the energy to set the key in motion.

• The modern piano covers seven and one-half octaves compared to five octaves on the fortepiano.

•  The naturals are slightly wider and longer and the sharps are slightly narrower on the modern piano.  

• One travels twice the distance in height going from the naturals to the sharps on the modern piano

From these physical comparisons one finds a distinctly different sound aesthetic is experienced on the fortepiano.  The fortepiano is rich in overtones with a silvery tone. The physical characteristics facilitates quick action, responsiveness, and great finesse. The sound on the fortepiano is quickly and crisply articulated with clear tone definition, and a variety of colors. An important characteristic on the fortepiano is its ability articulate musical thoughts. One idea may be quickly brought to the forefront and with equal ease and speed it may recede into the background. Indeed, the fortepiano is the perfect instrument for realizing music from the Classical Era.  Follow the links to hear the sound aesthetic realized on the instrument for which it was composed. 

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch9/audio/ex_9.3b/

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch6/audio/ex_6.12b/

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch12/audio/ex_12.5b1/

How does one accomplish that different sound aesthetic on such a markedly different instrument as the modern piano?  The answer begins simply —  play “as if” one is playing a fortepiano.  Play as if:

• you are playing a fortepiano.  This will require considerable time listening to performances on fortepiano to acquaint your ear with the sound. Take time to listen to esteemed artists such as Malcolm Bilson, Robert Levin, and Tom Beghin as they perform on period instruments.  

• your instrument is capable of clear definition in the low register.

• your instrument is capable of quicker responsiveness and crisply articulated attack/release.

• the changes from forte to piano are more about nuance and subtlety than loud and soft.

•  you have only five octaves to achieve extremes in range.

As Tilman Skowroneck advocates in Beethoven the Pianist, we must learn what the score tells us about the music and what the score tells us to strive for or expect from the instrument—any instrument. We must continually listen to the feedback from the instrument to strive for the Classical aesthetic, making our modern piano translate the clarity, finesse, and vibrancy of the fortepiano. Doing so will provide new discoveries for energized and revitalized personal performing.

What’s in Your New Year Tool Box?

Here we are, inviting another New Year into our lives.  What does this mean to us as musicians?  What new opportunities are there to embrace?  Of course, there is new music to learn, new programs to prepare, and new performances to work toward.  But, if we work toward all of these new things in the same old way aren’t we simply playing the same song, different verse? As you try on other New Year resolutions try on some music resolutions as well.

• Go to more live performances that feature professional artists.  We can’t get better if we don’t know what better sounds like!
•   Read a book about a new musical concept, a musician you would like to know better, or an instrument.
•   Explore the formal structure of a new piece before playing it.
• Count everything out loud. The amount of cohesion and focus will surprise you!
• Play the left hand alone to listen for the “driver of the bus."
• Determine the high point in each section and for the piece. Build your playing around it.
•  Spend some time each week improving one or more specific technical aspects.
• Use each dynamic change starting places in practice. Not only will you notice them, it will provide guidance in determining structure and high points.
• Make music with another musician. This is especially important for pianists, who spend much of their time making music alone. 
•  Sing each line of your piece.  For pianists this is extremely helpful to naturally find high places, low places, and resting places. 
•  Orchestrate your piece. Now as you practice, see how you can make your piece sound “as if” it is a flute, clarinet, oboe, trombone, or saxophone!
•  Perform more. We get better at performing by performing. Take your music to the local senior center. Volunteer to play for church. Offer to play at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Let your music brighten the lives of others.

Start small.  Choose one item and add it to your musical tool box.  Each month add one more. Before you know it you will find your perspective, playing, and performing, dramatically transformed!

Happy New Year and happy playing!

Enjoy Christmas Preparations with an Inquisitive Mind

As you prepare the tree, deck the hall, bake the cookies, and wrap those special presents I invite you to fill the hall with glorious Christmas music.  With this holiday comes traditions and history that date back before Christianity!

For instance, ancient Druids believed that decorating their dwellings with holly would protect them from the rigors of winter. The early Greeks and Romans sent holly boughs and gifts to their friends as a token of their friendship. Consequently, today we enjoy the carol The Holly and the Ivy as well as the joy of giving gifts.

Ancients held nature in great reverence. According the Julian calendar, December 25 marked the winter solstice and was observed by pagans as the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The Romans spent the last two weeks of December paying tribute to Saturn, their god of agriculture. The Teutonic tribes of Northern Europe feasted and drank in honor of the supreme deity, Wodin, during “Yuletide.” Early Christians dovetailed these celebrations and marked the evergreen as a symbol of ever-lasting life in the celebration of Christ’s birth.[1]

The Christmas season brings the entire world together with traditions coming from every corner:  Chestnuts from Great Britain, the Christmas tree from Germany, and the crèche from Italy. And the songs have an equally varied historical basis:  Jingle Bells and We Three Kings of Orient Are from the US, O Holy Night and The First Noel from France, What Child is This? from England, Silent Night from Austria. The list goes on and on.  Take the time to explore your favorite carol. Allow it to impact your love for the tune.

To add to the interest of the Christmas Carol Season take your favorite carol’s melody and design a variety of interesting accompaniments.  Most carols use very basic harmonic structure.  Play around with simple tonic and dominant harmonies with creative accompaniment patterns.

Enjoy a Merry Christmas with music as an integral part of your preparations and celebration! For a little Christmas trivia fun enjoy the following carol quiz.

Christmas Carol Trivia Quiz

1. Name the Christmas Carol that begins with a descending major scale.

2. Name the Christmas Carol that begins with an ascending major scale.

3. Name the carol that was first sung with guitar accompaniment because the organ was broken.

4. Name the Christmas character that was created as an advertisement for Montgomery Ward in 1939.

5. Name the carol that dates back to Henry VIII and is originally known as Greensleeves.

6. Name the carol that was composed for Sunday school students in Medford, Massachussetts in 1857.

7. Name the carol made written by a Jewish composer and made famous by Bing Crosby.

(Answers: 1. Joy to the World, 2. The First Noel, 3. Silent Night, 4. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, 5. What Child is This?, 6. Jingle Bells, 7. I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas)

---

[1] The American Legion Magazine (December, 1983), 15.

The Fortepiano: Beginning the Journey

Our strong desire for knowledge and musical honesty

makes us go back to the fortepiano.

                                        —Discoveries from the Fortepiano (Oxford University Press. 2015), 1.

As the sap returns to the tree for rest and renewal, the leaves announce the Fall with glorious hues of red, gold, and burnt orange. We know that Winter rapidly approaches as each day steals minutes of sunlight and turns them over to the night; all part of the necessary process for new birth in the Spring. Likewise, Winter provides musicians the opportunity to rest, reflect, and renew.  Where would we like to be musically by Spring? What unanswered questions can be wrestled with in the darkness of Winter? And what discoveries can be unearthed to bring new life to our playing?

The desire to know where we are headed can only come through the path of where we have been. Wrestling with the questions surrounding performing Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart on the modern piano are best answered by looking back to the fortepiano. By better understanding the instrument and sound that inspired these masters we can come closer to a newly inspired sound. We can honor the past and create new art in the present.

Glancing back at the Classical Era Style we find an instrument distinctly different from today’s instrument. From the inside out everything is “different.” 

When comparing the over­all characteristics of the fortepiano [eighteenth century Viennese five-octave fortepiano] and the modern piano, we find that the differences are considerable. The fortepiano’s prevailing quality is its ability to be played with finesse. Everything on the fortepiano is literally and aesthetically lighter and more responsive than the modern piano.

                                                 —Discoveries from the Fortepiano (Oxford University Press. 2015), 17.

Everything from string size and make-up, key dimensions, and responsiveness, to range, decay, and tone quality are distinctively different on the fortepiano.

Follow the link to view a comparison table between modern and fortepiano characteristics:

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/fdscontent/uscompanion/us/static/companion.websites/9780199396641/PDF/Gunn_Table1_2.pdf

But the real take-away is the different sound aesthetic that is unleashed when one encounters the sound of the fortepiano.  The same score takes on an entirely new character when realized on the instrument for which it was intended.  Although this sound cannot be duplicated on the modern piano, awareness of the sound can influence our approach and aesthetic goal.

Follow the links to compare audio traits of fortepiano and influenced modern piano rendition of the opening bars of Moonlight Sonata

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch1/audio/ex_1.2b/

http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199396641/ch1/audio/ex_1.2c/

You are now invited into Winter to reflect and renew.  Dig into Discoveries from the Fortepiano to learn how looking back and unearthing these informational gems can open a musical path for you to welcome the new Spring of your own aesthetic.