Treatise (D.M.A.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Music for Children op. 65, containing twelve entitled pieces, was composed by S. Prokofiev in 1935 with clearly pedagogical purpose. The styles of the pieces cover the five main categories (or ¡§lines¡¨, as the composer called) of Prokofiev music, including the classical, the modern, the toccata, the lyrical, and the grotesque. The musical content of each piece correlates with its title, and also provides picturesque imagination vividly by employing different piano techniques, such as scales, arpeggios, broken chords, leaps, hand-crossing, contrapuntal texture, legato, staccato, portato, and tenuto. Performers learn to use these techniques to create the musical scenes and profundity. It is helpful to performers to extend their musical sensation and the ability of expression. While exploring the connection between techniques and musical interpretation, this research will combine the piano technique theory of Gyorgy Sandor to provide more specific suggestions of piano playing. This thesis is divided into three chapters except the preface and the conclusion. The first chapter presents briefly the life of Prokofiev and his characteristic style. The second chapter discusses the background of Music for Children, and analyzes the formal structures and compositional traits of the twelve pieces. Based on the five unique musical elements of Prokofiev and Sandor¡¦s theory, the third chapter researches the pedagogical value of both technique concept and musical inspiration from Music for Children.

This graduate recital features significant piano works from the major periods in music history. The opening pieces - the Scarlatti sonatas - are technically challenging but allow the pianist to show a great deal of expression. Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op. 39 as well as the Weisgarber Sonatine are collaborative works; the first features a soprano soloist and the second is written for flute, clarinet, and piano. Ending the first half of the program is Schumann’s Concerto in A minor, op. 54, extremely challenging for both soloist and accompanist, especially during the cadenza. The second half of the recital includes another contemporary work, Sketches in Color (Volume 2) by Robert Starer; these are short, exciting pieces based on tertiary colors. The recital closes with Debussy’s Estampes, a set of works that were one of his earliest compositions for solo piano. / Mary Pappert School of Music; / Music Performance / MM; / Recital;

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Evidence of a link between piano and drumming performance practices in western music dates back to at least the mid-nineteenth century. The modern construction of the piano had yet to be fully standardized when percussive techniques were being applied to its keyboard. Since that time, pianists and drummers (especially those involved with the creation of groove-based music) have grown closer and closer, participating in what remains a richly symbiotic relationship. This study examines parallels between piano and drumming performance practices in jazz. In this context, drumming is acknowledged as an important inspiration guiding the expression of rhythm and percussive attack by non-drummers, pianists in particular. Historical connections between pianism and drumming in jazz are addressed through an examination of those legacies that are widely believed to derive from West African drumming, European march and dance traditions, and various aspects of the so-called "Latin tinge" from the Caribbean and South America. Playing techniques are compared in part based on the premise that similarities in musical output flow naturally from congruencies in instrumental architecture. Percussive action unites pianists and drummers, as do shared abilities to create rhythmic layers through the independent functioning of multiple limbs. A discussion of ensemble roles reveals conceptual links, especially with regard to time-keeping, "comping," and mutual approaches to the creation of groove and swing. Transcriptions are employed to illustrate instances of widely adopted drumming-like gestures from the history of jazz with special attention paid to rhythmic counterpoint, complementation, and rudimental sticking patterns used by jazz pianists since the 1960's. Though a statistically small sample, interviews with ten professional jazz pianists support the essential findings of the study. Questions are raised throughout regarding the effectiveness of traditional jazz pedagogy in emphasizing the importance of drumming to non-drummer instrumental praxis.

As a matter of logistics, chamber music and accompanying play a vital role in the life of the college pianist and will likely form a significant portion of his future in the musical profession, in that nearly all other "solo" instrumentalists and vocalists require a pianist. The pianist, as a result, should be among the most adept of ensemble performers.The first step in this study was to determine the status of chamber/accompanying courses and performance activities as practiced in institutions of higher learning. Ten heterogeneous institutions were chosen representing private and public affiliation, various geographical areas, as well as size of student enrollment. Bulletins were examined to determine applied piano requirements and required chamber/accompanying courses. Questionnaires were directed to major piano instructors in these institutions to obtain information not reflected in bulletins.Conclusions reached from this information revealed courses represent twenty percent of a student's total piano performance course instruction. A number of problems surfaced when responses to the questionnaire were evaluated: Comprehensive records of repertoire, studio assignment, and public performance are not likely to be kept by, or made readily available to, the applied piano instructor regarding his student's ensemble activities. The major instructor also has little control over the number of chamber assignments, or the level of difficulty of the compositions to which his student might be assigned. A significant portion of the interviewed faculty believes that the quality of the student's ensemble performance falls below that of his solo performance. Ninety percent of the piano instructors were of the opinion that the student's piano ensemble activities are not correlated to enhance his overall pianistic development.The hub of the student's pianistic progress is traditionally represented in major applied piano instruction and all other piano activities tend to be by-products of this learning experience. The conclusion therefore was made, that if the private lesson serves as a center of all pianistic instruction, solutions to these problems would be forthcoming.In order to correlate chamber study with overall pianistic development, adequate record-keeping was recommended. In addition to required chamber/accompanying courses, it was suggested that a regular portion of the applied lesson time be devoted to the study of ensemble works. Chamber/accompanying compositions studied in the private lesson should reflect pianistic challenges parallel to those of solo literature studied. That this is indeed possible was revealed through analogous studies of major chamber and solo literature.Three chamber works were compared to their solo counterparts to determine likeness in pianistic techniques. Beethoven's Piano Sonata in B-flat, Opus 22, and the piano part to his Trio in B-flat, Opus 11, were found to contain, in common, eight major classical piano techniques representing roughly ninety percent of the compositions' technical content. The extent to which these techniques were employed was also similar; specific passages of almost identical material, both technically and stylistically, were illustrated. Because of these extraordinary similarities, study of the Trio was found to be a logical alternate choice for piano study, replacing the Sonata.Debussy's piano prelude Des pas sur la neige and the piano part to the song La Grotte were revealed as having been constructed around a similar, halting, ostinato figure juxtaposed with additional techniques requiring similar, often identical, techniques. The Debussy prelude La ser4nade interrompue and the piano part to the song Ballade des femmes de Paris were found to exhibit similarity in a virtuosic style of pianism built largely on rapid alternation between hands, and alternation of pitches within the hand. Both techniques were found in similar settings and the extent of their use and others was also comparable. These examples represent a sample of compositions which are likewise analogous. It was concluded that such correlation and integration of ensemble and solo instruction was the most effective direction to be taken in improving chamber/accompanying performance as well as the overall pianistic advancement of the undergraduate collegiate pianist.As a follow-up to this study, further research is recommended to determine lists of chamber works representative of various levels of piano study which correspond in scope and level of advancement to traditional solo repertoire guidelines.

Evidence of a link between piano and drumming performance practices in western music dates back to at least the mid-nineteenth century. The modern construction of the piano had yet to be fully standardized when percussive techniques were being applied to its keyboard. Since that time, pianists and drummers (especially those involved with the creation of groove-based music) have grown closer and closer, participating in what remains a richly symbiotic relationship. This study examines parallels between piano and drumming performance practices in jazz. In this context, drumming is acknowledged as an important inspiration guiding the expression of rhythm and percussive attack by non-drummers, pianists in particular. Historical connections between pianism and drumming in jazz are addressed through an examination of those legacies that are widely believed to derive from West African drumming, European march and dance traditions, and various aspects of the so-called "Latin tinge" from the Caribbean and South America. Playing techniques are compared in part based on the premise that similarities in musical output flow naturally from congruencies in instrumental architecture. Percussive action unites pianists and drummers, as do shared abilities to create rhythmic layers through the independent functioning of multiple limbs. A discussion of ensemble roles reveals conceptual links, especially with regard to time-keeping, "comping," and mutual approaches to the creation of groove and swing. Transcriptions are employed to illustrate instances of widely adopted drumming-like gestures from the history of jazz with special attention paid to rhythmic counterpoint, complementation, and rudimental sticking patterns used by jazz pianists since the 1960's. Though a statistically small sample, interviews with ten professional jazz pianists support the essential findings of the study. Questions are raised throughout regarding the effectiveness of traditional jazz pedagogy in emphasizing the importance of drumming to non-drummer instrumental praxis.

In this study the role of the thumb in piano playing is thoroughly investigated. The following areas were studied: attitudes about the thumb; anatomy, movements, and injuries of the thumb the history of the use of the thumb in piano playing; the: role of the thumb in. piano fingering; views about how to use-the thumb in playing; ways piano methods promote the use of the thumb; and study materials that develop the use of the thumbs.Numerous sources provided varying amounts of information on the subject. Books on piano technique and pedagogy, books about anatomy, and periodicals were important sources of information.Pianists have many different ideas about how the thumb should be used in piano playing. All of these ideas were compared and contrasted, discussing the positive and negative aspects of each.A four-item questionnaire was sent to numerous piano teachers to gather additional ideas about how they deal with the use of the thumb. The teachers had a wide range of interesting ideas on the subject. However, most of these ideas are similar to those already found in print. Many of these teachers have developed exercises of their own to improve the use of the thumb among their students.An index of study materials that develop the use of the thumb was compiled. The selections were categorized according to the area of thumb technique they develop, such as passagework or arpeggios. The categories were divided according to whether the problem was present in both hands, the right hand, or the left hand. Within each of these categories the selections were further divided into the categories of exercises, studies, and etudes.

Jag har tidigare skrivit för fyrhändigt pianospel och vill nu fortsätta att komponera för piano. Jag är inte van vid att komponera och har alltid haft svårt att ta fram min kreativitet och hitta inspiration. Om man inte använt sig av kreativiteten så mycket under sitt liv kan det vara så att man inte har tillgång till den i den utsträckning man skulle behöva. Syftet var att komma igång att skriva eget material till piano, utveckla min egen förmåga att skriva och min kreativitet samt utmana mig själv. Jag har använt mig av notskrivningsprogrammet Sibelius för att notera mina stycken. Jag har improviserat fram melodier vid pianot och sökt inspiration i min vardag och genom att lyssna till tidigare skriven musik. Projektet har resulterat i två färdigskrivna stycken. Kreativitet kan inte tvingas fram, men det är bra om man väntar aktivt på den. / <p>Bilaga: 1 CD</p>

Examensarbete 15 hp; Musiklärarexamen