The aim of this research was to explore the piano method and teaching philosophy practised by the
Russian piano pedagogue, Natalia Pirozerskaya. Her piano method is not well known and as a former
student of hers I firmly believe in its values and implications for piano pedagogy. The focus of her
teaching is a holistic concept of the harmonious (organic) development of the artist-musician as
expounded by Yakovlev in relation to vocal art and higher nervous activity. Pirozerskaya’s piano
methodology addresses the delicate relations between the inner life of the individual and the process of
piano playing. She advocates a self-connected pianism characterised by the integration of all processes
with the self. Pirozerskaya links the aesthetic values of Glinka’s artistic tradition to piano pedagogy in
relation to creative potentialities and self-expression.
The participants of this intrinsic case study were Natalia Pirozerskaya, Olga Tsihelashvili (the researcher)
and five of Tsihelashvili’s piano students in Johannesburg. I interviewed the five piano students and
through validation strategy of crystallisation the themes emerged. Based on the interviews with the
students several themes were identified: 1) They explained that they experience an interconnected unity
which can be described as oneness; 2) There was also a sense of deep fondness in the way the pupils
shared their feelings about the piano; 3) They pinpointed the existence of an inner driving force – a form
of artistic energy emerging as a tangible component of their pianistic process; 4) Concerning the special
piano touch advocated by Pirozerskaya, all the students unanimously agreed that it is an effortless
transmission from the fingertips straight into the piano which “just happens by itself”. They willingly
demonstrated this touch on the piano, thus enriching the evidence; 5) With regard to the physical
interaction with the instrument, the students observed the element of the opposing spring-support and
the feeling of lightness in the body, essential in Pirozerskaya’s piano technique; 6) They mentioned that
when they play they experience a deeper perception of the self; 7) Regarding teaching strategies, a rigid
teaching approach and inexpressive mechanical piano playing, their spontaneous reactions proved that
they have assimilated the fundamentals of Pirozerskaya’s self-connected pianism and developed a deep
insight into the pianistic process. / PhD (Music Performance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/15614 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Tsihelashvili, Olga Vladimirovna |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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