Fingering has been among the most controversial aspects of keyboard instruction, as it is one of the hardest to approach and systematize due to the individuality of the human hand and the multiple fingering combinations that could apply to each musical passage. Keyboard instruction books, since their first appearance in the sixteenth century, have made a continuous and systematic attempt to provide students and teachers with advice and methodologies on fingering. A historical overview of keyboard fingering instruction material of the last five centuries reveals a remarkable diversity, due not only to the various degrees of systematization of the instructional material, but also to the fundamentally different pedagogical methodologies. These differences are associated with the keyboard repertoire, performance practices, and historical and sociological contexts of different eras. Pre-Baroque and Baroque paired keyboard fingering was based on articulation demands of the keyboard repertoire of the time, which was meant to be performed predominantly on organ and harpsichord. The period of Enlightenment initiated a fundamental change in both the level of organization of the keyboard teaching material and the specific fingering instructions. Treatises of that time reflect a transition from the Baroque to the Classical style, instruments and technique. The advantage of giving a pivoting role to the thumb, that became a standard performance practice, changed the philosophy of teaching fingering. Teachers from the first half of the nineteenth century aspired to provide piano students with a technical system that would ensure the utmost finger dexterity. The output of "finger gymnastic" material has trained generations of pianists; however, soon after its conception this material was heavily criticized for its mechanical and anti-artistic character. As a result, the Romantic philosophy of teaching fingering revolved around tone production and special timbral effects. Scientific achievements in the fields of anatomy and physiology were the basis for the bulk of twentieth-century keyboard instruction books. Instead of prescribing fingering formulas and rules, the contemporary pedagogical norm is an awareness of the complexity of the playing apparatus that enables the pianist to make fingering decisions based on individual muscular abilities, tension and relaxation issues, and desired tone colors. / A Treatise submitted to the School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Fall Semester, 2004. / October 29, 2004. / Piano Fingering, Piano Instruction, Keyboard History Instruction, Keyboard Instruction, Keyboard Fingering, Fingering, Harpsichord, Harpsichord Fingering / Includes bibliographical references. / Carolyn Ann Bridger, Professor Directing Treatise; Lubomir Georgiev, Outside Committee Member; Thomas Wright, Committee Member; Karyl Louwenaar, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_182500 |
| Contributors | Fytika, Athina (authoraut), Bridger, Carolyn Ann (professor directing treatise), Georgiev, Lubomir (outside committee member), Wright, Thomas (committee member), Louwenaar, Karyl (committee member), College of Music (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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