Pianists have often noted differences in fingering among several editions of a given piano work. Numerous reasons could be cited for this phenomenon including variations in the sizes and shapes of hands, and differences in technical abilities and interpretations, factors which tend to suggest the importance of individual needs and preferences in fingering. The purpose of this study was to formulate an approach to fingering which would be adaptable to individual requirements and at the same time be applicable to all styles of piano writing. The system was designed in such a way that all practical solutions to a given passage could be found. An element common to all piano literature upon which the system could be based was chosen--the interval as realized by the fingers on the keyboard.The impetus for this study was provided by portions of L'Enseignement musical de la technique du piano (The Musical Teaching of Piano Technique), by Blanche Selva. In this work the author dealt with technical studies practiced by empreinte or "imprint" as it may be translated into English. Imprint was used to denote the spacing of the fingers as they correspond to and accommodate themselves to the intervals on the keyboard. Also included in the concept were the differences in contact points of the fingers as they touch the keys. Whereas Selva chose a fingering to produce an imprint, this study used imprint to find alternative fingering possibilities for musical passages.The study contains an historical survey of fingering which places the subject of fingering in an historical framework wherein the development of modern concepts can be seen as they emerged in the literature. A review of literature, in which the writer critically surveyed some forty-five sources from music periodicals and books in English of the twentieth century, set forth the contributions made by writers in recent times and at the same time demonstrated the need for a more systematic approach which could be adapted to the needs of the individual pianist. No sources were found which provided a system for finding alternative fingerings. However, several valuable concepts did emerge which approach the imprint idea, such as the grouping and blocking of notes in passages.The major contribution of the study was the adaptation of Blanche Selva's imprint analysis to a system of fingering piano music. Translations were made of key portions of L'Enseignement musical de la technique du piano which were extracted and adapted to fingering. In order tooffer a means of finding many alternative fingering solutions to fingering problems a mathematical system of grouping imprints according to the number of notes in the passage was used. Fingerings were thus determined by (1) the fit of the pianist's fingers to the passage and (2) the mathematical possibilities which are compatible with the fit of the hand to the keyboard. All of the concepts presented were illustrated with musical examples from the standard piano literature.The writer concluded that the study provided a useful approach to fingering for the following reasons: (1) the procedure for using imprint analysis provides a means for finding fingerings suitable to all pianists because the choice is left to the needs of the individual; (2) the system is based only upon the conformation of the hand to keyboard intervals; (3) it is not limited to a specific type of passage or style of writing; (4) the approach incorporates both grouping and blocking which many teachers believe helpful for security of learning and memorizing; (5) it can be as systematic and comprehensive as needed for difficult passages because of the use of mathematical groupings; (6) the naturalness of hand position which is a part of the imprint concept in many cases minimizes the need for rigorous searching.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/181025 |
| Date | 03 June 2011 |
| Creators | Spicuzza, Paul Joseph |
| Contributors | Kohler, Jean C. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 3, iv, 249 leaves : music ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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