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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/175745 |
| Date | 03 June 2011 |
| Creators | Daniel, Edward L. |
| Contributors | Albright, Philip H. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 4, xii, 256 leaves : music ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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