RHYTHMICS, DYNAMICS, PEDAL AND OTHER PROBLEMS OF PIANO PLAYING CONTENTS
PREFACE
I. INTRODUCTION AND REFLECTION FOR THE MENTAL CONCEPTION OF THE ALLEMANDE FROM THE FRENCH SUITE IN E MAJOR BY BACH
II. TECHNIQUE THROUGH MENTAL WORK
III. RHYTHMICS
Pedagogical Hints
Couplets, Quadruplets, etc
The Up-Beat
The Syncope
Tempo
IV. DYNAMICS
V. VARIETY OF TOUCH
The Free Fall
The Throw and Stroke
The Swing
The Roll
The Pressure
General Hints on Touch
Posture While Playing
Legato
Nonlegato, Portamento, Staccato
The Uses of Touches for Technical Studies
Octaves, Sixths, and Thirds
Touch for Polyphonic Playing and for Phrasing Parts
VI. PHRASING
Phrasing Marks in the Notation
Phrasing in the Art of Interpretation
VII. THE PEDAL
Utilizing the Pedal in the Attainment of Tone Volumes
Application of the Pedal in Attaining Legato Effects Which Are Impossible with Fingers Alone
Application of the Pedal to Express Characteristic Sound Differences
PREFACE
My book, âThe Shortest Way to Pianistic Perfection,â written in collaboration with Walter Gieseking, has found a vast circulation at home and abroad and has won spontaneous approval almost without exception. I have received many requests to publish supplements thereto.
This second book occupies itself almost exclusively with the education of concert pianists and gives instructions to pedagogues, who guide their pupils until they have reached artistic maturity. I have often been questioned as to how far these suggestions can be applied to beginners, college students, and serious-minded amateurs.
These aforesaid suggestions for pianists are indeed just as practical for primary instruction and also for players of other instruments. Because of repeated invitations, I then published the lectures which I gave at the Municipal Conservatory in Hannover (whose founder I am) in the form of the present supplementary volume to âThe Shortest Way to Pianistic Perfection.â The material for these lectures came through my own pedagogical experience and was compiled from different sources.
In this supplementary volume a thorough discussion with regard to questions on Rhythmics, Dynamics, Modes of Touch, and Phrasing takes place. A separate chapter was devoted to the Use of Pedals, since very little material on this particular subject is available. I deem that these very applications are exceedingly important, since the application of the pedal is difficult to teach.
Many questions arise again and again with regard to the present applications, although they have formerly been discussed, of course, from a different point of view. But this is immensely important with regard to instruction, because many things cannot be repeated often enough: Repetitio est mater studiorum.
The chapters on reflection and technique through mental work have been inserted, since these problems are generally treated too carelessly, in spite of their importance.
Hannover, December, 1937.
KARL LEIM
I. INTRODUCTION AND REFLECTION FOR THE MENTAL CONCEPTION OF THE ALLEMANDE FROM THE FRENCH SUITE IN E MAJOR BY BACH
It is an important pedagogical experience to confine oneself to a single problem while studying a composition if the single tasks are to be understood thoroughly and carried out in all details. However, more advanced pupils will be able to treat more than one problem at the same time when practicing. This is an asset to their future success.
One should first of all concern himself with the impression of notation and acquaint himself with the valuation of notes. After mastering these rudiments, one should learn the proper modes of touch. One thinks of composite rendition only after the preceding problems have been satisfactorily solved. First-class piano playing is possible and thinkable only after these problems have been rendered exactly and with utmost care. This successive solving of problems, which must also be a matter of utter concentration, is not the only ways and means for reaching a goal, inasmuch as we also learn to see and understand them in the quickest and best manner by following the intentions and indications of the composer.
The struggle with the so-called âmentally lazyâ is, of course, a difficult one. It is necessary to convince the pupil that the memorizing of single measures and short passages will train the memory and that such training will not involve unconquerable difficulties. In my book, âThe Shortest Way to Pianistic Perfection,â I have shown that mind training is accomplished through reflection. As a model example for reflection, I have analyzed an Etude, two Inventions of Bach and a Beethoven Sonata. Points of conjecture for reflection can be found very easily, but, naturally, there are also sections which are hard to memorize and where one encounters great difficulties.
The importance of reflection, which, in spite of its advantages, is appreciated very little and used seldom, causes me to analyze the French Suite in E major by Bach as a further example. The scanning of its âNote-pictureâ will easily and quickly serve as a means to its impressiveness. Contrary to this, it will seem as though the illustration of reflection which is used for enlightenment is often far-fetched and made up of so many words that one might think it useless and a waste of time.
I hope that my directions, which should immediately be transferred to the âNote-pictureâ of every single measure, will be understood instantly. My earnest advice is: Do not proceed from measure to measure until you have entirely memorized the first measure; thereafter selecting only a few measures at a time which must, of course, be practiced four to six times in the course of a day. In this manner, I have discovered, almost without exception, that my pupils have mastered and committed to memory all passages of the Alle-mande with absolute certainty in a comparatively few days. When teaching, I always demanded (in varied order) marked places (such as D, D-sharp passage, bass melody, sixth cadence) which the pupils would then play in proper tempo with proper fingering, etc., with little hesitation or delay. Although the marking of single measures isnât exactly necessary, it may be advantageous in accomplishing the task of memorization. Reflection, itself, must be comprehended gradually and independently by the pupil. A competent teacher should be able to direct him on this point. The capability of memorizing in this manner will grow extraordinarily and rapidly. Many pupils, after one year of this practice, have been able to memorize several pages from lesson to lesson. In many cases, my pupils have furnished proof that with the training of the memory one can obtain excellent results, and that it will pay to undertake all studies in the proposed manner.
Allemande of the French Suite in E Major by Bach
KeyâE major. Time 4/4. Count loudly and shortly. The first measure for the right hand consists of chord tones of the E major triad with two passing notes in the following manner: After the up-beat B, the E major triad follows, starting with g-sharp, a as passing note; chord tone b, chord tones eâł eâČ eâł, f-sharp as passing note, eâł. Then follows the exact repetition of the first half of the measure. The left hand begins on the second eighth note and consists of the E major tones in eighth notes: e, g-sharp, b, eâČ and repetition of the E major triad. The second measure for left hand begins with eâČ and for right hand with g-sharpâČ. When studying these measures, we commonly close with the first tone of the ensuing measure in order to impress âposition and fingeringâ with absolute certainty. We shall call the second measure the âtri-tone-measureâ since it contains the tones eâł f-sharpâł g-sharpâł, being repeated after the lower seventh a. Thus is the following course: Right handâg-sharpâČ eâł f-sharpâł g-sharpâł aâČ g-sharpâł f-sharpâł eâł, then comes d-sharpâł as the âthirdâ of the now following dominant triad b d-sharp f-sharp with the passing note eâł and finally the diminished âthirdâ dâł. The left hand has the four scale formed tones eâČ d-sharpâČ c-sharpâČ and then, with the omission of b, the small a, the second half again has the analogical scale tones from b on, b a g-sharp e. This measure, too, is easy to remember. The third measure begins with the tones c-sharpâł right and left. Weâll name it sixth cadence. After c-sharpâł, as the âthirdâ of the sub-dominant, the passing note d-sharpâł follows; then eâł aâł aâČ aaâł c-sharpâł aâł. The frame work is the sixths c-sharpâł aâł: bâČ g-sharpâł aâČ f-sharpâł in the fourth measure g-sharpâČ eâł f-sharpâČ d-sharpâł. The sixths partly follow immediately on the first tone or are delayed until the end of the quarter note. The first sixth proceeds in direct succession. The second sixth bâČ g-sharpâł is delayed through the seventh aâł and fundamental tone eâł. The third sixth aâČ f-sharpâł is delayed through bâČ c-sharpâł. The fourth sixth is direct. The fifth one is again delayed through g-sharpâČ aâČ. Thereupon, the fundamental tone eâł follows. The âleftâ descends from small a to d-sharp in scale form. Now the sub-dominant triad (e c-sharp a) follows; then four tones b g-sharp a b; the tonic-triad, E major. The next two measures (5 and 6) we will call the âChord-spot.â The left hand part consists only of perfect chords, whereas, in the right hand part, the chord progressions are interrupted by intermediate tones. At this place, we begin with the up-beat g-sharpâł d-sharpâł f-sharpâł. The first tones in measure âfiveâ are eâł (right hand); left hand, small c-sharp. Then we must bear in mind the chord tones at the beginning of both measures: c-sharp e g-sharp, and one tone lower, b d-sharp f-sharp. In the second half of measures five and six, these chord tones, f-sharp a-sharp, c-sharp and e g-sharp b, follow a fifth lower each time. The right hand begins with eâł c-sharpâł, between them the passing tone d-sharpâł, then eâł g-sharpâł c-sharpâł eâł and bâČ as transition to the next chord. The second chord a-sharpâČ f-sharpâČ with intermediate tone g-sharpâČ, a-sharpâČ c-sharpâł f-sharpâČ, seventh eâł and f-sharpâČ. The third chord is the exact sequence of the preceding from d-sharpâł on. In the âleft,â the chords are the same. The chord tones follow one another alternately in contrary motion. Measures 7 and 8, we shall call the scale cadence. The left hand begins with the small e; after that, from c-sharp on, the B-major scale to b with intermediate tone f-sharp before b. Then cadence tones e f-sharp F-sharp B. The right hand has the scale tones from c-sharpâł to g-sharpâł up and down, only f-sharp missing when scale ascends. After that, the B-major scale from bâł to c-sharpâł with intermediate tone eâł. Then mordent on d-sharpâł, mordent on c-sharpâł, closing tone bâČ. Measure 9, with preceding up-beat, is called six-five-four position. The right hand tones consist of dominant tones b d-sharp f-sharp; after that, first chord tone f-sharpâł with sixth a-sharpâČ second chord tone d-sharpâł with fifth g-sharpâČ third chord tone bâČ with fourth f-sharpâČ. The left hand has B major triad with passing c-sharp; after that, b f-sharp b e, then the opening theme of the first measure from d-sharp on which passes through to measure 11 as sequence. The sixth sequence in the right hand follows, same beginning in the ninth measure with sixth g-sharpâČ eâł, then a-sharpâČ f-sharpâł, bâČ g-sharpâł, then triad bâł g-sharpâł eâł, the scale tones g-sharpâł to bâČ thereafter, chord tones g-sharpâł bâČ, mordent on a-sharpâł, then, as an ending, triad B major with intermediate c-sharpâł. In the left hand, cadenc...