INSPIRING PERFORMANCE: Starting each new day by listening to Bach is a great way to become inspired for your teaching, studying, or technical music work. In this 1981 performance of the Aria from Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”, Glenn Gould shares with us the power of playing slowly, and bringing out each voice. In this recording, every […]
Category: Piano
Crumb: A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979
Mysterious and other-worldly, George Crumb’s A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979 is one of those wonderful contemporary works that appeals to student composers, performers and audiences alike. Composed in early 1980 for pianist Lambert Orkis, the Little Suite was inspired by early 14th-century Nativity frescoes painted by Giotto in the Arena (also Scrovegni) Chapel […]
Living Horizontally: Life Lessons from a Piano Student
LIVING HORIZONTALLY:LIFE LESSONS FROM A PIANO STUDENT: A gifted piano student learns to “play horizontally” on the piano and “live horizontally” in her everyday life. Article by Emma Armstrong-Carter, originally published on our previous site, March 9, 2011. Reprinted with permission by the author. My piano teacher teaches me music theory and technique, […]
Messiaen’s Huit Préludes
Messiaen’s Huit Préludes Messiaen’s Eight Preludes are wonderful studies in sound and color. These notes from Prof. Michal Bristiger are invaluable windows into studying the Preludes. The Huit Préludes are among Messiaen’s early works. He was only twenty years old at the time the Preludes were written. He had not yet undertaken to experiment with […]
Bach Suite in F major (BWV 820)
The Bach Suite in F major (BWV 820) is an excellent piece for teaching and for learning piano. It can be played as one entire piece, or each movement can be a nice performance piece. The six movements, which were composed around 1705, are listed here: Prelude Entrée Menuet Trio Bourrée Gigue The score for […]