The material in this book is organized around certain principles
which explain both the concept of musicality and its execution.
By giving attention to those physical and aesthetic aspects
of playing, the performer will be far better able to execute
a substantially musical performance. Further, the teacher
will be able to offer cues and visual devices that will facilitate
musicality.
The first chapter, “Three Ingredients of Musicality”,
defines the major features of the musical process. Awareness
of the existence of these features helps the musician design
his or her performance according to the inner laws of musical
composition, not just its formal structure.
In this chapter, the author emphasizes the necessity of analyzing
the music with special attention to its genetic roots. An
understanding of where each musical element originates and
how it absorbed and transformed the images of real life, gives
a performer a valuable key for decoding the content of the
music.
Part of Chapter 1 is also devoted to the consideration of
taste. Emphasis is made on the controlling function of “taste”,
which enables the performer to prevent excessive and irrelevant
components.
The first chapter extends over the following five chapters
toward the final chapter, creating an arch, or a bridge within
the book. The fundamental principles of musical performance,
stated in Chapter 1, become the basis on which a pianist builds
his or her own personalized performance. Different aspects
of the interpretational process are presented – from
aesthetical to practical standpoints. These are the content
of the final chapter of the book, Chapter 7, entitled, “Some
Thoughts on Interpretation”.
Within the “bridge” between Chapter 1 and 7 are
five central chapters:
Chapter 2: “Performer’s ‘Kit’ and
its Most Mysterious aid – Energy”
Chapter 3: “Dynamics and Micro-Dynamics”
Chapter 4: “The Many Faces of Crescendo”
Chapter 5: “Kinetic Aspect of Musicality”
Chapter 6: “Body and Mind: Games of Deception”
Because of their content, these chapters can be subdivided
into two groups.
One group includes Chapter 2, 3, and 4. The properties described
in these chapters (inner energy, dynamics, and timing) are
the essential aids for the creation of a musically appealing
performance. Their “anatomy” is analyzed in many
details. Special attention is given to the issue termed “micro-dynamics”
in the book. This term refers to a micro-cosmos of the dynamic
relations between the notes in every and any dynamic range.
An additional concept is the classification of crescendo into
six different types, depending on the shape and structure
of the melody.
Careful analysis of all those factors gradually forms a practical
method which should substantially increase the musical value
of the performance. In other words, the performance becomes
decent and intelligent.
Chapters 5 and 6 can be placed into the second group. Both
chapters contain the description of various physical actions.
These motions are called “kinetic aspect of musicality”
in the book. They form the physiological foundation for the
embodiment of musical concepts described in the previous chapters.
If Chapter 5 presents the technology of the execution of
the movements, with the actions explained step by step, Chapter
6 offers the counterpoint. Chapter 6 is an explanation of
the technology, but this type of pianistic “technology”
is quite unusual. In order to obtain proper results, the pianist
must, in many ways, deceive his or her muscles. He must send
them delusive messages, thereby decreasing their enthusiasm.
(The latter often results in physical tension, which deteriorates
the musician’s ability to control sound production.)
One of the spheres where “deceptive” messages
are very effective is in the production of colors (timbres),
created by a performer for interpretational reasons. The focus
on these “games” makes a smooth transition to
the last chapter of the book which is devoted to the problems
of interpretation.
Each concept in the book has a specific name, facilitating
recall, and is identified with a specific graphic symbol,
which, when written in the music, makes musicality much
more accessible.
Numerous musical examples are used throughout the book. These
examples are taken from familiar piano literature used by
teachers and students throughout the world.
© 2022 Rozalie Levant
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