Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. David Keep, Music
Document Type
Poster
Event Date
4-12-2024
Abstract
The Russian piano school has developed one of the world’s most legendary and prestigious approaches to performing classical piano music. In addition to producing deeply creative and artistic musicians, it also prepares them with remarkable technique and a distinctive sound. How can the insights of this performance tradition be translated into other forms of musical knowledge besides those communicated in person through instructors at the famous conservatories of Moscow or St. Petersburg? If one does not have access to an in-person education, what can be learned from close analysis of performances? And in some ways, what might be learned through this process that might be articulated differently than what the teachers themselves verbally express? Specificity on what makes Russian pianists and their piano education exceptionally effective has been inaccessible to the rest of the world for many years. This inaccessibility was exasperated by Cold War tensions that occurred between the United States and Russia (formerly U.S.S.R) from 1947 to 1991. These tensions encouraged Nationalism within each country and the development of distinctive playing styles. Performance analysis and embodiment of recorded performances can help to bridge this knowledge gap and language barrier. In the past, performance analysis has mostly pertained to historical performance practice, mostly within the Baroque and pre-Baroque musical eras. However, a plethora of information on Russian performance practice and interpretation can be learned by analyzing recorded performances. Embodied performance is a practice that makes for exceptionally effective comprehension of performance interpretations in recordings. Specifically, embodied performance can be used to analyze focal impulses, microtiming, and asynchronies within recordings. Analyzing these features of music interpretation provides insight into Russian pianism and expression. The placement of focal impulses and microtiming conceptualizes how Russian pianists create a cantabile melody on the piano: the greatest illusion in the piano’s capabilities.
Recommended Citation
Repository citation: Triezenberg, Anna, "Making the Piano Sing: Focal Impulses in The Russian Piano Performing Tradition" (2024). 23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024). Paper 83.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/curca_23/83
April 12, 2024. Copyright © 2024 Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
Comments
This research was supported by the Al & Phyllis Bursma Summer Research in the Humanities & Arts.