The Piano Master Classes of Hans Von Bulow: Two Participants' Accounts - Hardcover

9780253368690: The Piano Master Classes of Hans Von Bulow: Two Participants' Accounts

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0253368693 ISBN 13: 9780253368690

Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr, 1993

The renowned concert pianist and teacher Hans von B�low gave a series of piano master classes in the summers of 1884-1887. Detailed notes of the lessons by Theodor Pfeiffer, entitled Studien bei Hans von B�low, were published around the turn of the century along with a Nachtrag (Supplement) by Jos� Vianna da Motta.

Richard Zimdars has rendered Pfeiffer's and da Motta's often cryptic notes into fully understandable instructions and has transcribed the more than 250 musical examples in the original volume. Particularly valuable is an appendix containing finger exercises from a contemporaneous book by Pfeiffer, now long out of print.

B�low's teaching, which is in the Liszt tradition, is as vital today as it was almost one hundred years ago. Students, performers, and teachers have much to learn from his high standards and artistic insight.

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Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Review:

"... This book is pleasant reading and useful to pianists of all stages of learning." —Choice

"... Zimdars also provides a useful introduction, annotations, and six appendixes... the two authors provide a valuable record of a nineteenth-century 'Master' who spoke with total authority from and unquestioning sense that his musical values were a part of a vital, unbroken tradition extending from the time of J.S. Bach.Bulow's concerns embrace every aspect of music-making at the piano, from commonsense advice on fingering and tonal projection, to questions of style and interpretation. Because his responses to the full range of piano literature generally exhibit logic, insight, and good taste, present-day pianists will find much of value in his comments." —Notes

"This is, indeed, a very important publication for pianists and piano students... very important comments on technical matters as fingerings, etc., as well as interpretative indications are given... Therefore it is so important to go back to the old sources and traditions, to Liszt, to Bulow, and their pupils, trying to understand the contents of musical works and the interpretative possibilities.... This book on the master classes of Hans von Bulow is a very important guide as a great pianistic tradition is conveyed to pianists and students." —Liszt Saeculum

"... Richard Simdars has provided a valuable source whose significance is not only historical, but pedagogic: the descriptions illuminate von Bulow's magnetic musical personality from within, and highlight not only the rigorous precision, but also the spontaneous intimacy of his piano master classes.The detailed instructions, often bar by bar regarding dynamics, agogics and fingerings, form the core of the book..... Zimdars appealing, fluent translation is both interesting and correct and well conveys the beauty of its subject.... the book represents an admirable musicological achievement. It will certainly ensure that von Bulow's master classes contine to stimulate, educate and entertain pianists, muscians and all those interested in the history of musical interpretation into the next century." —Piano Journal

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