Tag Archives: piano music

Why is Bach’s Italian Concerto Called a Concerto?

Why is Bach’s Italian Concerto referred to as a concerto? This is a really good question. A concerto is generally a solo instrument or small group of soloists along with a larger ensemble and almost every concerto you encounter meets this definition. Yet, Bach’s Italian Concerto is a solo keyboard work! So, how can this possibly be considered a concerto? The reason for this is that it is written with the Italian style of a concerto grosso and the way Bach achieves this is by doing something he rarely did in any of his keyboard music which is, he wrote in dynamics in the entire three movements every single note; in the right hand and the left hand. Either they’re both forte or they’re both piano or one or the other is forte. This is what achieves the feeling of a concerto of the larger group and the smaller group.

The entire concerto was built upon the juxtaposition of the sound of a solo group against the entire group and it gives the feeling of an Italian concerto. It’s so fascinating to realize two things about Bach. One is that there is a tremendous amount of music that we’ll never know because he was undiscovered until years after his death. There’s an old wives tale that many of his scores ended up being used to wrap fish. I don’t know if this is true, but we do know that he wrote a lot of music that we have never gotten to hear and probably never will. The other thing about Bach is that he lived in Leipzig, Germany and did very little travelling, yet he wrote a magnificent Italian concerto, a set of beautiful English suites as well as French suites. How is it possible that he wrote all this music? After all, there was no recording back then. Being in a major city, any time any artists from other places would come to visit, he made a point of listening to many different styles of music. Being the genius that he was, he could assimilate those styles and could write some of the greatest Italian, French and English music as well as his native German music,

So that’s a bit of a lesson on Bach’s Italian Concerto for you. I hope this has been helpful! Again, this is Robert@LivingPianos.com

What’s the Difference between Allegro and Moderato?

To put it in simple terms, in a musical context: Allegro means fast; while Moderato means moderately fast. (Actually, the Italian translation of Allegro is actually “happy” and Moderato means “moderate”). But these two terms can be confusing – how do you judge fast? What is moderately fast? And really, the speed really depends on the context of the original score; every piece has different requirements.

You might have even seen some metronomes which indicate Allegro from a certain number to another and other markings such as Andante with a range as well, but this is actually quite ridiculous. Each piece has a certain pulse to it and Allegro can’t be quantified in this way.

The biggest thing to remember is that Fast and Slow are Not Absolutes. The speeds and the markings are simply characters of the piece.

So where exactly to do these terms come from? They are Italian words. This is mostly because Western music has its roots in Western Europe and Italy was a big epicenter for music. Eventually, their terms were adopted by most of the music community.

If you study French or German music, sometimes you will run into a bunch of different terms from their languages. I suggest getting a dictionary, or use online or smartphone resources. Some of the German terms are so long they are almost impossible to pronounce!

Thanks again for watching, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How to Deal with Applause Between Movements in Musical Performances

If you’ve been to classical concerts with multiple movements you might have heard people applauding in the wrong places. For the uninitiated, it can be a challenge. You have just heard a performance of a piece with a heroic ending and then there is silence from the audience! As a musician – especially when it comes to solo performances – you want to avoid these random bouts of applause since they can disrupt the flow of the music. This article provides some tips on how to avoid applause in the wrong places and how to deal with them when it inevitably happens.

As a performer, you will want to give your audience clues where to clap. I recently performed the Schumann G minor Sonata (a 4 movement work) and the 1st movement ends with such a ferocious finale that you might think it’s the end of the piece. If you finish the first movement in a dramatic fashion and put your arms in your lap, you will probably garner applause. While you don’t want to temper your performance diminishing the energy, when you finish, keep your hands over the keys ready to play the next movement. This will signal to the audience that there is more to come. While there is no way to definitively stop an audience from clapping, this will certainly help cue them to the structure of the work.

So what do you do if the audience begins to clap anyway? Well, there are a number of ways to handle this and some are better than others. Some people might actually stand up and take a bow in the middle of the piece. I wouldn’t suggest doing this because it disrupts the flow of the piece, however, you should acknowledge the audience in some way. You can look at them and thank them by nodding your head and smiling. They will eventually stop and everyone will realize in a few moments that there is more to come. You can handle this in different ways. I have seen performers put their hands in the air and signal the audience to stop! While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this, it certainly will help to quiet the audience. No matter what you do, it’s best to acknowledge the audience in some way so they don’t feel embarrassed.

A successful performance is not just about how you play, it comprises the entire presentation. If you find yourself in a situation where the audience has reacted before they should, you should simply thank them and move on. After all, they are there to see you and if they are applauding before they should it’s simply a sign that they have enjoyed the performance so far.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

Chopin VS. Liszt – The Differences (and Similarities) Between Chopin and Liszt

Despite what the title might imply, this is not a match to determine who is the better composer. Today we are going to discuss the similarities and differences between these two iconic composers and see what we can learn in the process. We’ve done this before with the differences between Mozart and Beethoven.

The most obvious similarity between Chopin and Liszt is that they are both from the same era of Classical Music – The Romantic Period. There were certainly trends in music during this time and that is evident by the similarities between these two composers. However, even though they are from roughly the same time period, there are many differences that separate their work from one another.

Geography is a huge contributing factor in a composer’s music. Liszt was Hungarian and as such the music has a certain flavor and boisterousness. He was a musical superstar in his time and many of his pieces reflect his pyrotechnic technique. Chopin was Polish and lived a long time in France. His music can often have a poetic quality and is definitely a product of his environment. However, there is tremendous overlap in their styles and there are examples that can disprove the generalities I express here. Generally though you can get an idea of the flavor you get from each of these two composers.

In the Liszt 6th Hungarian Rhapsody there is a lot of heroism and Hungarian influence. The Hungarian rhythms almost make you want to dance with with the energetic rhythms! Chopin’s work is more characteristically nuanced in his approach. Take for example the middle of the A-flat ballade, it’s very poetic and elegant even with the technical demands.

Both composers have such a wide variety of work that it’s easy to see overlap in the styles of each of these composers. With that in mind let’s take some examples of lyrical music and see how each of these composers approach this.

In the middle section of Liszt’s 6th Hungarian Rhapsody there is a lyrical section that, even though it’s melodic and beautiful, still has dark undertones that are very characteristic of his music as a whole. Let’s take a Chopin waltz; it’s still very elegant and light without the dark undertones that are found throughout Liszt’s work.

Now I could take different examples and you would really have a hard time telling who wrote what! If you study these two composers in depth though you will definitely begin to see where their music separates and how each of them is unique. Again, the big differences lie more in where these two grew up and the lives they lived as well as their inherent personalities.

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729. Please let us know how you like this series and if you have any questions or suggestions for future videos please send them our way.

Learning Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier on The Piano

You might be familiar with The Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach. It really is an amazing body of work. These works are definitely worth exploring.

To understand The Well-Tempered Clavier we must understand what Bach means by “Well-Tempered”. A long time ago keyboard instruments were actually tuned to sound pure in different keys depending upon the key of the piece you played. If you were playing a piece in G major, the instrument would be tuned to sound in tune in G major. The piece would sound great but if you tried to play in some other keys it could sound horrendous! As time went on tuning became more flexible so that it was possible to play in a great variety of keys with the same tuning. While the system of tuning available at Bach’s time favored some keys more than others, it was a vast improvement in offering the flexibility to play in all keys without the need for returning.

Today we have what is referred to as “Equal Tempered Tuning”. All keys are equally in tune, or more accurately equally out of tune. I have another blog; Why a Piano is Never in Tune that deals with this subject in more depth.

The Well-Tempered Clavier is a series of Preludes and Fugues in all the major and minor keys, 12 major keys, and 12 minor keys for a total of 24 Prelude and Fugues. However, there is not just one book but two books of Preludes and Fugues for a grand total of 48 Preludes and Fugues! These are incredible works worth getting to know.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729