Menahem Pressler

William Brown

Description

Runner-up, 2009 International Piano Book of the Year Award

As soloist, master class teacher, and pianist of the world-renowned Beaux Arts Trio, Menahem Pressler can boast of four Grammy nominations, three honorary doctorates, more than 80 recordings, and lifetime achievement awards presented by France, Germany, and Israel. Former Pressler student William Brown traces the master's pianistic development through Rudiakov, Kestenberg, Vengerova, Casadesus, Petri, and Steuermann, blending techniques and traditions derived from Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and J. S. Bach.

Brown presents Pressler's approach to performance and teaching, including technical exercises, principles of relaxation and total body involvement, and images to guide the pianist's creativity toward expressive interpretation. Insights from the author's own lessons, interviews with Pressler, and recollections of more than 100 Pressler students from the past 50 years are gathered in this text. Measure-by-measure lessons on 23 piano masterworks by, among others, Bach, Bartók, Debussy, and Ravel as well as transcriptions of Pressler's fingerings, hand redistributions, practicing guidelines, musical scores, and master class performances are included.

I: His Teaching
1. A Brief Biography
2. The Studio
3. Pressler's Early Training
4. The Debussy Competition
5. Opportunities in America
6. Bloomington
7. General Aspects of Pressler's Teaching
8. The Technical Approach
9. Principles of Expressive Performance
10. Guides for Practicing
11. Technical Helps
12. Pressler's Humor
13. Pressler at the Met: Beethoven's Sonata Op. 110
14. Pressler at the TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute

II: The Music
15. Johann Sebastian Bach, Partita No. 2 in C minor, S. 826
16. Béla Bartók, Out of Doors
17. Ludwig van Beethoven, Concerto No. 5 in E- flat major, Op. 73 "Emperor" Beethoven, Sonata, Op. 81a "Les adieux"
18. Johannes Brahms, Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 2
Brahms, Trio in B Major, Op. 8
19. Frédéric Chopin, Nocturne in E major, Op. 62 No.2
Chopin, Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
20. Claude Debussy, Selected Preludes
"Les collines d'Anacapri" (Bk. 1, No. 5)
"Feux d'artifice" (Bk. 2, No. 12)
Debussy, L'Isle Joyeuse
21. Joseph Haydn, Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:50
22. Franz Liszt, Après une lecture du Dante
23. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata in B-flat major, K. 281
24. Serge Prokofiev, Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major, Op. 83
25. Maurice Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit
Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin
Ravel, Piano Trio in A minor
26. Franz Schubert, Fantasie in C Major, D. 760, "Wanderer"
27. Robert Schumann, Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Schumann, Kreisleriana, Op. 16
28. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, Concerto in B-flat minor, Op. 23
29. Carl Maria von Weber, "Perpetual Motion" (Sonata in C major, Op. 24, Finale)
Appendix A: Pressler's Musical Ancestry
Appendix B: Lineage of Piano Teachers
Appendix C: Tributes
Appendix D: Studio Rosters (1955-2007)
Bibliography
Index of Compositions

Sujets

• Musique
• Culture musicale
• Histoire de la musique
• Styles
• Genres
• MUSIC
• Biography
• Multiple signal classification
• Pedagogy
• Art music
• Classical
• Musique savante
• Performance

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 03 décembre 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9780253013521
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Menahem Pressler

Menahem Pressler
ARTISTRY IN PIANO TEACHING

William Brown
Indiana University Press
BLOOMINGTON AND INDIANAPOLIS
This book is a publication of Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA
http://iupress.indiana.edu
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2009 by William Brown
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences - Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, William Paul, date-
Menahem Pressler : artistry in piano teaching / William Brown.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-253-35241-5 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Pressler, Menahem. 2. Pianists. 3. Piano teachers 4. Piano-Performance. 5. Piano music-Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.) I. Title.
ML417.P75B76 2009
786.2092-dc22
[B]
2008022724
1 2 3 4 5 14 13 12 11 10 09
To Menahem Pressler,
mentor and friend, whose teaching and performing have enriched and transformed generations of musicians.
CONTENTS
P REFACE : A F EW W ORDS B EFORE
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Part One
A L IFE IN T EACHING
ONE
A Brief Biography
TWO
The Studio
THREE
Pressler s Early Training
FOUR
The Debussy Competition
FIVE
Opportunities in America
SIX
Bloomington
SEVEN
General Aspects of Pressler s Teaching
EIGHT
The Technical Approach
NINE
Principles of Expressive Performance
TEN
Guides for Practicing
ELEVEN
Technicallnstructions
TWELVE
Pressler s Humor
THIRTEEN
Pressler at the Met: Beethoven s Sonata Op. 110
FOURTEEN
Pressler at the TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute
Part Two
T HE M USIC
FIFTEEN
Johann Sebastian Bach
PARTITA NO. 2 IN C MINOR, s. 826
SIXTEEN
B la Bart k
OUT OF DOORS
SEVENTEEN
Ludwig van Beethoven
CONCERTO NO. 5 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 73, EMPEROR
SONATA, OP. 81A, LES ADIEUX
EIGHTEEN
Johannes Brahms
SONATA IN F-SHARP MINOR, OP. 2
PIANO TRIO IN B MAJOR, OP. 8
NINETEEN
Fr d ric Chopin
SONATA NO. 3 IN B MINOR, OP. 58
NOCTURNE IN E MAJOR, OP. 62, NO. 2
TWENTY
Claude Debussy
PR LUDE, LES COLLINES D ANACAPRI, BOOK 1, NO. 5
PR LUDE, FEUX D ARTIFICE, BOOK 2, NO. 12
L ISLE JOYEUSE
TWENTY-ONE
Joseph Haydn
SONATA IN C MAJOR, HOB. XVI: 50
TWENTY-TWO
Franz Liszt
APR S UNE LECTURE DU DANTE
TWENTY-THREE
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
SONATA IN B-FLAT MAJOR, K. 281
TWENTY-FOUR
Serge Prokofiev
SONATA NO. 7 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 83
TWENTY-FIVE
Maurice Ravel
GASPARD DE LA NUIT
LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN
PIANO TRIO IN A MINOR
TWENTY-SIX
Franz Schubert
FANTASIE IN C MAJOR, D. 760, WANDERER
TWENTY-SEVEN
Robert Schumann
KREISLERIANA , OP. 16
CONCERTO IN A MINOR, OP. 54
TWENTY-EIGHT
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
PIANO CONCERTO IN B-FLAT MINOR, OP. 23
TWENTY-NINE
Carl Maria von Weber
PERPETUAL MOTION : SONATA IN C MAJOR, OP. 24, FINALE
A PPENDIX A. M ENAHEM P RESSLER S M USICAL A NCESTRY
A PPENDIX B. L INEAGE OF P RESSLER S P IANO T EACHERS
A PPENDIX C. T RIBUTES TO P RESSLER
A PPENDIX D. P RESSLER S S TUDIO R OSTERS , 1955-2008
B IBLIOGRAPHY
I NDEX OF C OMPOSITIONS
I NDEX OF N AMES AND C ONCEPTS
PREFACE: A FEW WORDS BEFORE
We were returning from a Beaux Arts Trio concert in Bloomington, Indiana, when my wife, Kathy, remarked, Someone must write a book about Mr. Pressler. My thoughts returned to her comment again and again over the next few days, and I realized the significance of her statement. I phoned Menahem Pressler the following week. He shared with me that a biography by Cynthia Wilson was indeed already being prepared for publication and added, There have been so many things-articles, documentaries, and the Nicholas Delbanco book about the Beaux Arts Trio. But nothing like the present book: no comprehensive study of Pressler s teaching legacy had been attempted. I told him I had accumulated many pages of notes transcribed from my lessons with him from 1969 through 1977, as well as hundreds of pages of scores with his markings, images, fingerings, and phrasings; and I realized that there were many others who also cherish their remembrances of studying with Menahem Pressler. What a treasure it would be to have access to all those comments and markings that this world-renowned performer/teacher/mentor/friend has made over the fifty-plus years of his career!
As I suspected, the resources were abundant. It was only necessary to collect these materials and organize them for use by future pianists and teachers. Indiana University s Jacobs School of Music generously provided names and addresses of Pressler s students from 1955 through 2007. I sent each of these persons a survey and a request for any tapes they might have of their lessons with Pressler and copies of musical scores he had marked for them. Additionally, participants from the Adamant Music School in Vermont contributed their remembrances, musical scores, and tapes and Mr. Pressler directed me to several former students for personal interviews that provided tremendous help in enlarging my perspective of Pressler s impact on the world of pianism.
These participants represent more than five decades of Pressler s teaching, the impact of which is international in scope and includes esteemed concert artists; college, university, and conservatory professors; teachers with private studios; and gifted amateur musicians. Pressler s influence on the lives of these people is apparent by what they have told me: His influence has become part of everything I do. I think about him every day. I keep his picture on my door so that I see it every day. I think about what I ve accomplished, and I think, He would be pleased.
Part 1 of this book is based on interviews with Pressler and comments from musical scores, lessons, and master classes. Included for the first time in published form are Pressler s technical exercises as well as a compendium of technical and expressive details for interpreting many piano masterpieces. Part 2 offers twenty-three measure-by-measure lessons. These are composites of Pressler s markings made in students musical scores as well as transcripts of lessons and master classes. Measures for all pieces are numbered in the conventional manner, beginning with the first complete measure and skipping first endings unless otherwise indicated.
For this volume, Mr. Pressler allowed the inclusion of his lecture-recital on Beethoven s Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110, which he presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in February 2004, as well as the transcript of a lecture he presented at the TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2005. These presentations show aspects of his influence apart from his teaching.
A chart of Pressler s musical ancestry is included as Appendix A and is expanded in Appendix B, tracing his teachers through many of the great pianists and musicians of history, including Franz Liszt, Fr d ric Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, and even J. S. Bach. Appendix C comprises tributes from students, and Pressler s student rosters, 1955-2008, are included as appendix D.
When asked what he would like the book to accomplish, Mr. Pressler replied, What a book like this can do is share with teachers what in my life has been my primary activity. If someone reads it and sees how one teacher went about doing it and how in some ways he succeeded, that is what the book can show.
Menahem Pressler has given the world a tremendous legacy of artistic piano performance and teaching, and it is essential that we preserve and maintain this legacy. As we gain an appreciation for both the technical and expressive facets of Pressler s teaching, we will discover that our eyes are opened to a deeper understanding of the composers intentions, and our ears are better attuned to a limitless palette of musical colors and possibilities. And by applying his principles in a broader manner, we can learn about setting goals, appreciating beauty, and striving for excellence in every area of our lives.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Those who contributed anecdotes, tributes, comments from Pressler during lessons and master classes, and other remembrances are myriad and include Pressler s friends, colleagues, students, former students, and acquaintances. I am especially grateful to my family members for their support, to Tim McCarty who helped in taping my interviews with Mr. Pressler, to Susan Guymon and Eric Schramm for their editing work, to Melinda Baird who made available numerous resources, to Indiana University Archives for their assistance, to Sara Pressler for her thoughtful insights, to Edna Pressler for her encouragement, and most of all to Menahem Pressler himself for his willingness to devote the time, energy, and insight needed to bring this project to completion.
Contributors from Pressler s former Indiana University students include Jane Abbott-Kirk, John Adams, David Alpher, Fernando Araujo, Konstantine Athanasakos, Mi Jai Auh, Melinda Baird, Margaret Barela, Paul Barnes, Jonathan Bass, Alasdair Beatson, Gayle (Cameron) Blankenburg, Jimmy Briere, Madeline Bruser, John Burnett, Diana (Haddad) Cangemi, Mark Cappelli, Ted Carnes, Susan Chan, Angela Cheng, Mikyung (Carrie) Choi (Koh), Winston Choi, Alan Chow, Alvin Chow, Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, Lynda Cochrane, Jack Cohan, Jeffrey Cohen, Paula da Matta, Andrew DeGrado (d