I’ve been enjoying piano duets over the past week, both four hands at one piano and works for two pianos. Piano duos can take two forms. Two pianists at one piano being the most popular, that is, the first player, or primo part, plays at the high pitched side of the instrument or the right…
Month: June 2012
Great British female pianists and teachers: Adela Verne
Adela Verne was born in 1877 and was an important English pianist and composer of German descent. She was considered one of the foremost female pianists of her generation and she frequently toured the world playing in all the major concert halls. Adela was born into a musical family, she had nine siblings altogether, and…
Brigitte Engerer 1952 – 2012
French pianist Brigitte Engerer sadly died a few days ago, on 23rd June, from cancer. She was just 59. I loved Engerer’s playing. She was born in Tunis and was of Maltese descent. Having started playing the piano at the age of five, she entered the Paris Conservatoire in the class of Lucette Descaves. Obtaining first…
Great British female pianists and teachers: Mathilde Verne
Mathilde Verne was born in 1865 and was an English pianist and teacher of German descent. Born Mathilde Wurm in Southampton, England, the fourth of ten children, all of whom were musically gifted. She was initially a student of Franklin Taylor and was then given the opportunity to play to Clara Schumann, who took her to Frankfurt for…
The healing powers of music: repairing brain damage
Music is often used for healing purposes; from relaxation to recovering from cancer. According to science, music can have a powerful effect on repairing brain damage. Patients with left-sided brain damage who can no longer speak can find they are able to sing words, often without any difficulty or training. Melodic intonation therapy, or singing…
Can music slow down the aging process?
An interesting new study has revealed that music can help slow down the aging process. Researchers in the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University in the US, measured the automatic brain responses of younger and older musicians and non-musicians to speech sounds. They discovered that older musicians had a distinct neural timing advantage and concluded…
Preparing for your piano exam
Being well-prepared for a music exam is crucial. By ‘preparing’, I’m not referring to the amount of practice required to pass exams. A considerable amount of practice is needed to achieve satisfactory marks. But once you have prepared thoroughly, the real ‘practice’ begins, that is, performance practice. It is too easy to go to your…