Some readers will know that I write a regular ‘how-to-play’ article for Pianist magazine. If you’ve yet to discover this magazine, you can find out much more by clicking here. My article focuses on elementary level pieces for students of around Grade 1 – 3 level. It’s actually called a ‘beginners how-to-play’, but in reality few students start with such repertoire.
My column is around 700 words in length. It aims to shed some light on the style of each chosen work. It also offers some detailed practice ideas. Pianist magazine ensures that readers can listen to and play each piece. Every edition contains the score of the piece. It also includes a recording by Chinese pianist Chenyin Li.
A particularly wonderful aspect of my brief is that it has connected me with the music of many lesser-known composers. I have discovered a myriad of these musicians. In this respect it has been a real education. Magazine editor Erica Worth and I are constantly searching for suitable material. This search has led to the discovery of whole collections of various educational piano pieces. We always consider the level and difficulty of the piece. Occasionally, we find a composition slightly trickier than expected, however, we feel it must be included. The featured piece in Pianist magazine issue 105 was one such piece.
Etude Op. 97 No. 1 was written by Anton Reicha (1770 – 1836), who was a friend and contemporary of Beethoven; the two composers studied at the University of Bonn together. Reicha is probably best known for his wind quintet literature. He played an important role as a teacher and advocated for his pupils. He numbered Liszt, Berlioz, and Franck among them. He wrote treatises on various aspects of composition and theory, but due to his apparent aversion to being published, his music largely fell into obscurity soon after his death, and his life and work have yet to be studied in detail.
Reicha contributed to the piano repertoire by composing a series of fugues and etudes. He also created larger scale works. These include a set of variations lasting over 45 minutes. Inventive and imaginative, he was an early advocate of polytonality and asymmetric meters. Reicha’s fugues were also renowned for breaking the usual strict rules. However, his music is predominantly tonal and has a spontaneous quality. His scores are relatively free from the ubiquitous composer’s musical directions which leaves interpretation solely to the performer.
The Etude Op. 97 No. 1 is an extremely beautiful, contemplative little piece. The melody largely floats serenely above a series of repeated left hand chords. Later in the piece, the roles are reversed. This Etude is an exercise (or a study) in balance between the hands, chordal balance and cantabile. Yet ultimately, it’s all about developing an elegant, personal reading with a depth of colours via a rich sound and judiciously balanced phrases. No matter your level as a player, I encourage you to try this piece. Play it to experience the delightful harmonic twists and turns. The melodic line is simply delicious. You can enjoy pianist Ivan Ilic’s performance by clicking on the link below.
You can read my ‘how-to-play’ article on this work here:
Etude Op 97 1a by Anton Reicha
