It’s always exciting when a previously undiscovered work emerges, especially when composed by a world-famous master composer. Last Friday the BBC reported on a newly uncovered composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which had been ‘found in a notebook in an attic’ by music historian Hildegard Herrmann-Schneider, from the institute for Tyrolean music research at Innsbruck…
Category: Melanie Spanswick
An Interview with Vladimir Horowitz
This interview with Russian virtuoso pianist, Vladimir Horowitz (1903 -1989) was filmed in 1977. It highlights the pianist’s ebullient personality and gives a fascinating insight into his life. Horowitz was considered to be one of the worlds greatest interpreters of the Romantic repertoire. His first recording of Liszt’s B minor Sonata in 1932 has often…
British Female Pianists and Pedagogues
In honour of International Women’s Day, which we celebrated a couple of weeks ago, I’m going to trace the emergence of female pianists and pedagogues throughout the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. I’ve always been fascinated by gender topics such as this, particularly the gradual change from amateur to professional status of piano teachers. An abundance…
Life as a Guest Entertainer
This post highlights my life as a guest entertainer. I gave solo classical piano recitals on cruise ships around the world, as well as giving concerts at universities and music societies throughout the UK, a job I did for 12 years. This article is a potpourri of my experiences. Our plane touched down at midnight….
Piano exam success: 9 key points
I examined for the ABRSM (The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) for 5 years both in the UK and abroad, and I’ve compiled the following list of important points to remember when preparing for your music exam. 1. Preparation is the key to success. You have a very short time to make…
Stage Deportment: 5 tips
I have been attending several amateur music festivals lately giving me the perfect opportunity to observe the musical skills of young people, and some older ones, too. Most competitors are understandably nervous when faced with the prospect of an audience for the first time and it is especially daunting for small children. It’s interesting to…
Scales & Arpeggios: 6 reasons why you need to practice them
‘Now for the scales and arpeggios, C major hands together, please.’ The examiner smiles and then glance at the student who is waiting with bated breath. This is a typical scenario when pupils are faced with scales and arpeggios in an examination. Most pianists don’t like them. Some ask if they are really necessary. For…
Performance Anxiety: 5 top tips
Several readers wrote last week asking for advice on how to combat performance nerves and anxiety. They were disturbed and upset by the fact that they could practice a piece for months thinking they had perfected it, they then would perform the work and ‘go to pieces’. Performing is a huge topic and one that…
The Power of the Musical Mind
I have been musing on this statement from one of the most popular yet controversial pianists of the Twentieth century. Gould had a highly individual style of playing the piano, and his interpretations were often equally idiosyncratic. It’s generally assumed that fingers do all the work when playing the piano. I have forgotten how many…
Piano Practice – how much should I do?
My last blog post focused on the amount of time it takes to learn to play the piano. I had some thought-provoking comments from readers and a couple of pianist friends informed me that 30 years is more appropriate! They do make a valid point… Here are some recent suggestions (below) as to the time…
How long will it take to learn to play the piano?
It’s a difficult question to answer but it’s one that most prospective students ask. 5 key points to remember 1. How much time do you have to dedicate to studying the piano? A child who is just starting to learn may only be able to concentrate for 10 minutes per day, especially if they are…
Liza Lehmann
For quite some time I’ve been interested in female pianists and composers. Some say, here in the Twenty-first century, that we finally have equality although it seems to me that classical music has long been a male-dominated profession. Women composers are particularly thin on the ground. There are more around today but during the Nineteenth…