I’ve been musing on the topic of students learning and preparing a small amount of repertoire thoroughly as opposed to studying a much larger number of pieces in a perhaps more ‘laid-back’ fashion. This is a perennial subject, especially amongst adult returners, and is often quite a controversial issue. A common question in my Facebook…
Tag: Piano Music
Margaret Lyell and her Piano Concerto Part 3: Julian Jacobson
Pianist and teacher Julian Jacobson continues this series focusing on his mother’s music (pictured above), and specifically her piano concerto which he will be performing on May 30th at the CBSO Centre Birmingham with the Romantic Revival Orchestra and conductor Tommaso Nista. You can purchase your tickets for this concert by clicking here. In this…
Schott Student Edition: Scènes enfantines Op. 92 by Mélanie Bonis
This week marks the publication of my second volume highlighting the music of French late-Romantic composer Mélanie Bonis, or Mel-Bonis as she was often known. Book 1 was published in March and focuses on elementary pieces for children from the popular collection Album pour les tout-petits Op. 103, and you can find out more about…
Margaret Lyell and her Piano Concerto Part 2: Julian Jacobson
This post is the second in a series written by pianist and teacher Julian Jacobson. These articles are dedicated to the music, and, more specifically, the Piano Concerto written by his mother Margaret Lyell. Around 1935 my mother returned to London and joined the staff of J Curwen & Sons, of which my father Maurice…
Chord Playing and Improvising: Christopher Norton
This is the first of five articles written especially for this blog by renowned composer and educator Christopher Norton. These posts are intended to encourage classical players (and teachers) to explore jazz and pop styles. ‘Deep in Thought’ is the first piece and you can download it here for free. Chris also offers some practice…
Women Composers – A Graded Anthology For Piano
I’m delighted to introduce my three-book piano series: Women Composers – A Graded Anthology For Piano (Schott Music). This series was published in February/March 2022 and was one of my lockdown projects. Schott and I worked on these publications over a significant period and I’m happy to say that this series won a Presto Music…
Piano Music by Women
Over the past few months, musicians have been carefully rethinking their work. The pandemic has forced artists to develop in a completely new direction. The internet has proved a splendid alternative platform. We have witnessed new online concert series’, master classes, workshops, and for teachers, copious online lessons. I’ve enjoyed performances from international artists, many…
Pianists From The Past: Cyril Smith written by Julian Saphir
Pianist and pedagogue Julian Saphir has written this informative article about concert pianist and pedagogue Cyril Smith with whom he had a personal connection. One day in the Spring of 1991, during my third year of study at the Royal College of Music, London, I made my way to my piano lesson, not at college,…
Beethoven Piano Concerto Project: David Alexander
Beethoven’s piano concertos are amongst the most emotionally satisfying in the whole piano repertoire. Pianist and teacher David Alexander has been programming all five concertos in London. He has been doing this as part of his own Beethoven project for the past few years. On January 10th 2019 he will be performing Beethoven Piano Concerto…
My Journey as a Composer: Lindsey Berwin
British teacher and composer Lindsey Berwin is my guest writer this week. She has written several pedagogical publications for teachers and students. I asked Lindsey about her work as a composer, and why composing has become an increasingly important element in her life. My journey as a composer began some thirty years ago, primarily in…
The Faber Music Piano Anthology
In 2016 I was invited to compile a new anthology for leading UK music publisher Faber Music. This hefty volume is designed to be a gift book for anyone who enjoys playing, or who fancies exploring, a large and varied collection of piano works. The volume was first available in a luxury hardback edition featuring…
The Chicago Amateur Piano Competition
Love them or loathe them, piano competitions are more popular than ever before and there are no shortage of entrants, irrespective of standard or ability. And subjective as they are, piano contests can fire the imagination, motivating players to reach new heights in their quest for keyboard perfection. For a professional pianist a competition has…