INFORMATION TO USERS
This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted.
The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction.
1. The sign or “target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “Missing Page(s)”. I f it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure complete continuity.
2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark, it is an indication of either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, duplicate copy, or copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed. For blurred pages, a good image of the page can be found in the adjacent frame. If copyrighted materials were deleted, a target note will appear listing the pages in the adjacent frame.
3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photographed, a definite method of “sectioning” the material has been followed. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand comer of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. I f necessary, sectioning is continued again-beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete.
4. For illustrations that cannot be satisfactorily reproduced by xerographic means, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and inserted into your xerographic copy. These prints are available upon request from the Dissertations Customer Services Department.
5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed.
Uni International 30 0 N .Z e e b Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of ofthe the copyright copyright owner. owner. Further Further reproduction reproduction prohibited prohibited without without permission. permission. Order Number 1334061
A n examination of the teaching methods of seven nineteenth century piano pedagogues
Kendricks, Renee Christine, M.A.
The American University, 1988
Copyright ©1988 by Hendricks, Rene£ Christine. All rights reserved.
U MI 300 N. ZcebRd. Ann Arbor, M I 48106
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ----··------·------
ReproducedReproduced withwith permission permission of of the the copyright copyright owner. owner. Further Further reproduction reproduction prohibited prohibited without without permission. permission. AN EXAMINATION OF THE TEACHING
METHODS OF SEVEN NINETEENTH
CENTURY PIANO PEDAGOGUES
by
Renee Christine Hendricks
submitted to the
Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences
of The American University
in Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements for the Degree
of
Master of Arts
in
Music
Signatures of Committee:
ean pf the College April 18, 1988 Date
1988 The American University Washington, D.C. 20016
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (c) COPYRIGHT
BY
RENEE CHRISTINE HENDRICKS
1988
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AN EXAMINATION OF
THE TEACHING METHODS OF SEVEN
NINETEENTH CENTURY PIANO PEDAGOGUES
BY
Renee Christine Hendricks
ABSTRACT
This thesis examines the teaching methods of seven
nineteenth century piano pedagogues; Johann Nepomuk Hummel,
Carl Czerny, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Theodor F.ullak,
Ludwig Deppe and Theodor Leschetizky, in an effort to trace
the development of piano instruction in the nineteenth
century from its beginning as a secondary job or hobby of
performer-composers to a full-time and sophisticated
occupation. It is an observation of the growth in each
musician's role as teacher as well as the approach to
teaching piano as it developed in the nineteenth century.
A single chapter is devoted to the teaching methods of each
instructor and includes the major ideas, philosophies and
techniques employed and imparted by that teacher. An
appendix is included containing a list of pedagogical
compositions and writings by each instructor.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Mr. Charles Crowder, Chairman
of the Committee and Advisor, not only for his guidance in
matters of music and pedagogy, but also for his kindness
and support and for allowing me to borrow important and
otherwise hard to find books from his collection.
To Barbara Kober, I extend my gratitude for her
valuable suggestions in the editing of my material and for
her comfort and encouragement along the way.
I offer my sincere appreciation to my Committee
members, Mr. Milton Kidd and Mr. Willis Bennett, for their
time and suggestions for improving the study; and, to
Robin Carter for completing the final copy.
Finally, I thank my parents, Evan Bryant, Jr. and
Marilyn Hendricks, for their inspiring love and continous
guidance through all my endeavors.
xxi
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ...... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii
INTRODUCTION ...... 1
Chapter page
I. JOHANN NEPOMUK HUMMEL (1778-1837)
The Mozart Style ...... 4
II. CARL CZERNY (1791-1857)
Musical Training ...... 8 Teaching Method ...... 10
III. FREDERIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Teaching Method ...... 14
IV. FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
Teaching Method ...... 22
V. THEODOR KULLAK (1818-1882)
Teaching Method ...... 31
VI. LUDWIG DEPPE (1828-1890)
Teaching Method ...... 35
VII. THEODOR LESCHETIZKY (1830-1915)
Teaching Method ...... 41
VIII. CONCLUSION ...... 54
APPENDIX
A LIST OF PEDAGOGICAL COMPOSITIONS AND WRITINGS BY PEDAGOGUES IN THIS W O R K ...... 58
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 60 i iv
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION
In the early nineteenth century, the piano was fast
becoming a fully-developed instrument. During the course
of its development through the eighteenth century, piano
builders continued to improve the construction of the
instrument by replacing knee pedals with foot pedals,
introducing the double-escapement mechanism, lengthening
the keyboard and so on. Harpsichord and clavichord players
were switching from their delicate instruments to the piano
for its seemingly unlimited possibilities in sound pro
duction and durability. The evolution of The Pianist had
begun.
In the early days pianists were composers as well as
performers. Repertoire written exclusively for the piano
grew slowly. The more the pianist explored and experi
mented with the capabilities of the instrument, the more
evident it became that compositions written for harpsichord
and clavichord were insufficient for performance on the
piano. And, who better to write for the piano than those
who specialized in performing on the piano? Most of the
early pianists; Clementi, Mozart, and Beethoven, were
virtuoso performers and highly skilled composers. Each
pianist had his own approach to performance and established
his style through the performance of his own works. Not
1
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. only did it become fashionable for the pianist to compose,
but it was highly unusual for one not to do so.
As the concert pianist became more skilled and the
music written for piano became more technically difficult,
the gap between the amateur and the professional pianist
widened. The demand for teachers of piano began to
increase with the rise of the virtuoso pianists. Amateurs
wanted to learn how to imitate those pianists who could
stir their audiences into frenzied delight with their
beautiful sonorities and amazing technical feats.
Naturally, the virtuoso performer was the one most sought
after to give lessons. However, only a few performers
taught and those who did rarely accepted a pupil who did
not possess a great deal of skill or talent. Mozart
received a few gifted pupils and Beethoven taught Czerny,
but neither devoted much time to teaching. Usually, one's
instruction was received by a parent, a friend, or a music
instructor employed by a wealthy family or church.
Since its beginning, in the early eighteenth century,
the teaching of piano has progressed from a secondary job
or hobby of performer-composers to a full-time and sophi
sticated occupation. It was during the nineteenth century
that the trend in teaching began to change. The role of
piano teacher became more involved and more demanding.
Each artist's approach to teaching differed; from Hummel
and Czerny's mechanical and technical approach to the
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. incorporation of weight-touch and muscular relaxation in
the methods of Deppe and Leschetizky. And, although the
earlier piano professors were also composers and per
formers, the decline in that trend began with Kullak,
Deppe, and Leschetizky who made teaching an all-consuming
career. Through an examination of the teaching methods of
seven nineteenth century piano pedagogues; Hummel, Czerny,
Chopin, Liszt, Kullak, Deppe, and Leschetizky, one may
observe the growth in both the pianist's role as teacher
and the approach to teaching piano as it developed in the
nineteenth century.
In the following chapters, the pedagogues and their
teaching methods are approached individually. Comparisons
contrasts and conclusions are stated in the final chapter.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. C H A P T E R I
JOHANN NEPOMUK HUMMEL (1778-1837)
The Mozart Style
Johann Nepomuk Hummel was destined to a life in
music. His father was the Director of the Imperial School
of Military Music and from an early age began instructing
his son to play the pianoforte. From the beginning, he was
musically trained in the classical mode. Among his
teachers were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Muzio Clementi and
Franz Joseph Haydn. Hummel received instruction in harmony
by Albrechtsberger and lessons in counterpoint were given
by Salieri. Although he is not as posthumously celebrated
as those with whom he studied, Hummel did become a leading
pianist and composer of his time.
During the two years he received lessons from Mozart,
Hummel developed a technique very much like Mozart's own
high finger method. His playing was noted for its clarity,
evenness, articulation and remarkable tone. Under Mozart's
tutelage Hummel became a superb pianist and after a
successful debut in a Mozart recital, he and his father
went on an extensive concert tour. "Johann Hummel, now
fifteen years old, was considered among the foremost
4
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. virtuosi of the German School of piano performers."1
In addition to his popularity as a virtuoso per
former, Hummel was a respected composer and teacher. In
fact, "Hummel, the teacher, matched and very likely
surpassed Hummel, the performer. His students (Hiller,
Henselt, Pauer, Pixis and Thalberg) enjoyed successful
concert careers."2 Like their teacher, they were cele
brated, above all else, for their outstanding technical
capabilities.
As a teacher, Hummel stressed those aspects which he
felt to be most important. "According to Hiller, Hummel's
primary concerns were the singing qualities of the main
voice, good, secure fingering, and clarity."3 He also felt
that finger elasticity and finger control were of utmost
importance. It was in his three volume work, A Complete
Theoretical and Practical Course of Instruction on the Art
of Playing the Piano Forte, that "he offered over two
thousand short, mainly static exercises for various
1 David Ewen, ed., Composers of Yesterday. (New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1937), 225.
2Albert E Weir, The Piano, Its History, Makers, Players and Music (London, New York, Toronto: Longmans, Green and Company, Inc., 1S40), 69.
3 Sadie, Stanley, ed..The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 6th ed. (London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1980), s.v. "Hummel, Johann Nepomuk" by Joel Sachs.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. combinations of fingers."4 His near obsession with
developing strong and accurate fingers prompted him to
create exercises for nearly every technical problem a
pianist may find himself in need of solving. This work
"which is said to have sold thousands of copies within days
of its publication in 1828, is one of the most important
sources of information about the late Viennese style of
performing and, in particular, ornamentation."5 Hummel's
instructional books reigned as superior until the decline
of the high finger school toward the end of the nineteenth
century.
Hummel's style, or the Viennese style of playing was
performed in such a way as to minimalize all outward bodily
movement. Therefore, one must raise the fingers very high
to strike the keys according to the desired tone and sound
production. The effect of this method created the detach
ed, non-legato style of playing of which Mozart was most
famous. Hummel did much to try to preserve this tradition
of playing. Undoubtedly, "he carried on— and just about
ended— the Mozart style of piano playing."6
The mid-to late part of the nineteenth century saw
the rise of a new manner of playing. With the increasing
4 George Kochevitsky, The Art of Piano Playing (Illinois: Summy Birchard Company, 1967), 4.
“Sadie, s.v. "Hummel, Johann Nepomuk" by Joel Sachs.
6 Harold C. Schonberg, The Great Pianists from Mozart to Present (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1963), 109.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. interest toward the innovative weight-touch and muscular
relaxation schools, the use of Hummel's methods declined.
Nevertheless, at the peak of his career, Hummel was not
only one of the most important and expensive teachers in
Germany,7 he was "regarded as one of the greatest virtuosos
of his time; both as pianist and composer and often
declared to be the equal of Beethoven."0
7 Sadie, s.v. "Hummel, Johann Nepomuk" by Joel Sachs.
8Nicolas Slonimsky, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, rev., 6th ed. {New York: Schirmer Books, Inc., 1978), 786.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. C H A P T E R I I
CARL CZERNY (1791-1857)
Musical Training
Carl Czerny's first associations with music began at
home. His father, Wenzel Czerny, became a piano teacher
when Carl was six months old. It was only natural for the
elder Czerny to begin teaching his son to play the piano
forte at an early age. By the time he was ten years old,
Czerny "could play everything by Mozart, Clementi, and
other well-known keyboard composers of the time, with much
facility, and most of it by heart thanks to his good
musical memory."9 His father's plan was not to make him a
concert pianist, but rather to make him "a good sight-
reader" and to develop his "musical taste by constant study
of new works."10 Undoubtedly, Wenzel Czerny's instruction
al methods were instrumental in building a strong beginning
for Carl Czerny's musical career. It was a tremendous
accomplishment for a boy so young to acquire such an
impressive repertoire. The fact that he could perform
such a large repertoire from memory showed that he must
9 Paul Badura-Skoda, ed., Carl Czerny on the Proper Performance of All Beethoven's Works for the Piano (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser Company, 1970), 4.
10 Ibid.
8
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. have had at least a basic understanding of the fundamentals
of music theory, technique and compositional styles." Send
him to me several times a week but first of all see that he
gets Emanuel Bach's treatise on the True Art of Keyboard
Playing, which he must bring with him next time."11 This
Beethoven told Wenzel Czerny, thereby marking a turning
point in young Czerny's musical training. Although Czerny
had learned a great deal from his father, Wenzel Czerny
took his son to play for Beethoven. After hearing the boy
play, Beethoven enthusiastically accepted Carl as a pupil.
Emanuel Bach's treatise on playing the pianoforte was
one of Beethoven's standard instructional devices. He
incorporated Bach’s book into his own teaching method. He
felt that the keyboard studies were especially useful for
learning good legato technique. Czerny studied everything
Beethoven wrote for the piano and believed that
"Beethoven's legato technique was one of the unforgettable
features of his playing."12 Beethoven gave new meaning to
the term legato. His manner of playing legato was very
connected, smooth and flowing. "At that time all other
pianists considered that kind of legato unattainable, since
the 'hammered', detached staccato technique of Mozart's
time was still 'fashionable'."13 Also at that time, there
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid, 5.
13Weir, 90.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 10
were few pianists besides Czerny who would have agreed with
what Beethoven considered "the only correct position of the
hands and fingers, and especially the use of the thumb" in
playing scales.14 Against general acceptability Beethoven
insisted upon using the thumb on the black keys just as it
was used on the white keys and Czerny adopted the same
technique. Beethoven had many new ideas on performing and
composing.
Czerny learned much from Beethoven during the three
years as his pupil. Not only was he taught the mechanics
of performing, but he also "acquired experience in proof
reading, arranging (mostly for solo piano and piano duet)
and constructing scores from orchestral parts."13 With
Beethoven as his instructor, Czerny was subjected to the
old and the new, the fashionable and the unfashionable in
music. And, to further his knowledge in music, he received
lessons in harmony from Fux and Albrechtsberger.
Teaching Method
As a result of his solid musical training and ability
to learn quickly, Czerny was able to begin his own teaching
career at the age of sixteen.16 His reputation as a master
14 Ibid.
13 Sadie, Stanley, ed.,The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 6th ed. (London: Macmillian Publishers Limited, 1980), s.v. "Czerny, Carl" by Alice L. Mitchell.
16Badura-Skoda, 5.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 11
of the keyboard quickly inspired hopeful students to
request his services as an instructor. Consequently, his
success as a teacher was further enhanced by the successful
recitals performed by his most talented pupils and he soon
became formally recognized as a celebrated and first-rate
pedagogue. He became so busy he had to limit his students
to those showing real talent and skill. Eventually, Czerny
was conducting approximately "eleven to twelve lessons a
day (from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) and taught at the houses
of the highest nobility and the leading families of
Vienna,"17
A special part of Czerny's teaching routine was a
weekly Sunday program held in his home. These Sunday
afternoon musicales were "devoted to pupil performances (at
which such celebrities as Beethoven, Clementi and Hummel
were present) and were famous thruout [sic. 1 the world
of music."18 Many of these musicales were devoted ex
clusively to the works of Beethoven. So much in awe of
Beethoven's works, Czerny also "made excellent two and
four-hand transcriptions, some of them under Beethoven's
supervision, of orchestral and chamber works, which were
widely circulated in that form."19 Accordingly, both the
17 E. Sanders, ed., "Carl Czerny; Recollections of my life", Musical Quarterly 13 (1956): 302.
1 8 Ewen, 117.
1 9Badura-Skoda, 1.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12
original and transcribed works of Beethoven were high on
the list of Czerny's teaching repertoire.
Czerny also had high regard for Muzio Clementi.
Czerny was acquainted with a family whose daughter received
lessons from Clementi. As a result of his being present
for many of her lessons, Czerny was able to gain much
insight into dementi's teaching method. He is quoted as
saying, "I am especially grateful for that opportunity, for
it enabled me, in later years, to train many outstanding
pupils who became well known in the world of music."20
Czerny was also a composer. Although he wrote in all
forms, his most noteworthy works were created for peda
gogical use. He wrote thousands of exercises and studies,
most of which he titled "etudes". These etudes ranged from
"the easy and progressive to the virtuoso and the special
ized."21 Whether they were short or long, each was meant
to help overcome almost any "problem that the pianist of
that period was likely to face during his lifetime. His
method was one of endless repetition, of constant pecking
at one spot."22 These etudes were not meant to be showy,
virtuoso pieces. They had but one purpose; to create an
incomparable technique (although it was rumored that he
wrote the thousands of exercises because he disliked little
20 Ibid, 6.
21 Sadie, s.v. "Czerny, Carl" by Alice L. Mitchell.
22Kochevitsky, 4.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13
children). "Czerny believed in first developing technique
independently from music, then making the technique
eventually serve for the realization of artistic aims. For
the first time, the full separation of mechanics and music
was pronounced clearly and frankly."23 With his studies,
Czerny had made it possible to practice technique apart
from any concern for interpretation or musicality.
Of all the books of studies he composed, many are
still in use today: the School of Velocity, Op. 299; the
School of Legato and Staccato, Op. 335; the Daily Studies,
p. 337; the School of the Virtuoso, Op. 365; and, the
School of Finger Dexterity, Op. 740. "These are a result of
his industry and uncanny ability to codify and systematize
the diverse styles and techniques for the piano at a time
when the mechanics of the instrument— and its capabilities-
-were in a highly fluid state."24 It was not only his
studies, but his overall talent as a composer and performer
that were indicative of his complete understanding of the
mechanics of the piano of his time. Only, unlike other
composer-pianists, Czerny was able to channel his knowledge
into a teaching career that undeniably was the most
successful of any pedagogue before him; producing such
virtuoso performers and world-famous teachers as Thalberg,
Liszt and Leschetizky.
23 Ibid.
24 Sadie, s.v. "Czerny, Carl" by Alice L. Mit.chell.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I I I
FREDERIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Teaching Method
The style of Frederic Chopin was new and different;
yet, effective. It was a style that he alone created.
Chopin's only instruction was received from a violin
teacher. Thus, he was free to express himself pianisti-
cally as he wished.
. . . his style and his harmonic structure, his way of treating the instrument, his use of functional ornamen tation (unlike so much of the music of Liszt and other virtuosos, nearly all of Chopin's bravura passages— and all, in his maturity— have a melodic rather than a purely bravura function), his amazing harmonies and modulations, the piquancy of his rubato, his use of folk elements in the mazurkas and polonaises— all these he had developed cn his own by the time he was twenty- one.2 0
When he was about twenty-two, Chopin made Paris his
home. By that time he was already established as a
remarkably talented composer and a finished performer.
And, although he had done some previous teaching, "his real
teaching career began only after his establishment in
Paris, and occupied the latter part of his life, from
(1832-1849) ."26
20Schonberg, 138.
26Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, Chopin: pianist and teacher as seen by his pupils (Great Britain: Cambridge University Press, 1986), 6.
14
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 15
Chopin was a conscientious teacher in more ways than
one. He was "strictly business— both financially and
artistically. He was punctual ('with me, things go by the
clock1) and started at 8 a.m., ushering the student into
his studio . . . "2 7 His method for payment was to have his
students place their twenty francs upon the mantelpiece
for him to recover only after the student had departed.
This was a current custom. Also, Chopin was very fashion
able as a teacher.
Chopin's approach to music and teaching was in
fluenced and inspired by various pianists. However, Bach,
Mozart, Hummel and Clementi injected such a powerful and
long-lasting impression upon him that he used their works
repeatedly for his own pleasure and benefit as well as for
primary sources in his teaching curriculum. "Bach was
always an inspiration to Chopin, and before a concert he
would shut himself up and play from the Well Tempered
Clavier . . . his [Chopin's] Preludes in all the major and
minor keys were inspired at least in key concept, by the
Well Tempered Clavier.”28 According to Harold Schonberg,
"in addition to Bach, Chopin's great love was Mozart. He
studied them thoroughly, and their ideals of workmanship
figured in his own music and piano playing."29 Mozart's
27Schonberg, 148.
28 Ibid, 145-146.
29 Ibid, 146.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16
pupil, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, was alsp greatly admired by
Chopin.
His own preference for the works of Hummel is easily understood; Hummel allowed no harsh or unsuitable treatment of the instrument for any purpose; he believed that such musical ideas as required this kind of expression were best left unexpressed.30
Chopin and Hummel treated the instrument in much the
same way, always wanting beautiful and delicate singing
tones. Clementi's pedagogical works were another great
inspiration to Chopin and he promoted them in his teach
ings. In letters some students told what curriculum
Chopin required them to use. Among the works they used
were Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum, pieces by Bach, and
many works by Field, notably the concertos. Other pupils
mentioned Hummel, Moscheles, Schubert, Mendelssohn and
Liszt. Karol Mikuli, a Chopin pupil, used the "concertos
and sonatas of Clementi, Mozart, Bach, Handel, Scarlatti,
Dussek, Field, Hummel, Ries, Beethoven; further, Weber,
Moscheles, Hiller, Schumann, and his [Chopin's] own
works. "3 1
According to Mikuli, Chopin made all of his new
pupils, no matter what level of talent begin with the
playing of scales. He was particular, however, on which
scales to begin first and the manner in which these were
30 Weir, 137.
31 Frederick Niecks, Frederick Chopin as Man and Musician, vol. 2 (New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., 1973), 189.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17
practiced. Frederick Niecks quotes Mikuli as saying:
He [Chopin] made his pupils play the scales with a full tone, as connectedly as possible, very slowly and only gradually advancing to a quicker tempo, and with metronomic evenness. . . . The scales with many black keys (B, F sharp and D flat) were first studied, and last, as the most difficult, C major. In the same sequence he took up Clementi's Preludes et Exercises . . . Of studies he gave after this a selection of Cramer's Etudes, Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum. Moscheles’ style-studies for the higher development (which were very sympathetic to him), and J. S. Bach's Suites and some fugues from Das Wohltemperirte Clavier.32
Chopin abhorred any kind of mechanical practicing for
the sole purpose of improving one's technique and felt that
the studies of Czerny and Kalkbrenner bred plastic, sim
plistic performers. "A maximum of suppleness ('facile-
ment, facilement' he would repeat tirelessly), and a
cultivation of sensitivity of hearing and touch— these
were the purposes of the exercises he prescribed in the
first lessons."33 He wanted his pupils to play everything,
including exercises and studies, with some artistic goal in
mind.
Chopin's own playing was noted for its lyrical
legatos and unsurpassed cantabile qualities. He recom
mended that all of his pupils listen to the great singers
and even suggested that a few of his female students take
up singing lessons. He attributes much of his capability
on the keyboard to his remarkable control of touches. M.
32 Ibid, 184.
33Eigeldinger, 17.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 18
Mathais, a pupil of Chopin, wrote to Frederick Niecks:
"As to Chopin's method of teaching, it was absolutely of the old legato school, of the School of Clementi and Cramer. Of course, he had enriched it by a great variety of touch . . ."34
Another of Chopin's pupils, F. Henry Peru, recalls that "he
made me practice first of all constantly varying the attack
of one single note, and showed me how he could obtain
diverse sonorities from the same key, by striking it in
twenty different ways."33 Mikuli said Chopin tried to
obtain the finger control necessary to produce a variety of
touches.
. . . [He] insisted on the practising of exercises, and more especially the major and minor scales from piano up to fortissimo, and with the staccato as well as the legato touch, also with a change of accent, sometimes marking the second, sometimes the third or fourth note. By this means he obtained the perfect independence of the fingers and an agreeable equality and delicacy of touch.36
Chopin was not an advocate of the high finger school
of Mozart and Hummel. He realized that the hand, wrist and
arm also played a role in the success of finger indepen
dence leading to touch control. He "suggested that while
playing a scale one should move his arm laterally along the
keyboard. In scale, arpeggio and similar passages, Chopin
insisted on not turning the hand when the thumb passes
34Niecks, 181-182.
30Eigeldinger, 32.
36Moritz Karasowski, Frederic Chopin. His Life and Letters (Westport Connecticut: Greenwood Press Publishers, 1970), 317.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. IS
under or the fingers pass over."37 By not turning the hand
when playing these kinds of passages, the arm shifts the
hand and wrist into new positions. This kind of upper body
movement using the arm and forearm can result in less
fatigue and reduce the chance for heavy playing. In fact,
in the middle of a lesson in which he thought the pupil was
banging, Chopin "jumped up . . . exclaiming, 'What was
that, a dog barking ' [ ? ] . 113 8
Niecks quotes Mikuli:
"What concerned Chopin most at the commencement of his instruction was to free the pupil from every stiffness and convulsive, cramped movement of the hand, and to give him thus the first condition of a beautiful style of playing, souplesse (suppleness), and with it independence of the fingers."39
Chopin's concerns for relaxation were prophetic of what
was to become an obsession with the pianists of the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Chopin planned to write a book on his teaching
method. In it, he would have recorded all of his ideas and
revelations on playing the piano. Unfortunately, the book
was never completed. However, notes and sketches for the
proposed work were recovered and finally published. A
"Translated Transcript Of Chopin's 'Sketch For A Method'
(Projet de Methode)" appears for the first time in full in
37Kochevitsky, 315.
38Karasowski, 315.
39Niecks, 183.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20
Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger's book, Chopin: pianist and
teacher as seen by his pupils.4 0
A well-formed technique, it seems to me, [is one] that can control and vary [bien nuancer] a beautiful sound quality. . . . Just as we need to use the conformation of the fingers, we need no less to use the rest of the hand, the wrist, the forearm and the arm.— One cannot try to play everything from the wrist as Kalkbrenner claims. . . . As art is infinite within the limits of its means, so its teaching should by governed by the same limits in order to give it boundless potential .4 1
Chopin was interested in his student's physical and
psychological approach to playing the piano. He comments
on where to sit at the keyboard and the positioning of the
hands as well^as how sounds, when combined, become a
language. He felt that through sounds— music— one could
express thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.
Chopin never accepted children or beginners as
pupils. Nonetheless, most of his students were amateurs.
None of Chopin's pupils went on to become famous or enjoy
success, ul concert careers like the students of other
master piano teachers. Eigeldinger, however, points out
that Chopin's success as a pedagogue cannot by judged by
that fact:
. . . three of [his] most promising young talents died young (Filtsch, Caroline Hartmann, Paul Gunsberg). Among the most brilliant of his students, two renounced their careers at a very early stage (Emilie von Gretsch, Friederike Streicher), another two confined
40Eigeldinger, 190.
41 Ibid, 193,195.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 21
themselves to private teaching (Mme Dubois, Mme Rubio) 4 2 • * •
Chopin was adored, by many of his students. Although he
could be cutting at times, his bad temper was evident only
in his later years when his health had begun to fail.
Chopin's contributions and his success as an artist-
teacher are evident in the many letters and books written
not only by his pupils, but also by other pianists and
educators who knew him and observed him in the studio.
“ 2 Ibid, 5.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER IV
FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
Teaching Method
Franz Liszt was a proficient pianist as early as
1820. As a child, he was entranced by the music he heard.
He was a quick learner and as a result of his extraordinary
talents, he was given financial assistance by some of the
Hungarian aristocracy for musical studies with Czerny and
Salieri.43 At the age of twelve, he had completed in
struction from both teachers and decided to end his role
as student.
For several years, Liszt toured as a concert pianist.
However, after the death of his father, he began teaching
in an effort to support himself and his mother. At that
time, Liszt was only sixteen years old. He received
countless students and conducted many hours of lessons
daily; often beginning at half past eight o'clock in the
morning and not ending until ten o'clock in the evening.44
He did not resume a concert career again until 1832. And,
43Denis Arnold, ed. The New Oxford Companion to Music, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983), s.v. "Liszt, Franz" by Derek Watson.
44 Hilda Gervers, "Franz Liszt as Pedagogue", Journal of Research in Music Education 18 (Winter 1970): 386.
22
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 23
in 1847, Liszt gave his last public performance and devoted
himself to composing and teaching.
In his early teaching career, in the early 1830's,
Liszt advocated the teaching of Czerny and Clementi. He
promoted the high finger technique and the turning-in of
the hand. According to a diary kept by Mme. Auguste
Bossier of her daughter Valerie's lessons with Liszt, he
also "devised a brace to keep the forearm completely
motionless" and he "was quoted as saying that a book could
be read during certain exercises, to alleviated boredom!"40
It should be remembered that Liszt, at that time, was quite
young and inexperienced as a teacher.
Concerning technical difficulties, Mme. Bossier wrote
that Liszt divided them into four general categories:
scales, tremelos, octaves and double notes. He devised
exercises for those categories as well as other technical
difficulties such as arpeggios and chords. He was con
vinced that his exercises, if practiced diligently, would
"give complete technical mastery, and would make sightread-
ing effortless."46 Some of his prescribed exercises
follow:
Octaves should be repeated twenty to forty times on the same note, traversing the scale, graded from pianissimo to fortissimo. These should be practiced
43 Joseph Banowetz, review of The Liszt Studies, edited and translated by Elyse Mach, in Piano Quarterly 93 (Spring 1976): 17.
46 Ibid.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24
entirely from the wrist, never stiffening nor forcing with the arms. Octaves in chromatic and diatonic scales should also be played from bottom to top of the piano, five to eight times in succession . . . This should also be done in arpeggios, both plain and broken, on common chords and seventh chords. . . . To succeed with repeated chords the student should begin very slowly to avoid stiffness, working always from the wrist with all possible force . . ,47
Liszt's teaching changed as he grew older. In his
early years he subscribed to the popular and common views
on the teaching of technique, however, "basically he held
different views and gradually formed his own ideas com
patible with the most advanced ideas of the twentieth
century."48 His approach to teaching technique, his
physical approach to the keyboard, and his concern for
mental awareness in all aspects of practice are three
significant changes in the development of his teaching
career.
In his more developed stage of teaching, Liszt did
not concern himself with teaching technique. Nevertheless,
he demanded a solid technique from his students because he
accepted advanced pianists only. He was interested in
interpretation and he expected fingering and other details
connected with technique to be worked out before a piece
was brought to him. Amy Fay, one of his pupils, wrote in a
letter dated 1873, that "he doesn't tell you anything about
47Gervers, 387.
48Kochevitsky, 7.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25
technique. That you must work out for yourself."49
Perhaps Liszt's own technique was so instinctive that he
found it tedious or difficult to supply a theoretical
explanation for attainment of a similar technique.
Liszt's physical approach to the keyboard changed
substantially over the years. Rather than promote stiff
arms, very high fingers and a turning-in of the hands, he
advocated the use of all of the muscles in the arms,
shoulders and back, only moderately raised fingers and a
slight turning-out of the hands. According to Rudolf
Breithaupt, Liszt's technique was partially achieved
through an "unconstrained swinging movement of the arm
from the raised shoulder . . . [and] a thorough command and
use of the freely rolling forearm."00 Liszt, whether or not
he was conscious of it, was employing a weight-technique in
his playing. As a result of this transference of weight
from arms to fingers, etc., Liszt was able to produce many
nuances of sound and broaden his technical capabilities.
Liszt, in his later years, no longer encouraged the
reading of books while practicing exercises; rather, he
highly discouraged it. He felt that listening to whatever
was being played was essential for musical growth.
He thought that the first task of a musician was to learn to listen; that only the pianist who is able to
4 9 Fay, 213.
30 James Hunecker, Franz Liszt (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924), 403.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 26
bring his body and fingers in accord with his ears and soul could be regarded as the master of a real technique.31
He thought that all music, including exercises and studies,
should be played with expression. He was against any kind
of purely mechanical playing and he no longer recommended
the studies of Clementi and Czerny.
Liszt developed many ideas about teaching and
performing through experimentation. His technique was
largely achieved by trial and error. There was a period of
approximately two years in his early teaching and perform
ing career when he retired from concertizing and "lived
like a recluse while engaging in rigorous self-study and
practicing."32 When he returned to the concert stage, his
style was more distinctive, and his technique more bril
liant. However, it was not until hearing Paganini, the
famed violinist, that Liszt's style blossomed.
Paganini turned out to be one of the decisive in fluences on his life, for Liszt consciously set out to outdo Paganini: to create on the piano the equivalent effects Paganini had created on the violin.33
In 1832, Liszt, for the first time, heard Chopin play.
Liszt was greatly affected by Chopin's style and from him,
"Liszt learned that the piano could be a means of delicate
31Kochevitsky, 7.
32Conly, John M. "The Fia.ao and Its Virtuosos, A Brief History." Legendary Masters of the Piano. The Classics Record Library. (New York: Book-of-The-Month Club, Inc., 1963), 5.
33Schonberg, 157.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27
expression as well as a bravura instrument."04 Hearing the
sonorities created by Paganini and the sweetness of
Chopin's touch prompted Liszt to further explore the limits
and capabilities of the piano. All of these things
combined explain the distinctive changes in Liszt's
teaching methods.
Liszt, the pedagogue, is most remembered for the
worldwide acclaim given his master classes, a technique of
teaching not used by Hummel, Czerny, or Chopin. He was the
founder of the class system of teaching, and was fully
aware of the advantages for both teacher and student in
conducting such classes. In the system, the teacher would
not have to repeat to each student suggestions for phras
ing, fingering, pedalling, and other specific details for
the same piece. Its more appealing aspect, however, was
the opportunity for students to perform before critical
listeners, and so overcome their nervousness and build
confidence.
In the beginning, the master classes consisted of
four or five students. However, as the classes became more
famous, as many as two dozen or more students attended.
Liszt became internationally renowned and was sought by
students from all over the world. Everyone was anxious to
play before the master pedagogue. And, because he never
charged a fee for lessons (in his later teaching career),
04 Ibid.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 28
affordability was never a deterrent.
According to Amy Fay, Liszt received his scholars
from four to six o'clock in the evenings. The students
always selected pieces of their own choosing to bring to
Liszt. Those students wishing to perform would lay their
music on a table at the entrance of the room and wait for
Liszt to arrive. Liszt would sort through the music until
coming across a work which he fancied hearing and would
call upon the person who had prepared that work to play
before the class. The students took their pieces to him
one time only since he never listened to the same piece
twice.03
Much of Liszt's "teaching" in the master classes was
done in the way of demonstration. He devoted little time
to technique except to suggest occasionally fingering or
phrasing for difficult passages. His primary concern was
interpretation and he demanded expressionism and fine
degrees of shading. However, Amy Fay stated: "He doesn't
keep nagging at you all the time, but he leaves you your
own conception. Now and then he will make a criticism, or
play a passage . . .°6
Apart from teaching interpretation and the physical
coaching, Liszt would discuss the relationships between two
or three works, compare music and poetry, and even relate ^ ______'
30 Fay, 219-220.
3 6 Ibid, 213.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29
musical ideas to material objects.
Liszt would talk about the work being performed, discussing its relation with other music by the same composer, and with previous and contemporary works. He would point out the form and proportions of the piece and its moments of climax.07
Miss Fay wrote:
He presents an idea to you, and it takes fast hold of your mind and sticks there. Music is such a real, visible thing to him, that he always has a symbol, instantly, in the material world to express his idea.08
Liszt had a personality wholly suited for teaching
because he was pleasant-natured and amiable. One of his
students is quoted as saying: "Never was there such a
delightful teacher! And he is the first sympathetic one
I've had. You feel so free with him, and he develops the
very spirit of music in you."09 In her letters, Miss Fay
mentioned only one or two occasions when Liszt was angry
and had "roughed" a fellow student. Usually, he was in
high spirits and good humor. Even when students did not
perform as well as he would have preferred, he remained
calm and friendly. Miss Fay wrote: "I was nervous a iv l
played badly. He was not to be put out, however, but acted
as if he thought I had played charmingly . . .60 Liszt's
personality and attitude combined to evoke a great deal of
07Gervers, 391.
0 8 Fay, 223.
8 9 Ibid, 213.
60 Ibid, 220.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 30
respect and adoration from all of his students.
Liszt taught for nearly sixty years, during which he
produced many talented pianists. Among the most famous
students were Carl Tausig, Hans von Bulow, Alexander
Siloti, Arthur Friedham, Rafael Joseffy, Sophie Mentor, Amy
Fay, Wilhelm von Lenz, Anton Strelezki, and William Mason.
He had no real "method" of teaching, but his origination of
group teaching was imitated by pedagogues everywhere at the
turn of the century. Perhaps Liszt's teaching is best
summed up in the words of one of his students, Alfred
Reisenaur:
In one way he could not be considered a teacher at all. He charged no fees and had irregular and somewhat unsystematic classes. In another sense he was the greatest of teachers.61
61 James Francis Cooke, Great Pianists on Piano Playing (Philadelphia, Pennsylvanici: Theodore Presser Company, 1913), 227.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER V
THEODOR KULLAK (1818-1832)
Teaching Method
Although Theodor Kullak began his musical career as a
virtuoso pianist, he later decided to devote himself to
teaching. Perhaps most respected for his success in > • i 4“ * « preparing pianists for further study in conservatories or
with such great masters as Franz Liszt or Theodor
Leschetizky, he nevertheless, was considered one of the
foremost piano pedagogues of the nineteenth century.
Kullak was a gifted pianist and "encouraged by Prince
Radziwill he gave his first piano concert before the
Prussian King in Berlin at the age of eleven."*5 2 As a
young man, he studied both law and medicine before finally
deciding to settle into a musical career. He began to
teach when he was in his twenties, and by 1844 he "taught
music to royalty and the aristocracy in Berlin."63 He
became well respected as a pedagogue and in 1850, he,
Julius Stern and Bernhard Marx founded a music conservatory
in Berlin. However, because of reasons unknown, Kullak
62 Sadie, Stanley, ed.,The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 6th ed. (London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1980), s.v. "Kullak, Theodor" by Horst Leuchtmann.
63 Ibid.
31
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 32
broke free from his arrangement with Stern and Marx to
found his own Neue Akadamie der Tonkunst in 1855.
Kullak1s Akadamie flourished. His school "special
ized in the training of pianists and soon became the
largest private institute for musical education in Germany;
towards the end of Kullak's life it numbered 100 teachers
and 1100 pupils."64 Although many students completed years
of musical training with Kullak, for some the Akadamie was
considered a necessary stepping-stone in preparation for
study with one of the master pianist-pedagogues such as
Liszt or Leschetizsky.
Amy Fay was one student who studied with Kullak in
hopes of future study with Liszt. In her bock, which is a
compilation of the letters she wrote to her family in
America while she studied abroad, she gives a first-hand
account of a few of Kullak's teaching idiosyncrasies.
After her first few lessons with Kullak she told her
family:
Like all artists, he is fascinating, and full of whims and caprices. He knows everything in the way of music, and when I take my lessons he has two grand pianos side by side, and he sits at one and I at the other. He knows by heart everything that he teaches, and he plays sometimes with me, sometimes before me, and shows me all sorts of ways of playing passages. I am getting no end of ideas from him.63
64 Ibid.
6 3 Amy Fay, Music Study in Germany in the Nineteenth Century (Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Company, 1880), 103.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 33
Amy Fay mentions in several letters that Kullak had two
pianos and very often demonstrated how to perform certain
passages or pieces. She thought this very helpful in most
cases. However, in one letter written in frustration, she
wrote: "sometimes he will repeat a passage over and over,
and I after him, like a parrot, until I get it exactly
right."66 Miss Fay's comments, indicate that Kullak was
somewhat of a perfectionist. He wrote a detailed and
organized method for learning octaves which Miss Fay
thought very highly of.
I am now studying octaves systematically. Kullak has written three books of them . . . The first volume is only the preparation, and the exercises are for each hand separately. There are a lot of them for thumb alone, for instance .... Then there are the wrist exercises, and, in short, it is the most minute and complete work.67
She also wrote that Tausig recommended Kullak's Octave
School to all of his own pupils.68
After the first couple of lessons with him, she
wrote: "Kullak has the greatest patience and gentleness,
and helps you . . ,"69 However, three years later when she
returned to Kullak after instruction with Liszt and she had
become a finished pianist. She wrote:
6 6 Ibid., 105.
67 Ibid, 116-117.
68 Ibid, 117.
68 Ibid, 103.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34
Kullak is the most awfully discouraging teacher that can be imagined. . . . He never overlooks a technical imperfection, and he ties you down to the technique so that you can never give rein to your imagination . . . . Kullak's own technique is magnificent, but now that I've graduated, as it were, he ought to let me play my own way, and not expect me to play as he does, and then I could produce my own effects.70
Even though she did not agree with, or admire all of his
methods, Miss Fay admired and respected Kullak. Even
tually, she decided to become the pupil of Ludwig Deppe,
another leading pedagogue in Germany.
Kullak's most famous pupils included Hans Bischoff,
Moritz Moszkowski, Otto Reinsdorf, and Xaver and Philipp
Scharwenka. His compositional output for teaching purposes
included:
Materialien fur den Elementar-Unterricht (3 vols.); Schule des Oktavenspiel; various characteristic pieces for piano in a salon manner (Ondine, Les Etincelles, Les Danaides. La Gazelle, etc.); also Kinderleben (2 albums of piano pieces).71
Kullak's notoriety as a master piano pedagogue in the
nineteenth century is justified by the worldwide popularity
of his Neue Akadamie der Tonkunst, his many instructional
compositions and the successes of many of his pupils.
7 0 Ibid, 272-273.
71Slonimsky, 943.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER VI
LUDWIG DEPPE (1828-1890’'
Teaching Method
Although the high-finger technique of the Mozart and
Beethoven era was still fashionable, in the nineteenth
century, Ludwig Deppe was one teacher who did not conform
to fashion. Deppe was one of the first nineteenth century
piano teachers to fully promote the use of the wrists, the
arms and the shoulders in playing the piano.
Watching the free, graceful arm movements of violin players gave him the idea that while violinists used a coordinated arm action in playing, pianists sat at the keyboard with quiet hands, wrists, and arms; while fingers did all the work.72
Based on his observations of both violinists and pianists,
Deppe's conclusions resulted in the development of an
entirely new approach to playing the piano.
Deppe applied the violinists' arm movements to the
role of the arm in manipulation over the keys in piano
playing. For the player to use the arms and shoulders
advantageously, the muscles must be conditioned and
strengthened. Deppe recommended "the regular use of
gymnastic exercises with dumbbells and the horizontal
72 Roger Boardman, "Ludwig Deppe's Piano Teaching," The American Music Teacher 25 (4 February-March 1976): 5.
35
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 36
bar."73 He invented exercises for strengthening the
forearms, upper arms and wrists. And, "to strengthen
muscles of the palm, he suggested squeezing a rubber
ball."74 These exercises were usually performed sitting at
the keyboard and involved swinging the arms in small
circles above the head, repeatedly moving the arms later
ally over the keys, and static exercises for fingers, arms
and wrists.
The purpose of the exercises was not solely to
develop stronger arms and hands. The overall effect of
muscular durability creates the support needed to gain
complete control of finger, hand and arm weight. According
to his pupil, Amy Fay, he would say; "'Spielen Sie mit dem
Gewicht' (Play with weight) . . . 'Don't strike, but let
the fingers fall1."7 0 He required absolute control of each
finger and thought that they should be curved so that the
tips would rest on the keys. He opposed raising the
fingers high and insisted that "with a moderate lifting of
the finger, the muscles of the whole arm could work with
the finger to depress the key and create a wide dynamic
range of sound."76 Deppe emphasized the importance of this
concept to his pupils. When Miss Fay began lessons with
73 Ibid.
74 Ibid.
7 0 Fay, 288.
76Boardman, 6.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37
Deppe, he made her stop working on everything until she
mastered the control of weight-touch.
Deppe makes me listen to every tone, and carry it over to the next one, and not let any one finger get an undue prominence over the other— a thing that is immensely difficult to do— so I have given up all pieces for the present . . .77
Deppe felt that there was "a system of muscular
mechanics that would lead to a relaxed and infallible
production of tone and technique."76 This system was given
the name 'muscular synergy', whereby "the hand must be
freed of the hampering weight of the arm."79 He, therefore
devised a systematic approach to the development of a
controlled, yet relaxed manner of playing.
Deppe, according to Elizabeth Caland [a pupil of Deppe's], designed a series of six exercises to teach the component actions of the Deppe method. He stressed in the use of these exercises, the importance of an alert mental control of all actions which should be coordinated by the flow of continuous rhythm. The first of these dealt with the playing of chords and octaves. . . . The second exercise concerned staccato touch and accents. . . . A third exercise was used to teach the connection of widely separated notes by using arm, wrist and hand actions. . . . The fourth exercise was used to apply vibratory or shaking movements to the playing of repeated notes on the same key or keys . . . . In the fifth exercise, this vibratory motion was applied to the playing of double notes .... In the sixth exercise, when the vibratory motion from the upper arm was combined with rotation and a slight forward and backward motion, a perfectly controlled trill could by played.80
7 7 Fay, 289.
78Schonberg, 275.
79 Ibid.
00Boardman, 6-7.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 38
Deppe was particular about how almost everything
should by practiced; scales, arpeggios, chords, etc. In
scale playing the student "began in the middle of the piano
and played up three octaves with the right, and down three
octaves with the left hand ."01 Before playing with hands
together, they would be practiced slowly, one hand at a
time. Later, the hands were played simultaneously and in
contrary motion, gradually increasing the tempo. He did
not want the thumb turned under, but wanted each finger
turned a little on the end, "pressing it firmly down on the
key, and screwing it round, as it were, on a pivot, till
the next finger is brought over its own key ."02 He had his
pupils practice thirds, sixths, octaves and arpeggios in
the same manner as the scales. Miss Fay wrote that after
practicing scales according to Deppe's system, she was able
to play them with an "ease, rapidity, sureness and elegance
of execution" with which she would never have before
thought possible .03
Concerning chords, Miss Fay writes about the parti
cular manner in which Deppe wanted them struck;
I had to learn to raise my hands high over the key board, and let them fall without any resistance on the chord, and 'then sink with the wrist1, and take up the
01 Weir, 250.
8 2 Fay, 289.
83 Fay, 292-293.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 39
hand exactly over the notes, keeping the hand extended .8 4
Deppe stressed the importance of mental control as
well as physical control. "He spoke of a mental map of the
entire route from brains to fingertips and stressed that,
together with fingers and hands, the mind should practice
also ."80 He taught that the brain could control all
muscular movement; even the finest sensitivity of touch.
Utmost concentration combined with slow practice was a rule
with Deppe. To teach this concept, he used simple five-
finger exercises.
Ear-training was another aspect of Deppe's in
struction. He required his pupils to listen to every
tone, every shade of sound. According to Miss Fay, "one of
his grand hobbies is 'tone', and he never lets me play a
note without listening to it in the closest manner, and
making it sound what he calls bewusst (conscious) . " 86
Like other great teachers, Deppe would demonstrate on
a second piano during lessons. Unlike many other teachers
he would also promptly find a suitable solution to any
problem, technical or otherwise, that a student may have
had.
Deppe shows me how to conquer the difficulty "now". He takes a piece, and while he plays it with the most
84 Ibid, 299-300.
8 0 Kochevitsky, 8 .
8 6 Fay, 293.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 40
wonderful "fineness" of conception, he cold-bloodedly dissects the mechanical elements of it, separates them, and tells you how to use your hand so as to grasp them one after the other. In short, he makes the technique and the conception "identical" . . .87
It is not surprising that Miss Fay wrote that her lessons
often lasted three hours. He took the time to explain and
demonstrate and carefully work through every detail that
needed to be discussed. Because he was a thorough teacher,
and spent much time with his scholars, Deppe had two
assistants that he employed to take the new students and
train them in their technique according to his methods.
After the technique was mastered, the student would begin
lessons with the master.
Although he asked his students to learn their pieces
only three quarters full at first and then go back to them
later for completion, he did give his students a large and
complete repertoire. Miss Fay, in one of her letters,
commented on another of Deppe's students who had "nine
concertos that she could get up for concert any minute ."88
He prepared his students well for the concert stage. He
felt that his method of teaching was the only correct
method. Miss Fay quotes him as saying: "'Gifted people
. . . play by the grace of God; but everybody could master
the technique on my system ! ! 1"89
8 7 Ibid, 318-320.
8 8 Ibid, 346.
8 9 Ibid, 301.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER VII
THEODOR LESCHETIZKY (1830-1915)
Teaching Method
Theodor Leschetizky's musical interests were sparked
when he was a young boy of five or six years old. His
father, Jozef, was music instructor to a Potocki family and
young Theodor often listened to the lessons from his
bedroom window. At the request of Theodor's mother, Jozef
Leschetizky decided to teach his son to play the piano.
Theodor seemed to be blessed with a natural talent for
playing and rapidly became an accomplished pianist. At the
age of ten, he gave his first concert and in the same year
began lessons from Czerny. In the following three years,
Leschetizky's renown as a pianist became worldwide and
less-accomplished pianists flocked to him for lessons. At
fourteen years old, Leschetizky had set up his own studio
and was regarded as a first-rate pianist and teacher.
In his early career, Leschetizky was influenced by
such pianists as Liszt, Tausig, Anton Rubinstein, and
Thalberg. However, the greatest influence in Leschetizky's
early life was a pianist named Julius Schulhoff. Schul-
hoff's playing was unlike anything Leschetizky had ever
heard before. It was not the technical aspect, but "the
41
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42
simplicity, poetry, and elegance . . . that captivated"
h i m .90 Leschetizky said of the account:
From that day I tried to find that touch . . . I practiced incessantly, sometimes even on the table- top, striving to attain firm finger-tips and a light wrist, which I felt to be the means to my end. I kept that beautiful sound well in my mind, and it made the driest work interesting. I played only exercises, abandoning all kinds of pieces .... At the end of three months I went back to my work feeling less dry. I had attained my result .91
Leschetizky had discovered the means to a new style of
playing; an entirely different kind of touch. A kind of
touch which resulted in a beautiful singing tone that
became the foundation of the so-called "Leschetizky
School."
In the "Leschetizky School" there was no fixed method
of teaching. Leschetizky consistently denied having one.
George Woodhouse, a Leschetizky pupil, wrote the words of
his teacher concerning his "method":
"They tell me I have founded a new method. I have done nothing of the kind. As far as method is con cerned I teach exactly as Czerny taught me; I have added nothing, changed nothing ."92
Another pupil, Annette Hullah, discussed with
Leschetizky his views on teaching methods:
How is it possible one should have them? One pupil needs this, another that; the hand of each differs;
"Mary Boxall Boyd, "Just 'How' Leschetizky Taught," Etude 67 (August 1949): 480.
9 1 Conly, 13.
92George Woodhouse, "How Leschetizky Taught," Music and Letters 35 (3 July 1954): 220.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 43
the brain of each differs. There can be no rule. I am a doctor to whom my pupils come as patients to be cured of their musical ailments, and the remedy must vary in each case .93
To Ethel Newcomb, one of his students who later became an
assistant, he said:
Don't have a method; it is far better to leave your mind a blank for the pupil to fill in. You will discover more easily, in this way, what he needs . . . I 'have' no method and I 'will h a v e ’ no method .94
According to his most famed pupil, Ignaz Paderewski: "The
method of Leschetizky is very simple. His pupils learn to
evoke a fine tone from the instrument and make music not
n oise ."90 Although there was no fixed principle of
instruction, Leschetizky perceived similar goals for each
of his students; primarily their ability to produce an
unusually beautiful and brilliant tone.
Only advanced pianists were accepted to study with
Leschetizky. However, even though many of them had
previously performed in public, if he felt that some
technical aspect of their playing was lacking, he would
send them to study a year or more with a Vorbereiter— an
assistant— for preparation in his basics. The length of
study with an assistant was determined by the rapidity of
the student's progress.
93 Reginald R. Gerig, Famous Pianists and Their Technique (Washington-New York: Robert B. Luce, Inc., 1974), 277.
9 4 Conly, 13.
9 0 Schonberg, 279.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Leschetizky1s most common diagnosis for a lacking
technique was weak fingers. As a remedy, he prescribed
daily practice of finger exercises under the guidance of
his assistants, all of whom were former pupils of his.
Malwine Bree, one of Leschetizky's assistants, wrote
that "at the start, the simplest finger exercises are the
best, so that attention can be concentrated on the posture
of the fingers and wrists ."96 In order to begin all
practicing properly she presented her students with a set
of six fundamental rules she thought should be learned from
the beginning:
(1) It is best to play all finger-exercises at first only with a light touch; after two or three days one may try to get more tone, always endeavoring to play evenly (with equal strength of tone) with all the fingers.
(2) It is not well at the outset to repeat the finger- exercises until fatigued. Avoid this by frequent alternation of the hands. Let us say, once for all, that the finger-exercises are never to be played with both hands together ....
(3) Without interrupting practice, lower and raise the hand frequently while playing .... By so doing one prevents the hand from growing stiff.
(4) When the finger is raised from the key, it must not change its form, but remain curved ....
(5) Always keep a watchful eye on the finger-tips, and strike the key exactly with the tip; for that is the only way to bring out a full, strong tone.
(6 ) Let us remark, in advance, that in playing a melody forte, or for strong accents, the black keys are
9 6 Malwine Bree, The Groundwork of The Leschetizky Method, trans. Dr. Th. Baker (New York: G. Schirmer, 1902), 5.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 45
struck, not with rounded, but with outstretched fingers. The fingers thus touch a wider key-surface and are less apt to slide off .97
In her book on Leschetizky's method, Miss Bree wrote
about and illustrated in detail the correct position of the
hands, practice and execution of technical drills, and
relaxation of the muscles. Concerning the position of the
hand, it "should assume a decidedly vaulted form; for . . .
the only way to get strength into the fingers is to hold
the hand rounded upward ."98 The wrist should be loose and
slightly lower than the knuckles, and the fingers curved so
that only the tips are placed on the keys. The sole
exception to this concept is the thumb, because it strikes
the keys on the edge and not on the tip. In scale-playing
she suggests that they be practiced slowly at first with a
solid and even touch and without counting.
Not until later should one gradually increase the speed, at the same time counting rhythmical groups of three (triplets) or four notes, but wholly without accentuation .... In rapid tempo detach the fingers, that is, lift them quickly after each stroke— as in staccato— which renders the scale 'pearly'. . . . [and] use dynamic shading."
For chord-playing she stresses the importance of relaxing
the wrist immediately after each stroke to avoid fatigue
early in practice. For proper execution in playing
arpeggios, Miss Bree gives the following suggestion:
97 Ibid, 4-5.
" I b i d , 3.
" I b i d , 19.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Hold the first three fingers of the chord ready over their keys, with the 5th finger extended. Now, while the first three fingers are pressing their keys, give the hand a quick turn towards the 5th finger, so that the latter strikes its key .100
More important than scale, chord and arpeggio
practicing, Miss Bree felt that the means to producing a
full, warm tone was accomplished through the correct study
of simple five finger exercises. It is a style of touch
which one must practice.
. . . (It is tone which makes music); this the pianist should not forget; and even if he be not able to rival the effect of a voice or a violin, he must still endeavor to approach them as far as possible.
This may be done, in the first place, by means of a well-developed legato . . . .101
The material Miss Bree discusses in her book was
taught by the assistants. Most accounts of the lessons
with Leschetizky (by his students) agree that technique was
a subject upon which he said little. According to Wood
house, "he never once referred to technical drills; but in
every lesson at some point where skill was lacking he
showed . . . the way ."102 Another pupil, Mary Boxall Boyd,
wrote;
It was essential to demonstrate in the music played at the first lesson, an understanding of the principles of technique as far as the pupil had progressed.
100 Ibid, 48.
101 Ibid, 28-29.
102Woodhouse, 223.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 47
Leschetizky heard no technical exercises or technical studies .103
Although Harold Schonberg points out that Miss Bree's
book, which was "endorsed by the master himself . . . is
not only inconsistent, but (according to such twentieth-
century authorities as Ortmann and Schultz) full of
anatomical impossibilities ."104 It was, nevertheless, an
attempt to shed light on the roles and responsibilities of
Leschetizky's assistants. Most definitely, each assistant
approached the
teaching of similar principles in different ways.
He may not have discussed technique, but he talked
fervently about the importance of concentration and careful
listening to one's own playing. Ethel Newcomb, another
Leschetizky assistant, wrote: "He talked at once of a
three-fold process of mind, eye, and ea.r; the lack of one
of those essentials of talent was a serious matter in the
development of an artist ."100 He was against purely
mechanical practice and expected his students always to be
mentally alert. Miss Newcomb recalled that Leschetizky was
always telling his students to listen. "To listen,"
"always to listen" and, "to open one's ears," he would say
100 Boyd, 480.
1 0 4 Schonberg, 278.
100 Ethel Newcomb, Leschetizky As I Knew Him (New York: Ca Capo Press, 1967), 11.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 48
repeatedly.106 Also, one was expected to be able to
visualize the piece of music in the mind's eye, and to hear
it in the mind's ear, away from the piano."107 Leschetizky
was convinced there was no better way to play securely in
public. He expected his students to be able to write
completely the entire score of a piece they were preparing
for performance. Thus, it would be a piece securely
memorized.
One of Leschetizky's special theories, which he urged all his pupils to put into practice, was that piano works should be studied away from the instrument to as great a degree as when seated in front of it. Tempos, phrasings, technical difficulties, memorizing and many other important details could be mastered away from the instrument, in his opinion; listening to inward singing of a phrase was far more important than-playing it over at the piano twenty times.108
Leschetizky felt that too many hours of practice were
more harmful than helpful. He once asked a student: "What
is the use of letting the machine run on when there is
nothing to feed it with?"109 In order to listen carefully
and critically, two to four hours of practice per day
should be sufficient.
Leschetizky was strongly opinionated concerning one's
posture at the piano. "Sit at the piano as you ride a
106 Ibid, 17.
107 Boyd, 480.
108 Weir, 251.
1 09Woodhouse, 221.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 49
horse!" he would say.110 With that image in mind, he felt
that the student would look and feel authoritative and
confident. According to Miss Boyd, he desired his stu
dents' appearances "to be quiet, and free from mannerisms,
and especially from the appearance of laborious effort."111
To Leschetizky, extraneous movements were distracting and
uncalled for. He reprimanded a student for staring at the
ceiling during her performance of a Chopin Nocturne by
exclaiming: "If you have anything to say at the piano, say
it with your fingers!"112
Leschetizky did not conduct master classes as Liszt
did. Most of Leschetizky's lessons were private in the
sense that his attention was given wholly to the pupil;
yet, there were almost always others present. Those who
came to listen were never called upon to interject or
perform, thus enabling them to enjoy a learning experience
free from nervousness and tension. Because there would be
two, to perhaps twelve people listening, the student was
gaining invaluable experienced in performing before an
audience.
Woodhouse, in his letters, wrote that during his
three years of study with Leschetizky, the first and third
years he received private instruction and in the second
110 Ibid.
111 Boyd, 501,
112 woodhouse, 221.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 50
year he was asked "to join a class of four members, to
which he devoted a whole day once a week."113 Woodhouse
referred to the class lessons as an "experiment" which he
thought turned out successfully. He mentioned also that in
his opinion, the class lessons were more productive and
beneficial than the private lessons.
Leschetizky very often taught by means of demonstra
tion. It was his notion that "only he is a good teacher
who can practically demonstrate every possibility to his
pupils."114 He had two pianos, a Bosendorfer and a
Bechstein, which were placed close together with the
keyboards parallel. Leschetizky would sit at the best
piano, the student at the other. He was always demonstrat
ing, and always, the students marvelled at his skill.
Basically, Leschetizky was a kind and caring man;
however, as a teacher, he was uncompromising. He expected
his students to be energetic and alert for the duration of
the lesson. He "was severe, and spared no time or effort
to bring about certain satisfactory results."113 He was
known to call out three, even four corrections in a single
breath, and the student was expected to correct the problem
or problems quickly, and with facility.
113 Ibid, 222.
114Schonberg, 280.
113 Boyd, 480.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 51
If successful the first time— "Good!" If successful the second time— "Good enough." But if one had failed in the third trial, there was an awkward silence, sometimes broken by the pupil's voice, "I-shall work on it at home."
"Too easy," was the Professor's quick reply. "Do it now!" he insisted.116
Unrhythmical playing was one of Leschetizky's aver
sions. He would sometimes become frenzied if a student
continued to play in unequal meter. He once said: "A
player with an unbalanced rhythm reminds me of an intoxi
cated man who cannot walk straight."117 Also, he had no
patience for those who would complain of "not feeling in
the mood" for ?». lesson. He did not like those students who
would gave "copybook performances", and said he "preferred
hearing a musicologist's talk rather than his playing."118
Leschetizky admired a student with imagination and he
thought the student's imagination and personal reaction to
music should compliment the instruction he received.
Leschetizky did not want his instruction interpreted
literally.119 He made suggestions for interpretation but
taught that the printed notes were not wholly binding.
"Like most musicians of his generation, Leschetizky's
attitude toward the printed note was one of great freedom
116 Ibid.
117 Gerig, 284-285.
118Woodhouse, 220.
119 Ibid, 221.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and leeway."120 The final interpretation was left to the
discretion of the performer.
Leschetizky did not consider himself to be a "hard
master". Concerning his strictness as a teacher, he said:
In this respect . . . I try to emulate my teacher, though I fall short of him. If my pupils only knew what discipline was imposed by Czerny . . . they would change their estimate of a hard master.121
Whether or not he was hard in his methods of teaching, he
1 was, nevertheless, remarkably effective as a teacher of
piano. "When he took pupils, he entered into their private
and spiritual lives, wanting to know everything about them
and wanting them to consider him a second parent."122
Outside of the studio, he was on understanding friend and *
confidante. His students respected and admired him both
for his soft side and his hard side.
Leschetizky's renown as a Master Pedagogue con
sistently grew throughout the many years of his teaching
career. His first student to experience worldwide success
was Ignaz Paderewski. Paderewski's success brought forth
an even greater number of pupils to Leschetizky’s doorstep.
Students and teachers alike were eager to study with him.
Paderewski said about his esteemed teacher:
Leschetizky, the lodestar of my early years, the greatest teacher of the generation. I do not know of
1 20Schonberg, 280.
12 1 Woodhouse, 220.
122Schonberg, 277-278.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 53
any one who approaches him now or then. There is absolutely none who can compare with him.123
Other famous Leschetizky students included Arthur Schnabel
(who was internationally acclaimed for his interpretations
of Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven), Josef Slivinski (who
was "especially admired for his performances of Chopin,
Schumann and Liszt"124), Martinus Sieveking, Benno
Moisewitsch, Ignaz Friedman, Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler,
Anna Essipova and Isabella Vengerova. Earlier students who
also enjoyed successful concert careers included Mark
Hambourg and Ossip Gabrilowitsch.
123 Boyd, 480.
1 24Schonberg, 309.
wauauMfcfsututtiSirjMwwMWJBW-cmii*t >■ ■■
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER VIII
CONCLUSION
The examination of the teaching methods of seven
major nineteenth century piano pedagogues reveals many of
the progressive changes that occurred in the teaching of
piano throughout the century. Although each pedagogue's
approach to teaching differed, there were similarities
between them. A comparison of similarities and dis
similarities in the methods shows that the earlier peda
gogues— Hummel and Czerny— had more in common with each
other than with the later pedagogues— Kullak, Deppe, and
Leschetizky, who also held some common views. Chopin's
approach to teaching was uniquely his own, and Liszt's was
characteristic: of both early and late nineteenth century
trends.
Hummel, Czerny, Chopin, and Liszt continued perform
ing and composing throughout their teaching careers.
However, Kullak ended his early concertizing as a virtuoso
pianist to devote his life to teaching. He was one of the
first pianists to make teaching a full-time career. Deppe
and Leschetizky were successors in the trend; they were
neither performers nor composers.
Hummel and Czerny were descendants of the high-finger
school of Mozart and Clementi. Both men advocated purely
54
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 55
mechanical practicing to strengthen the fingers and for
maintenance of a "proper" technique. However, Chopin,
Liszt, Kullak, Deppe and Leschetizky opposed mechanical
practicing and fervently stressed the importance of
expressionism in practice and performance. Chopin stressed
lyricism; Liszt stressed over-all interpretation; and,
Deppe and Leschetizky stressed tone production. They each
agreed that no music should be presented in a purely
mechanical fashion.
It is interesting to note that both Hummel and
Czerny, the two pedagogues most interested in technical
facility, composed more pieces for technical advancement
than Chopin, Liszt, Kullak, Deppe, and Leschetizky com
bined. At that time, the piano was still in its early
stages of development and technical virtuosos were the
most popular and fascinating pianists. As the concentra
tion in piano playing became .more geared towards "sound"
(expressivity and artistry) rather than technical dex
terity, the need for personal and dedicated supervision
became more apparent.
Expressiveness and musicality cannot be learned from
the pages of a book or by repetition of static exercises on
the instrument. The teacher must approach these aspects
according to the personality and pianistic capabilities of
each student. Leschetizky did not write a book or compose
keyboard studies; nevertheless, his teaching produced such
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56
artistically renowned pianists as Arthur Schnabel and Josef
Slivinsky. The few technical studies of Chopin and Liszt
eventually became considered concert pieces as well as ped
agogical material; Kullak composed only a few pedagogical
studies; and, Deppe was author of one pedagogical essay.
According to Hummel, it was "proper" to limit one's
movement at the piano exclusively to the fingers. Chopin
began to speak of quiet, curved fingers and Liszt spoke of
incorporating the hands, wrists, and forearms in playing;
but it was not until later that Deppe fully explored the
benefits of weight-touch and muscular relaxation in
performance. Using Deppe's methods, the pianist, for the
first time, was able to avoid fatigue and increase en
durance while remaining relaxed. Leschetizky, like Deppe
employed weight-touch and muscular relaxation in his
teaching; however, he favored little movement at the piano.
Deppe and Leschetizky, unlike those before them,
employed assistants. The assistant's job was to prepare
new students in technique according to the master peda
gogue's principles. Therefore, when the student began
studies with Deppe or Leschetizky, lesson time could be
spent on form, expression, interpretation, etc.
Liszt's origination of the master-class system of
teaching .changed many teacher's perspectives on the
effectiveness of private lessons. The advantages for both
teacher and student were easily detected and the class
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 57
system soon became popular worldwide. Although there is no
record of Kullak or Deppe incorporating the class system
into their teaching practices, Leschetizky, nevertheless,
experimented with it and maintained a similar concept in
his "private" lessons.
Whether or not it was in front of one student or a
room full of people, most of these pedagogues taught in
some aspect by demonstration. It was common to have two
pianos in the room; usually placed side by side with the
keyboards parallel.
It is evident that certain trends in nineteenth
century piano pedagogy became predominant while others
slowly became obsolete. The mechanical approach to
learning technique, the high-finger school, and the
motionless performer began to fade under the ever-growing
acceptance and popularity of expressive, artistic practic
ing, curved fingers, and incorporation of hands, wrists,
forearms and shoulders in playing. The master class system
of teaching began to become as important as private
lessons. Also, the "performer-composer-pedagogue" began to
transform into the full-time teacher. Through the examina
tion of the teaching methods of seven nineteenth-century
master piano pedagogues; Hummel, Czerny, Chopin, Liszt,
Kullak, Deppe, and Leschetizky, one can observe the growth
in both the musician's role as teacher and the approach to
teaching as it developed in the nineteenth century.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX
A LIST OF PEDAGOGICAL COMPOSITIONS AND WRITINGS BY PEDAGOGUES IN THIS WORK
I. Johann Nepomuk Hummel:
A Complete Theoretical and Practical Course of Instruction on the Art of Playing the Piano Forte
II. Carl Czerny:
Op. 139; Op. 151; Op. 229; Op. 239; Op. 244; O p . 245; Op. 261; Op. 277; O p . 299; Op. 335; Op. 336 O p . 337; Op. 359; Op. 365; O p . 380; Op. 388; Op. 399; Op. 400; Op. 409; Op. 420; Op. 433? Op. 453 Op. 453; Op. 481; O p . 495; O p . 499; Op. 553; Op. 584; Op. 599; Op. 613; OP. 632; Op. 636; Op. 684 Op. 692; Op. 694; Op. 699; Op. 706? Op. 718; Op. 727; Op. 735; Op. 737; Op. 740; Op. 748; Op. 749 O p . 750; Op. 751; Op. 753; Op. 755; Op. 756; Op. 765; Op. 767; Op. 777; Op. 779; Op. 785; Op. 792 Op. 802; Op. 807; Op. 818; Op. 819; Op. 820; Op. 821; Op. 822; Op. 824; Op. 829; Op. 834; Op. 835 Op. 837; Op. 838; Op. 840; Op. 845; Op. 848; Op. 849; Op. 861;
School of Extemporaneous Performance, i, Op. 200, ii, Op. 300; Complete Theoretical and Practical Pianoforte School, Op. 500; School of Practical Composition, i-iii, Op. 600; Vollstandiqes Lehrbush der musikalischen Composition, i-iv; Traite de melodie, Traite de haute composition musicale, i-ii; Die Kunst der dramatischen Composition
III. Frederic Chopin:
Twelve Studies, Op. 10; Twelve Studies, Op. 25; Trois Nouvelles Etudes
IV. Franz Liszt:
Technical Studies (12 books)
58
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V. Theodor Kullak:
Schule des Oktavenspiels. Op. 48; Schule der Finqerubunqen, Op. 61; Ratschlaqe und Studien, Op. 74; Materialien fur den Elementar-Klavier unterricht
VI. Ludwig Deppe:
Armleiden der Klavierspieler
VII. Theodor Leschetizky:
None
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Articles
Banowetz, Joseph. Review of The Liszt Studies, edited and translated by Elyse Mach. In Piano Quarterly 93 (Spring 1976): 17.
Boardman, Roger C., "Ludwig Deppe's Piano Teaching," The American Music Teacher. 25 (4 February-March 1963): 5-8.
Boyd, Mary Boxall, "Just 'How' Leschetizky Taught," Etude 67 (August 1949): 480-481, 501.
Gervers, Hilda, "Franz Liszt as Pedagogue," Journal of Research in Music Education 18 (Winter 1970): 385-391.
Sanders, E., translator, "Carl Czerny: Recoil Rations from my Life," Musical Quarterly 42 (3 1956): 302-317.
Woodhouse, George, "How Leschetizky Taught," Music and Letters 35 (3 July 1954): 220-226.
Books
Apel, Willi. Masters of The Keyboard. Cambridge, Massachusettes: Harvard University Press, 1958.
Badura-Skoda, Paul, ed., Carl Czerny on The Proper Perfor mance of All Beethoven's Works for the Piano. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser Company, 1970.
Bastien, James W. How to Teach Piano Successfully. Park Ridge, Illinois: General Words and Music Company, 1973.
Bree, Malwine. The Groundwork of The Leschetizky Method, trans. Dr. Th. Baker, New York: G. Schirmer, 1902.
Breithaupt, Rudolf M. Natural Piano Technic, School of Weight-Touch. Leipzig: C.F. Kahnt Nachfolger, 1909.
Conly, John M. "The Piano and Its Virtuosos, A Brief History." Legendary Masters of the Piano. The
60
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 61
Classics Record Library. New York: Book-of-The- Month Club, Inc., 1963
Cooke, James Francis. Great Pianists of Piano Playing. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser Company, 1913.
Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques. Chopin: pianist and teacher as seen by his pupils. Great Britian: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Ewen, David, ed., Composers of Yesterday. (A Biographical and Critical Guide to the Most Important Composers of the Past). New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1937.
Fay, Amy. Music Study in Germany in the Nineteenth Century. Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Company, 1880.
Gat, Jozsef. The Technique of Piano Playing. Corniva, Budapest: Corniva Press, 1965.
Gerig, Reginald R. Famous Pianists and Their Technique. Washington-New York: Robert B. Luce, Inc., 1974.
Huneker, James. Franz Liszt. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924.
Karasowski, Moritz. Frederic Chopin, His Life and Letters. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, Publishers, 1970.
Kochevitsky, George. The Art of Piano Playing. Illinois: Summy-Birchard Company, 1967.
Niecks, Frederick. Frederick Chopin as Man and Musician. Vol. 2 New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., 1973.
Newcomb, Ethel. Leschetizky As I Knew Him. New York: Da Capo Press, 1967.
Schonberg, Harold C. The Great Pianists from Mozart to the Present. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1963.
Seroff, Victor. Franz Liszt. Freeport, New York: Books For Libraries Press, 1966.
Walker, Alan, ed., Franz Liszt, The Man and His Music. New York: Taplinger Publishing Company, Inc., 1970.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 62
Weir, Albert E., The Piano, Its History. Makers, Players and Music. London, New York, Toronto: Longmans, Green and Company, Inc., 1940.
Dictionaries
Arnold, Denis, ed. The New Oxford Companion to Music. Oxford University Press, 1983. S.v. "Liszt, Franz," by Derek Watson.
Sadie, Stanley, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 6th ed., London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1980. S.v. "Czerny, Carl," by Alice L. Mitchell.
_ . The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. S.v. "Hummel, Johann Nepomuk," by Joel Sachs.
_ . The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. S.v. "Kullak, Theodor," by Horst Leuchtmann.
Slonimsky, Nicolas. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. 7th ed., New York: Schirmer Books, Inc., 1978.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.