African Educational Research Journal Special Issue 8(2), pp. S49-S61, October 2020 DOI: 10.30918/AERJ.8S2.20.032 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper One hand piano literature in Turkey Sirin Akbulut Demirci1* and Eda Nergiz2 1 Music Education Department, Education Faculty, Bursa Uludag University, Turkey. 2Music Department, State Conservatory, Giresun University, Turkey. ABSTRACT The curriculum used in amateur and professional piano education is shaped according to the physical and mental state of the students. Easy access to piano literature that can be used in case of one hand and/or one arm disability is important in terms of contributing to the students and piano instructors. For this reason, it is aimed to determine the works of contemporary Turkish composers in this field. Turkish composers who passed away in 2000 and after and those who live today were investigated; 146 of 198 composers who were identified were contact online, and it was concluded that 69 composers did not compose one hand piano work and 7 composers composed one hand piano work. Scores, program notes, work descriptions and sound recordings related to one hand piano works were obtained from those composers. It was found that 2 of these works were composed for the right hand, 3 for the left hand and 2 for any of them. It is thought that the limited number of contemporary Turkish one hand piano literature will contribute positively to piano literature, music educators, piano students and performer with physical disabilities. Keywords: Physical disability, piano education, one hand piano literature, contemporary Turkish composers, contemporary music. *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]. Tel: +90 535 477 57 32. INTRODUCTION In our country, music education is handled under three teaching, where individual development is at the categories as general, amateur and professional music forefront, is carried out with the works, pieces and education. Piano education in our country is evaluated exercises determined by the scholar for the students. under amateur and professional categories since it is Many current piano schools have created their own aimed at creating general music culture for the students particular piano training programs. It is the same for encompassing general music education from pre-school Turkey as well. These programs have differed and still to the end of primary education. “Piano education and differ over developing times. The methods and training is the basis of the music education. Therefore, repertoires used in these programs also differ as well. In piano has an important role in professional, amateur and the piano literature, there are many methodologies, piano encouraging music education” (Gökbudak, 2013, p. 2). albums and many repertoires written for various levels for In our country, there are institutions that provide use in piano education. It is also observed that the professional music education such as Fine Arts High pedagogues discuss this issue and form their own Schools, Education Faculties Music Teaching repertoire lists and stages (Gökbudak, 2013). Departments, Fine Arts Faculties Music Departments and In addition, Gökbudak made the following statement Conservatories that provide piano education. In these regarding the staging of works in general: schools, the piano curriculum in Fine Arts High Schools is taught with the books provided by M.E.B. (Milli Egitim In piano teaching of Turkish Educational System, Bakanlıgı [Ministry of National Education]) while in other there are almost no published studies regarding higher education institutions within the framework of the selection and staging of works. One of these standards set by each university and conservatory. studies is a seven-year staging exists in the In general, the process of piano education and chapter entitled “Guide To Works For The Piano Afr Educ Res J 50 Teacher” (p. 108) in the work of “The Book of hand piano works, etudes and/or exercises for students Pianist” by Mithat Fenmen (1947); another study with one hand and/or one arm or to create new works is an eleven-stage study found in Leyla Pamir’s related to this field. Looking at the eight-stage curriculum “Contemporary Piano Education” (pp. 36, 78, prepared by Gökbudak (2013); it is seen that there are 189). In addition, piano methods are available method names including separate exercises for the right and the selection of works is very limited. In a and left hands especially in the initial ones (for example; five-stage program of the “Fine Arts High School Piano Time 1-2, Beyer op.101). In addition to these Piano Lesson Program” prepared by the Ministry exercises for the right and left hand, it is observed that of Education in 2006, only the third, fourth and the concept of “Left Hand’ is more prominent than the the fifth stage works were listed. There is no right hand which is common in the international piano study towards on the selection of works found in literature. This issue is explained by Çağlak as follow: the Music Education Departments of other Education faculties (except for the exam The works composed under the name of the left programs). However, in the piano departments of hand in the literature of one hand piano works the conservatories, a series of works in addition can be studied with the right hand as well. to the teaching programs are encountered However, the finger numbers of these works respectively (Fenmen, 1947, p. 108; Pamir, should be re-arranged for the right hand 1983, pp. 36-78-189; translated by Gökbudak, properly. Some composers have written finger 2013, p. 5). numbers for both the left and the right hand in order to offer an alternative when composing or In this direction, an eight-stage curriculum has been arranging one hand piano works. Schumann’s prepared considering the eight-year education period that Op.124 B flat Major Romance is a good example starts at Fine Arts High School and continues in the of assigning separate finger numbers for both Department of Music Education. It is seen that the hands (Eker, 2015, p. 14-15). methods, albums, works and etudes presented in all stages are selected and sorted by some of the most well- It is striking that the term “Left Hand” is frequently known and famous pieces (Gökbudak, 2013). included in this international one hand piano literature. It is possible to see some physical disturbances in the Accordingly, in the piano works written for one hand, students in these educational processes mentioned which hand is more suitable in terms of piano before. Therefore, the teacher should create a proper performance is explained as follows: literature according to the individual/individuals who experience physical discomfort in piano educational … one hand piano works are mostly composed processes. It is thought that the hand and arm disorders for the left hand. The main reason for this is that are one of the most common ones among these physical “The Left Hand” is better for solo playing – disorders. In this respect, Tufan and Eker have included especially if you think that traditional classical the following explanation when the reasons for the and romantic music is built mostly upon the left formation of international one hand piano literature are hand. In its simplest form, there is an examined: accompaniment with melody that is not in the foreground. In fact, it was created for the so- Hungarian composer and pianist Geza Zichy called left hand: the thumb of the left hand (1849-1924), who lost his right arm as a result of creates the melody while the other four fingers an accident on a hunting trip, is known as the functions within the accompaniment figures world’s first one-armed pianist. On the other (Piano Music for the Left Hand Alone; translated hand, Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein (1887- by Tufan and Çağlak, 2016, p. 476). 1961), although he lost his right arm during the First World War, reshaped his career by moving Looking at the academic studies on one hand piano his pianistic life to a different dimension with his literature; Tuğba Çağlak’s Master thesis entitled as “The piano works like Zichy. His friend, the famous Availability of One Hand Works in Music Teaching composer Maurice Ravel, also composed a Program Piano Lessons” and its related article entitled as piano concerto for the left for him in 1930. “Expert Views on the Availability of One Hand Works in Nicholas McCarthy, born in 1989 without his right Music Teaching Program Piano Lessons” by Enver Tufan hand, stepped into pianistic life with one-handed and Tuğba Çağlak were obtained. In the article of Tufan works at the age of 14 and became the first and Çağlak, a repertoire was prepared under the titles of person to graduate from the 132-year-old Royal works, etudes and exercises aimed at using one hand College of Music as a left-handed pianist (Tufan repertoire in the piano lessons in music teaching and Çağlak, 2016, p. 476). departments; they were grouped according to Bachelor’s 2nd, 3rd and 4th year grade levels. It is aimed to examine From this point of view, there is a need to compile one- the views of 3 selected faculty members upon this Demirci and Nergiz 51 subject; the data was collected with a criteria list and books are found in accordance. Besides these studies, semi-structured interview form adopting qualitative the transcribed etudes composed by L. V. Beethoven, J. working method and were analysed with content analysis. N. Hummel’ın, F. Mendelssohn, F. Chopin, J. Brahms, A. It was concluded that faculty members fully participated Rubinstein, R. Kreutzer, C. Czerny, G. Meyerbeer, in the criteria in the evaluation items (Tufan and Çağlak, together with J.