Memory and the Pianist: Practical Strategies for Improving Memorization and Performance Recall
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Memory and the Pianist: Practical Strategies for Improving Memorization and Performance Recall by Wen Ling Chua, BPA, MM A Doctoral Document In Piano Pedagogy Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctoral of Musical Arts Approved Dr. Carla Cash Chair of Committee Dr. Lora Deahl Dr. Matthew Santa Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School December, 2015 Copyright 2015, Wen Ling Chua© Texas Tech University, Wen Ling Chua, December 2015 Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my pedagogy advisor Dr. Carla Cash, for her continuous support of my DMA study and this final paper. I am thankful for her patience, motivation, and immense knowledge. Besides my advisor, I would like to thank my piano professor Dr. Lora Deahl, who supported me at every step in my journey and without whom it would have been impossible to complete this DMA program. My sincere thanks also goes to Dr. Matthew Santa, who was willing to serve on my committee for this paper and provided many insightful comments. Thanks must also go to Dr. William Westney, for lending me his expertise and encouragement throughout the process of completing my DMA. Special gratitude is also due to Jimmy Nga, my best friend at Texas Tech University, for his support, encouragement, and willingness to listen to my playing and rants. Also, I offer my regards and blessings to all my colleagues and friends who supported me in any respect during the completion of this project. Last, but not least, my heartfelt thanks to my loving, supportive, and caring husband Cheng Soon Wong, for all his love, encouragement, and motivation. Without him, it would have been impossible for me to achieve my dream of completing this degree. ii Texas Tech University, Wen Ling Chua, December 2015 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Memorizing versus Playing with the Score ............................................................ 3 Chapter 2 Memory Formation and Storage ........................................................................ 8 Sensory, Short-Term, and Long-Term Memory ..................................................... 9 Neurophysical Effects of Memory Formation ...................................................... 10 Declarative and Procedural Memories .................................................................. 11 Memory Types Commonly Discussed In Music Learning ................................... 12 Chapter 3 Memorization Strategies .................................................................................. 15 Chapter 4 Performance Recall: Problems and Remedies ................................................. 35 Chapter 5 Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 44 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 49 iii Texas Tech University, Wen Ling Chua, December 2015 Chapter 1 Introduction Memorization is a very important element in solo piano performance. Playing from memory has been expected of solo pianists since the mid-nineteenth century. Some argue that the main purpose of playing from memory was to impress audiences.1 Pianists have followed in the tradition of playing from memory, particularly in competitions, solo recitals, and concerto performances, since that time. Many pianists believe that playing from memory demonstrates that they have complete mastery of a work,2 allowing them to be more engaged in performance and more able to be expressive and communicative with their audience than when playing with printed music. Even so, many pianists—young and old—struggle to memorize effectively and, thus, live in fear of onstage memory lapses. Playing from memory was uncommon before the late 1800s. Up to that point, performing without a score generally took place only in informal situations.3 In fact, Chopin considered it a sign of arrogance if his students played from memory.4 At a time when almost every pianist was also a composer, playing without a score would have 1. Stewart Gordon, “A Choice to Be Made,” Clavier Companion 5, no.4 (July/August, 2013): 12. 2. Jane Schatkin Hettrick, “Presence of Mind: Hints for Memorization of Organ Music,” American Organist 33, no. 3 (March 1999): 69. 3. Susan Tomes, “All in the Mind,” Guardian, April 19, 2007, accessed May 28, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/apr/20/classicalmusicandopera1. 4. Stephen Hough, “Liszt: The Man Who Invented Stage Fright,” Telegraph, June 8, 2011, accessed May 27, 2015, http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough /100053906/liszt-the-man-who-invented-stage-fright/. 1 Texas Tech University, Wen Ling Chua, December 2015 indicated the pianist was improvising.5 Beethoven disapproved of his students’ playing from memory because he believed it would make them careless of the detailed markings in the music.6 When Mendelssohn, who was in London performing his own piano trios, discovered his piano part was missing, he suggested taking a book of music, placing it on the music desk, “and hav[ing] someone sit beside him to turn the pages, so no one need know [he played] from memory.”7 The first person thought to have regularly played from memory was Clara Schumann. From the time she was thirteen, Clara Schumann presented solo piano recitals from memory.8 In 1837, at the age of eighteen, she performed Beethoven's Appassionata sonata in Berlin “by heart,” and she was subsequently deemed “insufferable.”9 One of Beethoven’s close friends decried the performance, commenting, “With what pretension she seats herself at the piano and plays without the notes!”10 Franz Liszt is commonly identified as the figure who popularized memorized performances. Liszt developed the concept of the solo recital.11 Before this, it was rare to 5. Hough, “Liszt: The Man Who Invented Stage Fright.” 6. Tomes, “All in the Mind.” 7. Ibid. 8. Nancy B. Reich, Clara Schumann, The Artist and the Woman, rev. ed. (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2001), 271–2. 9. Anthony Tommasini, “Critic’s Notebook; The Pianist in a High-Wire Act,” New York Times, July 7, 1999, accessed June 1, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/1999 /07/07/arts/critic-s-notebook-the-pianist-in-a-high-wire-act.html. 10. Ibid. 11. Hough, “Liszt: The Man Who Invented Stage Fright.” 2 Texas Tech University, Wen Ling Chua, December 2015 have a whole evening concert featuring one artist playing only one instrument. Liszt presented himself as a charismatic virtuoso who played incredibly complex and flashy pieces many times from memory. He was also one of the first to turn the piano side-on so the pianist’s profile could be admired and the audience could enjoy the full volume of the piano.12 Before 1800, many pianists were composers; however, later in that century noncomposing pianists became the norm and the general belief about playing from memory changed starting around the eighteenth century. Using a score showed that the pianist did not know the music well and lacked professionalism.13 Since then, audiences have come to expect memorized performances of piano music from concert pianists. Many piano enthusiasts believe that playing from memory demonstrates having complete mastery of a work, allowing them to be more engaged in performance. Memorizing versus Playing with the Score Although a lot of pianists and audiences believe that playing from memory suggests the performer is professional and connected with the audience, playing from memory can be a nightmare for some pianists. In fact, a number of performing artists have come out as decidedly against memorizing and have begun presenting recitals using scores. 12. Melanie Spanswick, “Ten Top Tips for Effective Memorization: The Memory Game,” The Classical Music and Music Education Blog, December 7, 2014, accessed March 20, 2015, http://melaniespanswick.com/2014/12/07/ten-top-tips-for-effective -memorisation-the-memory-game/. 13. Hough, “Liszt: The Man Who Invented Stage Fright.” 3 Texas Tech University, Wen Ling Chua, December 2015 As noted by Stephen Hough in his article, “Liszt: the Man Who Invented Stage Fright,” playing from the score benefits the musician in several ways: 1. It reduces performance anxiety because the potential for memory slips is diminished. 2. Performers are constantly reminded of the composer’s instructions by observing the score while playing. 3. It opens up a greater variety of repertoire, especially modern, atonal music that is sometimes difficult to memorize. 4. Performances from the score can make pianists more focused on the music being produced than on the skill of memorizing.14 On the other hand, those in favor of memorizing have put forth the following arguments: 1. It ensures the performer prepares the recital program to a high level.15 2. Performers might feel a greater physical freedom at the keyboard when playing without the music.16 3. It can lead to heightened emotional involvement in the music and with the audience.17 4. It can lead to a feeling of ownership of the music.18 14. Hough, “Liszt: The Man Who Invented Stage Fright.” 15. Sarah Freiberg, “The Role of Memorizing Should Be in a Performance,” All Things Strings, July 2000, accessed June 2, 2015, http://www.allthingsstrings.com