The Preparation of William Sterndale Bennett's Virtuosic Piano Works Through the Utilisation of His Pedagogical Scores

Abstract

This thesis and the accompanying recording present a novel approach to deal with technical issues in Bennett’s virtuosic piano works, namely the Sonata, Op. 13, Fantasia, Op. 16 and Piano Concerto, Op. 19. Three case studies discuss the possible solo piano works by Bennett that can be utilised to improve aspects of techniques found in the three virtuosic works whilst simultaneously gaining insight into the musical language of the composer. This has resulted in the creation of a distinctive hierarchical framework of music repertoire study.