Piano Performance Research Articles

Back to feedback: aberrant sensorimotor control in music performance under pressure

Precisely timed production of dexterous actions is often destabilized in anxiogenic situations. Previous studies demonstrated that cognitive functions such as attention and working memory as well as autonomic nervous functions are susceptible to psychological stress in skillful performance while playing sports or musical instruments. However, it is not known whether the degradation of sensorimotor functions underlies such a compromise of skillful performance due to psychophysiological distress. Here, we addressed this issue through a set of behavioral experiments. After artificially delaying the timing of tone production while playing the piano, the local tempo was abnormally disrupted only under pressure. The results suggest that psychological stress degraded the temporal stability of movement control due to an abnormal increase in feedback gain. A learning experiment further demonstrated that the temporal instability of auditory-motor control under pressure was alleviated after practicing piano while ignoring delayed auditory feedback but not after practicing while compensating for the delayed feedback. Together, these findings suggest an abnormal transition from feedforward to feedback control in expert piano performance with psychological stress, which can be mitigated through specialized sensorimotor training that involves piano practice while volitionally ignoring the artificially delayed provision of auditory feedback.

Real-Time Music Following in Score Sheet Images via Multi-Resolution Prediction

The task of real-time alignment between a music performance and the corresponding score (sheet music), also known as score following, poses a challenging multi-modal machine learning problem. Training a system that can solve this task robustly with live audio and real sheet music (i.e., scans or score images) requires precise ground truth alignments between audio and note-coordinate positions in the score sheet images. However, these kinds of annotations are difficult and costly to obtain, which is why research in this area mainly utilizes synthetic audio and sheet images to train and evaluate score following systems. In this work, we propose a method that does not solely rely on note alignments but is additionally capable of leveraging data with annotations of lower granularity, such as bar or score system alignments. This allows us to use a large collection of real-world piano performance recordings coarsely aligned to scanned score sheet images and, as a consequence, improve over current state-of-the-art approaches.

Innovative Research on Solfeggio and Ear Training Teaching of Natural Artistic Conception Music

Solfeggio and ear training is the most important basic link in music education. Solfeggio and ear training education traditionally follows the mode of manual teaching with piano performance. With the progress of computer technology, more and more Solfeggio and ear training software began to appear, which not only had a certain impact on the traditional teaching, but also triggered the thinking and exploration of software application. Among them, Ear Master from Denmark is the most mainstream Solfeggio and ear training software in the current market. Because of its relatively perfect design and relatively powerful function, it has great application value in the current Solfeggio teaching practice. Although the subjective and objective deficiencies of Ear Master determine its role and positioning in teaching practice. The results show that Solfeggio and ear training can play a positive role as long as they are well used and follow certain principles. The research results can promote the development and improvement of traditional Solfeggio and ear training teaching.

Aural and Visual Imagery in the Multimedia Music Performance

In the current studies related to music and image, several scholars have recognized that there is a narrow link between these areas, which can affect a synesthesia of sensory perceptions. When aural and visual sensations are well connected, the conformity provoked can complement existing meanings or add new meanings.This article explores the confluence of aural and visual imaginary by analyzing and performing the piano preludes of two composers, namely Claude Debussy and Shengjing Liao. In the specific angle of view, these composers are culturally separated from the West and East, but imagery connected. Our research focuses on the revelation of the aural image and the visual image, in the perspective of the piano performer, while the musical sense is transformed into short videos, through the recreation of the pianist, and while this recreation of visual images is expressed musically by piano performance to achieve the mutual complementation.

Lessons from a Genius: A Tribute to Glenn Parker (1955-1996)

Lessons from a Genius: A Tribute to Glenn Parker (1955–1996) Mutsumi Moteki (bio) COLLAB CORNER This year marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of Glenn Parker, a world class vocal coach-pianist, a dedicated music educator of singers and pianists, and a beloved friend to many musicians and others who were blessed to have crossed his path. After receiving his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory in 1977, Glenn's career path led him to become one of the first students to study with Martin Katz at Westminster Choir College and to receive his Master of Music in Piano Accompanying and Coaching in 1981. Subsequently, Glenn was invited to join the Westminster faculty as diction teacher and head of both the opera and collaborative piano programs, serving as well as the school's primary vocal coach until his untimely death at the age of forty. Although he left only a few published recordings of his performances, those who knew him and had heard him play were well aware of his exceptional talent as pianist and teacher. Singers and vocal collaborative pianists continue to hold him in high regard and are deeply grateful for his legacy. I remember Mr. Katz telling me more than once, "I'm not a genius, but Glenn was a genius." In a recent interview I had with Mr. Katz, he explained how Glenn's vast knowledge about music and everything that relates to music far surpassed the level of ordinary intelligent people. He added that Glenn had an immense repertoire in his fingers and in his ears, as well as an ability to explain the most profound matters with the simplest words. I was fortunate to be in Glenn's orbit from 1985 until 1992. During the summer of 1984, while I was attending a master class in Switzerland, Dalton Baldwin suggested that I study vocal accompanying at Westminster Choir College, where he had been serving as an adjunct professor after Mr. Katz left. In August 1985, I arrived in Princeton with two suitcases, one containing all my vocal scores and various dictionaries, and the other one packed with some clothes to get through one year. Because of the exchange rate, it was then very expensive for a Japanese person to study in the United States, and my plan was to go back to Japan after one year of study. Meeting Glenn Parker changed my mind. He was only thirty years old but seemed to know everything about music, songs, singing, opera, history, poetry, teaching, as well as an endless number of other things, including books, films, art, cooking, and sewing draperies. I had never met a teacher so passionate and inspiring as Glenn Parker. I felt there was no way I could learn everything he knew, even in the next thirty years, but I was determined to stay in Princeton and [End Page 279] learn as much as I could from him. The lessons I learned from Mr. Baldwin were, of course, invaluable; however he came to Princeton only once a month. Glenn, an assistant professor at that time, was the resident teacher. Attending his classes and lessons and almost daily observing his coaching were crucial to my growth and prepared me in many ways for further studies with Martin Katz at the University of Michigan. While teaching at Westminster Choir College, Glenn toured regularly as pianist to the famed Westminster Choir led by legendary choral conductor, Joseph Flummerfelt, and served for many years as opera chorus master for the Spoleto Festivals in Charleston, South Carolina and Spoleto, Italy. He performed regularly, mostly on campus, with some of the excellent voice teachers at Westminster, such as Laura Brooks Rice, Lois Laverty, Judith Nicosia, and Lindsey Christiansen, to name a few, and I was fortunate to attend many of these recitals. He never, however, seemed to be interested in pursuing an international career as a collaborative pianist, although he certainly could have. In my fourth year at Princeton in 1989, when I had become more comfortable talking to Glenn, I told him that he should be performing with singers like Fischer-Dieskau and Hermann Prey. Why not? Instead, even though...

The influences of college life adaptation and career decision self-efficacy on career achievement stress: Focus on students majoring in piano performance in South Korea

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationships among college life adaptation, career decision self-efficacy, and career achievement stress regarding students majoring in piano performance. A multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationships between college life adaptation and career achievement stress, and career decision self-efficacy and career achievement stress. The findings of the study indicated that personal and emotional adaptation, goal selection, and job information variables had a significant impact on career achievement stress. The findings of this study can be theoretically and practically meaningful, providing opportunities for the development of efficient retention strategies for students majoring in piano performance in a competitive college market. Through this research, the result should be utilized for development of job-seeking, career-related programs, and curriculum.

Piano Performance and Music Automatic Notation Algorithm Teaching System Based on Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a subject that studies all kinds of human intelligent activities and their laws. It is developed on the basis of the cohesion of many disciplines such as computer science, politics, information system, neurophysiology, psychology, philosophy, and language. This paper aims to study how to build a computer or intelligent machine, including hardware and software, imitate and expand the human brain to perform thinking functions such as thinking, programming, arithmetic, and learning, solve complex problems that need to be handled by professionals, and better apply the artificial intelligence assistance system to the teaching of piano performance. In this paper, Prolog language and music-assisted learning system based on the ARM and SA algorithm are proposed, the principle and operation process of music automatic recording technology are deeply studied, and the system data of artificial intelligence are summarized and analyzed by using internal database, so as to find out the implementation principle and law of piano automatic recording system. So that the artificial intelligence assistant system can be better applied to music teaching. The experimental results show that, in the teaching system of piano performance and music automatic notation algorithm, the utilization rate of artificial intelligence auxiliary technology has reached 56.81 and is growing rapidly. Therefore, we can find that the artificial intelligence assistant system plays an important role in the teaching system of piano performance and automatic music notation.

Automatic Evaluation System for Piano Performance Based on the Internet of Things Technology under the Background of Artificial Intelligence

Ubiquitous sensors cover many areas of modern society. As the sensor network matures, various applications based on the Internet of Things are setting off a new revolution in all aspects of social life. In order to in-depth study whether the Internet of Things technology can be used in the automatic evaluation of piano performance, this article uses artificial system comparison method, database establishment method, and model construction method to collect samples, analyze the automatic evaluation model, and streamline the algorithm, and based on these foundations, a practical automatic evaluation system for piano performance was created. However, the role of this article does not stop there. There are also a variety of algorithm-like models and the construction of technical models. First, the practicality of the created model is studied, and it is found that the traditional manual recognition rate is about 52%, while the recognition rate of the system in this paper is more than 90%, and the average recognition time of the system is 1.1 s. The start-up process and recognition process time of other systems are all no more than 6 s, indicating the superior performance of the system. On this basis, select the classic piano textbook: Thompson’s Simple Piano Tutorial. From it, select representative pieces as test samples. We can find that the overall F-measure value is above 90%, and the average F-measure value is 96.8%; the system performance test is good and can provide accurate evaluation results for piano learners. The results show that the number of identifications and missing numbers of the system are not much different from those of manual identification, which further proves its superiority. It is basically realized that starting from the Internet of Things technology, a system model that can automatically evaluate most piano repertoires has been designed.

Designing an app for home-based enriched Music-supported Therapy in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke: a pilot feasibility study

ABSTRACT Objective After completing formal stroke rehabilitation programs, most patients do not achieve full upper limb motor function recovery. Music-supported Therapy (MST) can improve motor functionality post stroke through musical training. We designed a home-based enriched Music-supported Therapy (eMST) program to provide patients with chronic stroke the opportunity of continuing rehabilitation by themselves. We developed an app to conduct the eMST sessions at home with a MIDI-piano and percussion instruments. Here, we tested the feasibility of the eMST intervention using the novel app. Method This is a pilot study where five patients with chronic stroke underwent a 10-week intervention of 3 sessions per week. Patients answered feasibility questionnaires throughout the intervention to modify aspects of the rehabilitation program and the app according to their feedback. Upper limb motor functions were evaluated pre- and post-intervention as well as speed and force tapping during daily piano performance. Results Patients clinically improved in upper limb motor function achieving the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) or Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) in most of motor tests. The app received high usability ratings post-intervention. Conclusion The eMST program is a feasible intervention for patients with chronic stroke and its efficacy should be assessed in a clinical trial.

Vectors of Liu Shikun’s Creative Activity in the Context of China Piano Art of the Second Half of the XX — Beginning of the XXI Century

Problem statement and its relevance. One of the pioneers of Chinese contemporary piano art, whose creative activity certainly contributed to its formation, further rapid rise and recognition of creative achievements on the world art horizon, is a prominent pianist — Liu Shikun, who today has received complete recognition as a brilliant performer, composer and teacher thus marked the beginning of the so­called piano boom in China, and with it — the gradual formation and confident rise of the Chinese piano school. If various aspects of contemporary Chinese performing arts have repeatedly been subjected to musicological discourse in the scientific community, the direct and comprehensive coverage of Liu Shikun’s leading role in the process of forming the foundations of Chinese piano performing arts, as well as careful analysis and representation of his creative achievements and pedagogical fields are still relevant for basic musicological research.
 The purpose of this article is to highlight and analyze the main vectors of creative activity of the famous Chinese musician Liu Shikun in the context of the development of piano art in China in the second half of the XX — early XXI centuries.
 The methodology of the work focuses on the principles of historicism and source studies, which provides coverage of Liu Shikun’s musical work in a single context with cultural, historical and artistic phenomena and their interaction. In addition, methods of retrospective, structural­system analysis, interpretation of facts, argumentation and generalization are involved.
 The results obtained during the achievement of the goal of this work focus on the representation and characterization of Liu Shikun’s creative achievements in the field of concert performance, teaching and composition and the artist’s contribution to the development of Chinese piano culture.
 The topicality of the article lies in the first attempt in Ukrainian musicology to comprehensively cover the main directions of creative activity of the famous Chinese pianist Liu Shikun in the projection of his influence on the formation of the current state of Chinese piano art.
 The practical significance of the facts and analysis of the main vectors of Liu Shikun’s creative activity carried out in this work is the possibility of using this material in courses on the history and theory of modern piano art, in particular in sections on the Chinese piano school, as well as for further more thorough research of Liu Shikun’s musical creativity, systematization of scientific information on his contribution to the development of musical art of this country.
 Conclusions. Summarizing the above given material, it should be noted that the fruitful and multifaceted work of this artist directly influenced the development and professionalization of piano performance in China at that time. This influence was due to the comprehensive recognition of the artist’s creative achievements by the world music community, in particular through numerous concert performances in leading countries (especially in partnership with leading orchestras and outstanding musicians); creation of original samples of concert repertoire on the basis and with specificity of the Chinese traditional melody; organization of a dense network of author’s music schools (art centers) and formation of the foundations of the Chinese national piano pedagogy.

Pedagogical and Performing Activities of R. P. Papkova in the Axiological Aspect

The purpose of the paper is to determine aspects of pedagogical and performing activity of R. P. Papkova, which testify to the uniqueness and significance of her creative practice.
 The methodology. The article uses fundamental, general scientific methods and principles of scientific knowledge, in particular, dialectical, culturological ones, as well as methods of objectivity, analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction, methods of systemic analysis.
 The results. The article continues the series of publications (within the framework of the long­term study of the pianistic culture of Kharkiv in the 40­80’s of the XX century), dedicated to the coverage of the creative activity of famous representatives of Kharkiv piano school. The source base of the article was the funds of the State Archives of Kharkiv region, memories of students and followers of R. P. Papkova, as well as personal impressions of the author from communication with the pianist. Based on the study of the creative path of R. P. Papkova the main aspects of her extraordinary pedagogical and performing talent were identified. It is documented that the performing and pedagogical abilities of R. P. Papkova were revealed during her studies at Kharkiv State Conservatory. It was determined that R. P. Papkova was an excellent performer, had an elegant musical taste and high culture of sound, that her playing was striking with special emotionality, depth of immersion in the figurative content of the work, the accuracy of displaying the stylistic features of music, graceful nuances and phrasing. The main aspects of extraordinary pedagogical talent of R. P. Papkova were determined, namely: individual approach to each student; abilities of a psychologist; talent of persuasion; demanding; meticulous attitude to the author’s text, sound quality, accuracy of strokes, pedaling; commitment to the deductive method of working on the work; the ability to have a holistic vision of the performance plan of the work, the desire to fully reveal the idea of the composer.
 It is proved that the uniqueness of the pianist’s pedagogy influenced the number of her followers who represent Kharkiv Piano School around the world.
 The topicality. The materials, highlighted in the article, from the funds of the State archive of the Kharkiv region allowed to reveal the unknown facts from the biography of R. P. Popkova.
 The practical significance. The information contained in the article can be used in lessons of piano, as well as in courses of lectures “History of Music” and “Musical Interpretation”, “History of piano performance”.

Perceptions of developing creativity in piano performance and pedagogy: An interview study from the Chinese perspective

Although creativity in music is a topic widely considered and studied among global music educators, it has received limited attention in China while quite a number of Chinese pianists have been recognized on the international stage. How do Chinese pianists and professors perceive creativity in piano performance? How would they nurture creativity in the performances of their own and/or their students? Employing the Grounded Theory approach, this study investigated the perceptions of creativity in piano performance of 13 eminent pianists and professors from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou through a series of semi-structured interviews. The interviewees identified several factors related to the development of musical creativity in piano performance, including pianists’ relevant knowledge, their musical and life experiences, imagination and association, reflection and musical judgment, performing environments, and the Chinese cultural elements of holism and dynamism. Implications for teaching include the encouragement of a balance between Western and Chinese epistemologies in both analytical and abstract thinking. In nurturing students’ creativity in piano performances, students should live in culture-related contexts, and understand the world in a holistic epistemology with an abstract imagination. This study has further provided a more holistic understanding of how to nurture musical creativity with an alternative perspective.

Cultivating music students’ creativity in piano performance: a multiple-case study in China

ABSTRACT Although creativity in music performance is a global issue among music educators, it has nevertheless received less attention in China. How do piano teachers in China cultivate their students’ performance creativity? This article reports on a multiple-case study undertaken in a university located in Guangzhou, China that aimed to examine the teaching strategies of three piano majors and observe their learning responses. The first author taught the students for 14 lessons within a semester, the data coming from a combination of video recordings for observation, self-reflection and semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data from the interviews and video recordings were coded based on the categories and themes that emerged from repeated observations of the video clips. The results indicate that teachers may cultivate performance creativity by nurturing students’ imaginations as it relates to individual knowledge and experience. Autonomy in musical expression should be encouraged through teaching genres other than Classical music.

Wrist Internal Loading and Tempo-Dependent, Effort-Reducing Motor Behaviour Strategies for Two Elite Pianists.

One of the greatest challenges in reducing high rates of performance injuries among musicians is in providing them usable tools to address playing-related musculoskeletal problems (PRMP) before they become disorders. Studies in biomechanics have the potential to provide such tools. In order to better understand the mechanisms through which PRMP manifest in pianists, especially in the distal segments of the upper limbs, the current study quantifies wrist internal loading (WIL) and wrist impact loading frequency. It does so while discussing pianists' motor behaviours and observed effort-reduction strategies in the wrists as a function of anthropometry. This concept has great utility for performers. A VICON 3D motion capture system documented two expert pianists performing a B major scale, hands together, at 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 notes/sec. Biomechanical modeling quantified WIL. Changes in motor behaviour were observed at 8 notes/sec. Individualized anthropometry influenced the range of motor strategies available to each pianist. The pianist with the larger hand span employed a flexion/extension wrist strategy as a compensatory means for effort reduction, while the pianist with the smaller hand span employed a radial/ ulnar deviation strategy. The current study provides a new perspective in addressing PRMP among pianists by rationalizing anthropometric potentials in terms of ergonomic parameters and documenting the availability and utility of effort-reduction strategies in the wrists during piano performance as performers consider PRMP risk and avoidance.

Cultural and historical preconditions for the formation and development of piano art in Rivne region

Purpose of the article. The article reveals the historical dynamics of piano art of Rivne region and its formation at the present stage of development. Methodology. The concept of the study is based on the application of a set of scientific methods, namely: historical - involved in the chronological sequence of analysis of scientific publications; system approach that summarizes the achievements of piano art of Rivne region at the present stage of its development. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the implementation of a comprehensive musicological analysis of piano performance as a phenomenon of Ukrainian culture. An assessment of the historical preconditions for the development of piano art is given. The ways of formation and development of piano art in Rivne region are determined. Conclusions. Based on the factual material, it is established that the piano art of Rivne region has reached the stage of maturity in its development. Evidence of this is the rapid growth of piano art (performance and pedagogy) of the region and the saturation of this process with positive changes. The main factor in the formation of the piano art of the region is the borrowing and assimilation of national musical heritage.

VR Technology to the Adjustment of Piano Playing Mentality

Piano performance requires not only skillful and excellent playing skills, but also good psychological quality and improvisation. The perfect performance is the natural language of a pianist's usual skill and mood. The various emotional activities and expressions of the overall situation in relation to the player's performance, mental issues such as the intensity and horror of the scene, seriously affect the pianist’s actual performance while playing. The piano is therefore very important for mind control. Based on this, this paper attempts to apply the current hot VR technology to piano performance and simulate the virtual piano performance scene through VR technology, so as to enhance the on-the-spot experience for piano players and continuously improve their psychological quality, so that they can better adjust their nervous bad mentality in actual combat. This article first has carried on the 3D virtual reality piano stage modeling experiment, and then selected the 20 young pianist piano training involved in day-to-day contrast test, the test group of 10 people for daily training, virtual piano stage under the environment of normal control group of 10 people ordinary daily training, training time four hours a day, for three months, all participants will take part in The Provincial Youth Piano Competition since the end of the training. The final test results showed that in the competition site, the performance level of 10 players in the test group was generally better than that of the control group. Among them, there were 2 subjects in the test group who played for a long time, while one of the control groups gave up playing in the middle. In addition, in the horizontal comparison, it is found that subjects who are older and have been learning piano for a long time have better on-the-spot mental adjustment ability and more stable performance. Boys performed better than girls, and subjects with positive, optimistic, and confident personalities performed better than those with introverted and low self-confidence.

The Cultivation of Students' Musical Expressiveness in Piano Performance Teaching

This article believes that in piano performance teaching in colleges and universities, the significance of cultivating students' musical expressiveness is mainly reflected in three aspects: the future development of students, the development of piano art and the reform of education and teaching. In the specific training path, it is necessary to scientifically grasp the relationship between performance technology and music performance, enhance students' awareness of music analysis, and effectively improve students' theoretical accomplishment and create a display platform to exercise students' performance ability.

A pianist and his musical instrument (on the example of Alexandre Tharaud’s works)

The relevance. The modern media space is full of musical experience of different cultures, which is embodied by musical instruments. Each of them with its uniqueness occupies the same important place on the stage as a composer, a piece of work and a performer. First, only by their appearance and name, and then by timbre, volume, range, musical instruments (solo or in an ensemble or orchestra) objectify the sound space, set the parameters of artistic communication. A musical instrument as an artifact exists in musical activity not as a certain thing, even exceptionally valuable, but, first of all, as a “mediator of use” (Voronin A. Myth of technology. Moscow: Nauka, 2004. P. 65). It is the process of its use that needs to be understood not only in broad historical and cultural contexts, but also in the scale of creative activity of one performer.
 The aim of the article is to try to use the example of the famous pianist Alexandre Tharaud (1968) to consider the process of understanding the “horizons” of his creative world through the selection and development of certain musical instruments, including pianos of modern production. Such a problematic prospect includes: on the one hand, the purely economic relationship between the musician and world brands and requires a definition of the artist-ambassador at the music market, on the other — highlights the performance search for reliable “mediators” for their own version of the music, new opportunities for dialogue with the historical past.
 The methodology. It is based on the comparative method, the application of the apparatus of organology in historical retrospect, as well as on the methodological approaches used by E. Nazaikinsky and A. Voronin.
 The results. The problem of the relationship between the piano firm and the performer was raised in the historical context. On the example of Alexandre Tharaud’s discography the modern mechanisms of the relationship between the piano firm and the performer were revealed.
 The topicality. It is the first time Alexandre Tharaud’s experience in media representation of piano products is summarized. It is the first time the piano works and performance in terms of instrumental resources involved in the Alexandre’s performance was analyzed.
 The practical significance. The material can be used in the educational process, as well as by professionals who are interested in this prospect for further study of the performance issue.
 The conclusions. Nowadays, pianists master a significant number of musical instruments. Guided by individual sound perceptions, they choose their priority brand. A professional performer is able to adjust the musical concept of the work in relation to the existing piano during the game. The performer adapts a piece of music to the instrument through a complex of feelings such as hearing, touch, sight, smell, and, emphasized by Alexandre Tharaud, the feeling of pain which is familiar to all performers. Alexandre Tharaud in his own music albums, represented not only the original performance versions of classical music, but also each time opened a new refraction of the sound spectrum of a particular piano company, through the original artistic and sound representation of each of the works. In the modern media space, Alexandre Tharaud has created a treasure trove of sound spectra of Steinway and Yamaha pianos, which combine such timbre capabilities that can meet the artistic needs of almost every artist.

К вопросу о специфике исполнения-интонирования фортепианной музыки венских классиков

The purpose of the study is to identify the intonation and stylistic specifics of the performance-intonation of piano music of the Viennese classicism period. The relevance of the research is based on the existing need for the preservation, study and continuity of traditions, as well as the search for innovative technologies for mastering the musical and pedagogical repertoire of classical music. The research methodology is based on the results of experimental work on the research topic; systematization of scientific-pedagogical and scientific-theoretical knowledge in the field of education of piano performance culture-intonation of classical piano music. The scientific novelty lies in the systematization of ideas about the musical art and pedagogy of music education of the classical era, the specifics of piano performance-the intonation of classical music. As a result of the undertaken research, a method of educating the culture of piano performance-intonation of piano works by composers of the Vienna classical school-has been developed. It is concluded that the education of the culture of piano performance-intonation of classical piano works is impossible without a thorough knowledge of the specifics of the expressive means used by classical composers, intonation and stylistic features of classical music performance, technologies of performance culture-intonation of classical music. The results obtained can be used in the professional activity of a teacher-musician.

Роль международных музыкальных конкурсов в развитии китайского пианизма

The study aims to identify capabilities and limitations of international contests for development of national distinctness of the piano performance culture in China. Scientific novelty of the study lies in raising the issue of the dichotomy “Western (international) / national (traditional)” as a specific feature of the heterogeneous piano schools from the perspective of music contests. This approach allows the researcher to outline areas of development of the Chinese pianism and arrive at the results that consist in the following ideas: international contests cannot be directly used for purposes of enriching “cultural cause” and promoting “cultural industry”; contests should remain a platform for interaction with the international music community and serve as quality indicators for the Chinese music education; successes on the international scene can be used indirectly, that is to promote the Chinese composers’ music performed by the renowned Chinese pianists; specificity of competitions as a multi-faceted and complex phenomenon should be taken into account for development of the Chinese music education and musical life as a whole.