Piano Repertoire Research Articles

Research on Piano Program Programming and Creative Optimization Methods Based on Big Data Technology

This study focuses on the programming and creative optimization methods of piano tracks based on big data technology. Through in-depth analysis of the potential application of big data technology in the field of music creation, we propose an innovative framework for piano repertoire programming and creative optimization. This framework fully utilizes the data processing and analysis capabilities of big data technology to mine massive piano repertoire data, extract music elements, style features, and creative patterns. In terms of piano repertoire programming, we use big data technology to quantitatively analyze music elements and construct a data-driven programming model. This model can automatically generate piano repertoire frameworks that match specific styles, emotions, and rhythms based on user creative needs, providing inspiration and direction for creators. In terms of creative optimization, we utilize machine learning algorithms based on big data technology to intelligently evaluate and improve piano tracks. By comparing and analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of different tracks in terms of melody, harmony, structure, etc., we have discovered and extracted the common characteristics of excellent works, providing guidance for creators to optimize their work. This article will focus on the programming and control capabilities of music programming in the design and composition process of big data technology, as well as optimization methods for music creation. Provide precise services for music teaching and research, promote the prosperity and development of music, and accelerate the integration and innovative development of information technology and music education and teaching. In terms of piano repertoire programming, we utilized big data technology to quantitatively analyze music elements and constructed a data-driven programming model. This model can provide creators with rich inspiration and clear direction based on their creative intentions and specific styles. In addition, our study also considered the recognition rates of training models for different instrument types. Through training and optimizing models, we have ensured that piano program programming and creative optimization processes can achieve high recognition rates and accuracy on different instrument types, thereby further expanding the application scope of big data technology in the field of music creation.

A Gamelan Palette: Examining the Integration of Indonesian Javanese Gamelan Elements in Debussys Piano Work

Debussys Pagodas fosters an attractive musical dialogue within the rich traditions of Indonesian Gamelan. This exploration surpasses geographical boundaries, as Debussy integrates Gamelans distinctive timbres and rhythmic intricacies into a Western piano repertoire. Through the juxtaposition of resonant tones and percussive elements, Pagodas becomes intriguing cross-cultural encounter. It invites listeners to navigate an intricate weave of Javanese musical influence within Debussys impressionistic language. This musical dialogue progresses organically while Debussy navigates East and West intersections. This creates a sonic tapestry that resonates with the mystique of Gamelan traditions and the haunting expression of Debussys artistic vision. Pagodas is a testament to the transformative power of cross-cultural musical conversations. In this piece, Debussys mastery transcends borders to shape a harmonious synthesis of diverse musical worlds.

Artistic Energy of the Performers in the Mirror of Their Repertoire Preferences

"The problem field of this article consists of learning the essence of the phenomenon of artistic energy and understanding the performing repertoire as one of the ways of its objectification. Each component of the specified subject of study has its own problem, which is also subject to development. The choice of the proposed subject of scientific cognition is motivated by the desire to understand the phenomenon of the subject of performing interpretative activity. An important factor in its study is the disclosure of the artistic properties of the pianist’s personality, which contributes to the establishment of contact between the concert performer and the listening audience. A little-studied aspect of the analytical consideration of artistic energy remains the question of methods of its objectification, which is the subject of the proposed article. It is stipulated by the perspective of the direction of modern musicology related to the scientific development of the performing repertoire. The location of the selected research subject at the intersection of the named scientific contexts is designed to understand the various properties of the subject of the performing activity as a component of a single system. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to substantiate the idea of the performers’ repertoire preferences as a reflection of their artistic energy. Keywords: pianist-performer, artistic energy, piano repertoire, interpretation, performing style."

Https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=50463761

The article deals with the issues of the modern piano repertoire of the outstanding composer Chu Wanhua. The author of the article dwells on the issues of combining traditions and innovations in his piano compositions. The folklore tradition occupies the most important place in his work. The author of the article says that the problem of the relationship between the composer and folklore is becoming more acute and relevant today. Also, as early as the 1960s, Chinese composers began to actively study and use modern writing techniques, such as atonality, twelve-tone technique, experimental avant-garde, etc. The rejection of the traditional foundations of the musical language, combined with at least some tangible elements of folklore material, made it possible for the listener to identify the musical content of the work. Despite the complex musical language and techniques, such works made it possible to associate them with one or another national tradition. The piano work of the Chinese contemporary composer Chu Wanhua in a special way reveals the synthesis of traditions and innovations in music.

Nineteenth-Century Temperaments and the Music of Chopin

Since the seventeenth century, writers about music have discussed what were considered to be the intrinsic differences in affect between the various keys. These were continuations of late-Renaissance discussions of the expressive properties of the different church modes, and those distantly reflected discussions of the Greek modes in Plato’s Republic. By the turn of the twentieth century, a large (and evolving) literature on the subject had accumulated, and despite more than a half-century of piano temperaments that were loosely referred to as ‘equal’ (or in Albert Lavignac’s phrase, ‘the uniformity inherent in the system of temperament’), the entire concept of key characteristics—that is, an accounting of the expressive differences between supposedly equally tempered keys—was well established. No two accounts of key associations were alike, but there were general patterns, especially for the more diatonic keys: C major was considered innocent, C minor for funereal and serious pieces, F major gently pastoral, D major warlike and triumphant, and so on.For us, unfortunately, late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century tuning instructions are incomplete. In treatise after treatise, these temperaments — generally described as ‘equal’ even when they clearly are not — are to be produced by tuning certain fifths ‘a little weak,’ other fifths ‘strong,’ and finally (at the end of the process) expecting the requisite correspondences between enharmonic equivalents to result from these vaguest of instructions. Despite the claims that such instructions were complete, self-standing, and intended for autodidacts, further preparation, such as working with an accomplished technician, would have been necessary. To proceed directly from these treatises, then, is impractical, so the problem of an unequal temperament appropriate to Chopin’s music requires a different approach.The composer’s personal preferences regarding temperament and key associations had much in common with typical practice of the time. Even clearer is Chopin’s statement, from his unfinished piano method: ’Intonation being the tuner’s task, the pianist is free of one of the greatest difficulties involved in the study of an instrument’, which demonstrates that despite his exacting requirements, he was happy to turn the task over to professionals. The search for such a temperament today requires experimentation, which enables us to discover how narrower and wider thirds and fifths produce the mood and affect of each key. Such experimentation can produce a temperament generally compatible with the majority of instructions for contemporary temperaments — thus completely usable for the piano repertoire of the time — but frankly revelatory when Chopin’s music is played in it. And although vanishingly little that can be heard remains of such temperaments, Vladimir de Pachmann’s 1927 recording of Chopin’s Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72 No. 1 testifies to a temperament in which different triads have different qualities, timbres differ depending on the different relationships between overtones, Chopin seems to be intentionally milking these differences, and the subtleties of his music seem to multiply a thousandfold.

Фортепианные произведения для одной руки

The study aims to substantiate that works for one hand can reveal the potential of the piano to a greater extent, as well as its genre and style range, becoming an original sphere not only of musical performance, but also of composer creativity in general. The paper presents the essence of the phenomenon of compositions for one hand in piano art; identifies the features of the embodiment and performance of works for one hand and genres of piano repertoire for one hand. As a result, it can be concluded that the emphasis on the technical side is often the peculiarity of the embodiment of works for one hand. These compositions by their very nature imply virtuosity and this parameter comes to the fore. Despite the genre and stylistic diversity of compositions written for one hand, in general composers are characterised by a noticeable common tendency, a creative desire to reveal the capabilities of performers, i.e. their virtuosity.

Lectio praecursoria: Kuusi soivaa näkökulmaa 1920-luvun ranskalaiseen modernismiin

Six sounding aspects on the 1920s French Modernism
 In her lectio praecursoria, Doctor of Music Eveliina Sumelius-Lindblom gives her artistic doctoral project “Four aspects on French Modernism: from l’esprit nouveau towards the world of colors and the performer’s methodological thinking” a general picture in which the historical, aesthetic and performer-based aspects encounter themselves. In addition to introducing the key concepts of the 1920s French Modernism and highlighting its general aesthetic atmosphere Sumelius-Lindblom focuses on those research results which are most obviously attached to her long-term artistic experience on playing the piano repertoire of this period. The six solo piano performances of the composers of Les Six -group (Georges Auric, Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud), Arnold Schoenberg, Olivier Messiaen and Igor Stravinsky not only give a versatile and multi-valued sounding picture of the 1920s Modernism. The piano performances also work as a fundamental part of Sumelius-Lindblom’s intersubjective research practice in which showing and verifying the research findings by playing represent the other main focus of her research.

Vectors for updating the piano repertoire of a modern performer

Background. The article is devoted to the role of the piano repertoire as a determining factor in a musician’s career. It is determined that one of the factors of preserving the academic piano performance tradition in the 21st century was its adaptation to the modern conditions of a globalized society. In these new modern conditions, a pianist improving his skill must accumulate a large, diverse repertoire, constantly supplementing and expanding it. Objectives. The purpose of the article is to determine the vectors of expansion and renewal of the piano repertoire of a modern performer, in particular, in the educational process of student pianists (on the example of the experience of the special piano department of the Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevskyi Nationaly University). One of the main tasks of the article is the analysis of the lesser-known piano repertoire for its popularization and inclusion in the performing circuit. Methods. The methodology is based on a combination of historical, theoretical and psychoanalytical approaches to the study of performance as a special sphere of human creative activity. Results. The involvement of new modern technologies in the performing process will require even greater needs of the pianist for comprehensive deep education, based on knowledge of all achievements of musical art and culture in general. Therefore, this process should take place at all stages of a young pianist’s development. Conclusions. The following vectors of renewal and expansion of the piano repertoire of a modern pianist-performer are considered, such as: – addressing the «forgotten» piano music by restoring the undeservedly rejected names of composers of the past. Such actions will allow to develop the performers’ ideas about «already composed» stylistic directions in musical art, to review the genre and figurative composition of works, to find works that impress the performer himself. – expanding the creativity of a specific composer within the limits of the author’s works will provide an opportunity to «uncover» the unfamiliar faces of an artist already known to us, expand the idea of his work, reveal a more extensive genre palette of his work. – new music recently created by the composer remains the most painful problem, as the vast majority of young performers deliberately refuse to get to know the latest music. As a result, the majority of young pianists lack practical skills in interpreting modern music, the main difficulty of which arises, first of all, through the assimilation of the latest textural, timbre-register, and sound specificities of works. – the creation of a national cultural product is the most urgent need in Ukraine today. It is possible to state with confidence the increase of general interest in Ukrainian music not only in its homeland, but also in the world in general. Therefore, this vector has every prospect of successful development. The possibility of communication between performers and composers and obtaining «first-hand» instructions regarding the author’s idea and means of expression of the latest Ukrainian works is of great importance.

Eclectic Approaches, Influences, and Stylistic Parallels in Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos

This article will focus on Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos and attempt to exemplify its eclectic approaches as well as technical and stylistic parallels and influences, both from the piece’s past and future. Examples that predate the piece do not necessarily mean they are direct references but should be perceived as having common ancestors, much like how Darwinian evolution trees are understood, and examples that postdate the piece do not necessarily mean they have been directly influenced but rather that the original work foreshadowed certain concepts that were meant to appear in due time. Although Hindemith was one of the most important and prolific composers of the 20th century, his works did not receive as much attention from many musicologists and performers as his contemporaries. The purpose of this article is to renew interest in Sonata for Two Pianos, which deserves to have a significant high standing in the piano repertoire. Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos should be considered as a piece that should be played more frequently in piano recitals and studied more deeply by musicologists. In addition, Hindemith’s eclectic compositional approach in his works needs to be examined thoroughly. This article uses the methods of qualitative analysis and comparative analysis on the works before and after Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos in addition to a score analysis.

The role of representatives of the Krykh family in the piano art of Ternopil

The purpose of the article. The research is connected with the coverage of the figures of pianists-performers and teachers of the Krykh family as representatives of the traditions of the Lviv piano school, their role in the formation of professional piano performance in Ternopil. The research methodology is to use historical-comparative and personalistic approaches. This allows us to systematically highlight the figures of Iryna Krykh (Lyubchak), sisters Maria and Lydia Krykh as pianist-performers and teachers connected with Ternopil. Scientific novelty. Attention is focused on the role of I. Krykh as a representative of the Lviv Piano School in establishing a piano class at the branch of the Higher Music Institute M. Lysenko in Ternopil (1928), on the importance of her performing and pedagogical activities in forming traditions of piano performance in the region. It is traced that the defining features of pianism and piano pedagogy I. Krykh as representatives of «ancient traditions of Lviv pianism» (according to N. Kashkadamova): coverage of diverse repertoire, popularization of Ukrainian piano repertoire, enthusiasm for ensemble performance, etc. I. Krykh, first of all - in the performing and pedagogical activity of Maria and Lydia Krykh, in the activity of the next generations of their pupils. Brief characteristics of piano performance style, pedagogical approaches of Iryna Krykh (Lyubchak), Maria Krykh (Uglyar), and Lydia Krykh, which were transmitted directly (through training) or indirectly (through master classes, concerts, consultations, lectures, etc.) at various levels of music education in Ternopil: from primary to higher. The figures of pianists-pupils connected with Ternopil, who continued their studies in L. Krykh, are singled out. The figure of O. Rapita as a representative of another musical dynasty of Rapit-Dragans, connected with Ternopil, its pupil V. Valentiev is highlighted. Conclusions. The continuity and fruitfulness of the performing traditions of the Lviv piano school, founded at the beginning of the XX century, are traced, to the important place of the representatives of the musical dynasty Krykh in the musical culture of Ternopil, Lviv is emphasized.
 Key words: musical culture of Western Ukraine, XX – first quarter of XXI century, piano performance, piano schools, pianists-performers and teachers of Lviv and Ternopil.

The Impact of Piano Styles on Muscle Force in Pianist Students

The study of the consequences of different sonata styles (baroque, classical and romantic piano repertoire) on pianists’ upper limbs represents a research topic for both the musical and medical fields. Twenty piano students were examined using a MicroFet2 dynamometer after playing three sonatas (Scarlatti K. 1 Sonata as a representative of the baroque style, Haydn Sonata no. 60 for the classical style and Chopin second Sonata for the romantic style). The phase sequence was randomised for each subject: firstly, continuous interpretation of 10 bars of a sonata was conducted 10 times, with the metronome tempo set by the investigator; secondly, the subject interpreted 10 bars of a different sonata continuously, standardised by tempo, which was carried out 10 times; finally, the continuous interpretation of 10 bars of the remaining third sonata, standardised by tempo, was carried out 10 times. After each performance of the 10 bars, the elbow extensor’s isometric muscle force was measured. Significant differences were found between the elbow extensor’s isometric muscle force assessed after playing Scarlatti’s sonata and Haydn’s sonata (p = 0.005 for left arm, p = 0.03 for right arm), between Scarlatti’s sonata and Chopin’s sonata (p < 0.0001 for both left and right arms) and between Haydn’s sonata and Chopin’s sonata (p = 0.01 for left arm, p < 0.0001 for right arm). In healthy piano students, the dynamometric assessment of elbow extensors’ isometric muscle force after playing three different sonatas (baroque, classical and romantic) showed that the lowest values were recorded after playing the baroque style. Our results showed bilateral symmetry in the elbow extensor’s isometric muscle force for all three piano styles. The testing of arm muscles, besides that of the fingers, should be considered as a regular evaluation for future professional pianists with regard to the prevention of musculoskeletal complaints.

Dziewiętnastowieczne stroje instrumentalne a muzyka Chopina

Już od końca XVII wieku teoretycy pisali o tym, na czym – jak sądzono – zasadzała się immanentna różnica afektów poszczególnych tonacji. Wcześniej podobne dyskusje dotyczyły kościelnych modi – wedle ich późnorenesansowego rozumienia. Te zaś stanowiły kontynuację tradycji zapoczątkowanej przez Platona w Państwie, a poświęconej skalom greckim. Do schyłku wieku XIX powstał (i wciąż rośnie) ogromny korpus literatury poświęconej temu problemowi i pomimo ponad pięciu już dekad istnienia temperowanego stroju fortepianów, swobodnie określanego mianem „równomiernego” (lub wedle słów Lavignaca „właściwej systemowi temperowanemu równomierności”), cały koncept właściwych tonacjom cech charakterystycznych – czyli identyfikacja różnic wyrazowych dzielących rzekomo równomiernie temperowane tonacje – był dobrze ugruntowany. Choć nie ma pośród tych opracowań dwu identycznych, pojawia się w nich wszystkich kilka ogólnych wzorów, zwłaszcza w przypadku tonacji bardziej diatonicznych: C-dur uważano za niewinną, c-moll – za odpowiednią dla utworów żałobnych i poważnych, F-dur – za subtelnie pastoralną, D-dur – za wojenną i triumfalną itd. Dla nas niestety późnoosiemnasto- i dziewiętnastowieczne instrukcje strojenia nie są wystarczające. Wedle każdego kolejnego traktatu ówczesne stroje – nazywane zazwyczaj „równomiernymi”, choć wyraźnie takimi nie były – miano osiągać dzięki zestrajaniu kwint „słabiej” lub „mocniej”, oczekując, że ostatecznie (na zakończenie całego procesu) z owych niejasnych instrukcji wyłonią się pożądane relacje pomiędzy enharmonicznymi ekwiwalentami. Pomimo deklaracji, jakoby tego rodzaju wskazówki miały być kompletne, wyczerpujące i przeznaczone dla samouków, konieczne były jednak kolejne przygotowania, jak choćby współpraca z doświadczonym stroicielem. Skoro nie jest realne wyjście wprost od owych traktatów, problem nierównomiernego stroju odpowiedniego dla muzyki Chopina wymaga innego podejścia. Osobiste preferencje kompozytorskie w kwestii stroju i relacji pomiędzy tonacjami mają wiele wspólnego z praktyką typową dla danej epoki. Jeszcze klarowniej wyjaśnia to Chopin na kartach nieukończonej Metody gry fortepianowej: „[…] intonacja wynika z nastrojenia, fortepian został uwolniony od jednej z największych trudności, na jakie napotyka się przy studiowaniu innych instrumentów”, sugerując, że mimo swych precyzyjnych wymagań chętnie powierzał to zadanie profesjonalistom. Dziś do poszukiwania takiego stroju konieczne jest eksperymentowanie, które pozwoliłoby nam odkryć, w jaki sposób zmniejszone lub zwiększone tercje wpływają na każdą z tonacji. Tego rodzaju próby zaowocować mogą strojem zgodnym z większością ówczesnych instrukcji – a zatem dającym się zastosować do fortepianowego repertuaru epoki, a w wykonaniach muzyki Chopina – wręcz odkrywczym. I choć niewiele już dziś śladów owych strojów można usłyszeć, pochodzące z 1927 roku nagranie Nokturnu e-moll op. 72 nr 1 Vladimira Pachmanna zaświadcza, jak różnić się w takim stroju mogą jakości poszczególnych trójdźwięków, jak alikwoty zmieniają konkretne brzmienia oraz jak Chopin zdawał się intencjonalnie różnice te wyzyskiwać i tysiąckrotnie [dzięki nim] pomnażać subtelności swej muzyki.

Influences of Béla Bartók’s Piano Compositions on Alberto Ginastera’s Piano Music

Abstract This study seeks to reveal the musical relationship between Bartók’s and Ginastera’s piano compositions, showing stylistic conceptualizations of twentieth-century Western art music which held many interesting musical aspects, specifically in the classical piano repertoire. This musicological research employs stylistic analysis and theoretical analysis to shed some light on Bartók’s and Ginastera’s piano music vocabulary. Following this methodology, it is revealed that Ginastera’s compositional language was very much influenced by the highly unique characteristics of Bartók’s. Such characteristics include the axial system, Bulgarian peasant rhythmic dance, bi-modality, intervallic cell (Z-cell, 0167), hexachordal sets of octatonic collections, the symmetrical old Hungarian pentatonic scale, polychord, quartal chords, hammering-percussive piano style, secundal chords based on ostinato, and many others. In light of this, one may propose that Ginastera’s compositional strategies in piano music were heavily influenced by Bartók’s rhythmic and harmonic idioms, which contributed to the creation of an innovative musical craft.

The Application of Tobias Matthay’s Teachings to the Playing of York Bowen’s Twelve Studies: A Practitioner’s Perspective

Across the body of piano repertoire that falls under the ‘etude’ genre, few were written with a specific body of piano pedagogical literature in mind. One such example is English composer York Bowen’s Twelve Studies (1916), one of the lesser known cycle of etudes in the piano repertoire. The titles Bowen appended to these studies as well as the technical aspects explored in them point to a connection with the pedagogical teachings of English piano pedagogue Tobias Matthay. This article will examine these studies through the lens of my personal experience preparing this repertoire for performance, and will disseminate insights gained through this preparation process regarding how specific concepts Matthay espoused in his teachings tie in with the explicit and implicit technical focus of these studies, and may be applied in practice. Following a brief introduction to Bowen, the studies, and Matthay, the main section of this article explores eleven of the twelve studies that contain direct and/or indirect references to Matthay’s concepts, before concluding with some general reflections. The purpose of this article is to offer some pedagogical insight on this repertoire, and possible guidance for performers and teachers who may wish to study these works, in spite of these insights coming from a personal perspective. Additionally, since these studies are presently not very well known in pianistic circles and literature is scarce, it is hoped that this article will help nurture further scholarly investigation into this repertoire.

Memorising Contemporary Piano Music as Described by Professional Pianists

The convention of performing from memory is a well-established practice among pianists, but an exception is often made for contemporary piano repertoire. Even so, a number of renowned pianists continue performing highly demanding compositions of this genre from memory, and this practice is commended by contemporary composers. No research to date has systematically investigated musicians’ views on this matter and explored detailed accounts of how to prepare and memorise such repertoire. In this study six renowned professional pianists with experience in performing contemporary piano repertoire were interviewed on their approaches to learning and memorising this music. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the pianists’ accounts revealed a variety of views on performing contemporary music from memory, with some pianists advocating benefits from performing by heart and others from using the score. The general practice strategies reported resembled approaches described by skilled musicians in relation to standard repertoire, with some variations related to different types of contemporary music styles. Memorisation accounts emphasised the importance of strategies such as mental rehearsal, chunking, and reliance on different types of memory and their combination.

Web-based Form as Expression of Networked Sociality in the Community-based Piano Piece Wiki-Piano.Net

Digital and virtual dimensions play an essential role throughout Alexander Schubert’s work, among audiovisual media, mechanisation of performative gestures, stage setting and computer tools for composing. Wiki-Piano.Net, based on the ‘wiki’ peer-production principle applied to the artistic field, is one of his first experiments with online communities’ interactivity. This article investigates the relationships between author, users and performer through the editable website. The intermedia approach extends and reflects human beings’ compositive and performative possibilities. Indeed, a wide range of internet sources communicate with the historical reference of the piano repertoire while also reflecting recent online habits. Nevertheless, the preset form anchors its expressivity to a specific communication, referring to the author’s informatics-digital attitude and a further staged representation. The man–machine dialectics is consequently expressed on different levels, also entailing acoustic-gestural and audiovisual contents. Questioning the authorship principle and generating a non-hierarchical network, Wiki-Piano.Net reflects Schubert’s aim to create a collaborative work towards which he has no control. However, the virtual environment results are strongly influenced by his settings and artistic attitude. The interaction, hence, derives not only from online users but also from the creator and performer through fundamental website mediation.

POLYPHONIC GENRES IN PIANO CREATIVITY OF CHINESE COMPOSERS

Statement of the problem. The twentieth century marked an increased interest in polyphonic music. The geography of polyphonic works for piano expanded significantly and a creative development of many Chinese composers, writing polyphonic piano pieces, took place. Today, polyphonic pieces make up a significant part of the piano repertoire in China, but they are little studied by musicologists and performers. The objective of this study – to reveal the contribution of Chinese composers to the creation of polyphonic piano repertoire of the XX – early XXI century. Analysis of the research and publications on the theme. А large number of modern authors study polyphony from the point of physical and mathematical research methods (Igarashi, Yu. & Ito, Masashi & Ito, Akinori, 2013; Weiwei, Zhang & Zhe, Chen, & Fuliang, Yin, 2016; Li, Xiaoquan et al. others, 2018). This approach does not reveal the factual musical component of polyphonic genres. In the 20th century, musicologists explored polyphony in musical folklore (Wiant, 1936; Fan Zuyin, 2004; Li Hong, 2015) and in professional Chinese composing (Sun Wei-bo, 2006, Winzenburg, 2018). The scientific novelty. This article studies the role of Chinese composers in the development of the world polyphonic piano repertoire of the XX – early XXI century. The methodological basis for the analysis of polyphonic works was the theoretical concepts of P. Hindemith, Peng Cheng, Fang Zuin, Li Hong, Sun Wei-bo. The results of the study. The research outcomes demonstrate the evolutionary development of the genre diversity of Chinese piano polyphony as well as those composers who created magnificent musical pieces. Conclusions. Chinese composers have fully mastered the art of modern counterpoint, represented by the genres of polyphonic program pieces (He Lu Ting), invention (Xiao Shu Xian, Du Qian, Sun Yun Yin, Chen Chen Quang), polyphonic suite (Ma Gui), large polyphonic cycle ( He Shao, Chen Hua Do, Xiao Shu Xian), fugue (Li Jun Yong, Yu Su Yan, Chen Gang, Tian Lei Lei, Duan Ping Tai, Zheng Zhong, Xiao Shu Xian) and small cycle “Prelude and Fugue” (Ding Shan Te, Chen Zhi Ming, Wang Li Shan). Creatively assimilating and rethinking the experience of Western polyphonists, Chinese composers have filled their polyphonic works with national features, firmly linking them with the origins of Chinese traditional and folk music. The polyphonic way of transmitting musical material becomes the most expressive at the moments of profound creativity and musical dramatization.

Semantic Properties of the Rhythmic and Modal-Intonational Elements of Folkloric Origin in the Piano Creations of the Composers from the Republic of Moldova

The national character of piano pieces written by composers of the Republic of Moldova, its means and forms of expression are a recurring topic in the analysis of autochthonous piano repertoire. From this standpoint, the present study reviews some piano pieces by Moldovan composers that have become a part of concert and pedagogical repertoire. Bearing in mind the varied character of approaches to folklore in the autochthonous piano works, the author identifies the main tendencies in the development of musical language of Moldovan composers and characterizes their attitude towards the folk base of musical material. Factual basis for the review of particularities of thematic material is included in the article in the form of music score excerpts, selected according to the methodologies generally accepted in musicology and ethnomusicology. In the analysis of character and tempo, a distinction is made between cantilena and virtuoso pieces: it is shown that while cantilena pieces have a close connection to the genre of doina, the virtuoso ones are inspired by Moldovan folk dances. The author also underlines that the style originality of the works reviewed in the article stems mainly from the folk elements that have impregnated naturally in their language, becoming an inherent component of musical canvas.

Interaction between hand span and different sizes of keyboards on EMG activity in pianists: An observational study

The availability of keyboards with reduced key width has been recently promoted as an ergonomic aid for small-handed pianists to overcome any potential physical disadvantages that may restrict their piano repertoire. However, a lack of biomechanical data exists to support whether reduced piano key size is effective in achieving this outcome. This research investigates the effect of playing on three different key width size pianos (5.5-inch octave, 6.0-inch octave and conventional size with 6.5-inch octave) on hand, arm and shoulder muscle activity levels according to the hand size of the pianists.Results indicate that piano key size affects the muscle activity levels of selected muscles. Furthermore, this effect of different key sizes changed according to the players’ hand spans. Small-handed pianists may benefit from using smaller-sized keyboards to reduce muscular exertion during performance. This investigation provides preliminary EMG data supporting the use of different size keyboards to improve the ergonomic fit according to the dimensions of individual pianists.

A Subjective Approach of the Performance of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16

Abstract Starting from a stylistic analysis based on musical language elements, this study offers a personal standpoint with respect to the interpretation and performance of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16. The author accounts for all the technical and interpretive observations starting from a structural analysis of the opus. The reflections on various melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, dynamic or agogic characteristics come to reinforce the rationale for the subjective choices of how to perform this piece. The article is not by far an exhaustive study on the topic; it merely offers a personal viewpoint and understanding of this Concerto based on several musical excerpts that have been deemed particularly relevant by the author, who is a pianist as well as a piano teacher. Given that the literature on the stylistic and performative analysis of major piano repertoire is sadly scarce, the author wishes to provide pianists and researchers alike with a paper that may serve them in their artistic or academic enquiries. As this Concerto is very well-known and enthusiastically approached by most pianists due to its beautiful, impressive themes and brilliant virtuosic passages, the author has considered it opportune to present her own point of view as a performing pianist for other pianists who may be strictly interested in various versions to resolve technical-performative issues or, perhaps, who may wish to merely contemplate this opus from a different angle.