Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata Video Walkthrough Series
For Beethoven, the key of C minor was especially associated with tragedy, drama and intensity; he wrote three piano sonatas in this key (op. 10 no. 1, op. 13, and…
Pedal in Bach: Yes or No?
The subject of pedal in the music of Bach always arouses keen debate. Ought pianists to steer clear of it and control everything by the fingers, or is it possible…
Pedalling by Hand
I first published this article in 2016. Now that I have made a new video demonstrating the differences between the Couperin piece in his original notation versus what we see…
Mind the Gap! (Part 2)
Following on from last week's post on slurs and short phrases in the Baroque and Classical periods, I thought I would look at some other examples from Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin…
Rediscovering Bach’s Prelude in C
The C major Prelude from Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C (Book 1 of the WTC) is very familiar to us all. This beautiful progression of harmony in broken chord texture continues to inspire generations of keyboard players.
Beethoven Masterclasses
Beethoven wrote his 32 piano sonatas between the ages of 25 and 55, thus they span the composer’s so-called early, middle and late periods and paint a rich picture of…
Solving a Problem in Beethoven’s op. 79
The other day, a student brought in a problem with Beethoven's Sonata in G, op. 79 - the cross rhythms in the last movement. In several places, one hand is…
Contrapuntal Playing: The Art Of Disentanglement
On my shelves, I have several copies of Bach's 48 Preludes and Fugues, ranging from modern Urtexts to some dodgy editions by luminaries of yesteryear, with fancy performance directions, dynamics…