Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing
Pay over time for orders over $35.00 with
Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing by Josef Lhevinne
Written by Josef Lhevinne at the height of his career, this concise guide presents fundamental principles drawn from his extensive performance and teaching experience. Lhevinne, recognized alongside Rachmaninoff, Schnabel, and Hoffman as one of the great modern piano masters, was the first artist invited to teach at the newly formed Juilliard Graduate School of Music.
Musical Understanding Over Mechanical Technique
Lhevinne emphasizes that technique must serve musical understanding. The book opens with essential elements of musicianship: complete knowledge of scales approached musically rather than mechanically, understanding the uses of rests and silence (which Mozart considered music's greatest effect), developing a feeling for rhythm, and training the ear.
The Art of Tone Production
The core of this book focuses on achieving beautiful tone quality. Lhevinne's technique of "the arm floating in air" and using the wrists as natural shock absorbers forms the foundation of his approach. He provides detailed analysis of how fingers, hand, wrist, arm, and the entire body function when striking piano keys. The book explains methods for producing singing tone, ringing tone, brilliancy, delicacy, and power.
Practical Guidance and Musical Examples
Lhevinne covers essential techniques including clear staccato and unblurred legato. He addresses the dangers of overemphasizing memorization and the importance of varied practice methods. The section on pedal technique stresses that pedals should be employed with as much precision as the keys themselves. Throughout the text, specific musical examples illustrate each principle.
Drawing from Master Teachers
This Dover Publications edition preserves Lhevinne's lucid formulation of piano fundamentals, incorporating insights from his own methods, Anton Rubinstein's example, and the teachings of his instructor Safonoff. The book serves as an invaluable resource for piano students, teachers, and anyone seeking to understand the principles behind masterful piano playing.
This little book, written at the height of his career by Josef Lhevinne, the "inward poet of the piano," is a clear statement of principles based on his lifelong experience in performance and teaching. Lhevinne was, with Rachmaninoff, Schnabel, and Hoffman, one of the great modern masters, and was the first artist invited to teach at the newly formed Julliard Graduate School of Music.
Technique, through essential, must be subordinate to musical understanding. Complete knowledge of scales, apprehended not mechanically but musically; understanding of the uses of rests and silence, which Mozart considered the greatest effect in music; a feeling for rhythm and training of the ear; these are the basic elements of a thorough grounding in musicianship and are accordingly emphasized in the opening chapters.
The heart of the book is devoted to the attainment of a beautiful tone. Anyone who has heard Lhevinne play or has listened to one of his recordings will know how great were his achievements in that area. The secret lay, at least in part, in the technique he called "the arm floating in air," and in the use of the wrists as natural shock absorbers. The achievement of varieties of tone, of the singing, ringing tone, of brilliancy, of delicacy, and of power are all explained in terms of a careful analysis of the ways in which the fingers, hand, wrist, arm, and indeed the whole body function in striking the keys. There are further remarks about how to get a clear staccato and an unblurred legato, about the dangers of undue emphasis on memorization and the need for variety in practicing, and special comments on the use of the pedal, which should be employed with as much precision as the keys.
Throughout, specific musical examples are presented as illustrations. The author draws not only upon his own experiences and methods, but upon the examples of Anton Rubenstein and of his teacher, Safonoff, for this remarkably lucid and concise formulation of basic principles.
Free shipping on orders over $75. Standard shipping takes 3-7 business days. Returns accepted within 30 days of purchase.
Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing by Josef Lhevinne
Written by Josef Lhevinne at the height of his career, this concise guide presents fundamental principles drawn from his extensive performance and teaching experience. Lhevinne, recognized alongside Rachmaninoff, Schnabel, and Hoffman as one of the great modern piano masters, was the first artist invited to teach at the newly formed Juilliard Graduate School of Music.
Musical Understanding Over Mechanical Technique
Lhevinne emphasizes that technique must serve musical understanding. The book opens with essential elements of musicianship: complete knowledge of scales approached musically rather than mechanically, understanding the uses of rests and silence (which Mozart considered music's greatest effect), developing a feeling for rhythm, and training the ear.
The Art of Tone Production
The core of this book focuses on achieving beautiful tone quality. Lhevinne's technique of "the arm floating in air" and using the wrists as natural shock absorbers forms the foundation of his approach. He provides detailed analysis of how fingers, hand, wrist, arm, and the entire body function when striking piano keys. The book explains methods for producing singing tone, ringing tone, brilliancy, delicacy, and power.
Practical Guidance and Musical Examples
Lhevinne covers essential techniques including clear staccato and unblurred legato. He addresses the dangers of overemphasizing memorization and the importance of varied practice methods. The section on pedal technique stresses that pedals should be employed with as much precision as the keys themselves. Throughout the text, specific musical examples illustrate each principle.
Drawing from Master Teachers
This Dover Publications edition preserves Lhevinne's lucid formulation of piano fundamentals, incorporating insights from his own methods, Anton Rubinstein's example, and the teachings of his instructor Safonoff. The book serves as an invaluable resource for piano students, teachers, and anyone seeking to understand the principles behind masterful piano playing.
This little book, written at the height of his career by Josef Lhevinne, the "inward poet of the piano," is a clear statement of principles based on his lifelong experience in performance and teaching. Lhevinne was, with Rachmaninoff, Schnabel, and Hoffman, one of the great modern masters, and was the first artist invited to teach at the newly formed Julliard Graduate School of Music.
Technique, through essential, must be subordinate to musical understanding. Complete knowledge of scales, apprehended not mechanically but musically; understanding of the uses of rests and silence, which Mozart considered the greatest effect in music; a feeling for rhythm and training of the ear; these are the basic elements of a thorough grounding in musicianship and are accordingly emphasized in the opening chapters.
The heart of the book is devoted to the attainment of a beautiful tone. Anyone who has heard Lhevinne play or has listened to one of his recordings will know how great were his achievements in that area. The secret lay, at least in part, in the technique he called "the arm floating in air," and in the use of the wrists as natural shock absorbers. The achievement of varieties of tone, of the singing, ringing tone, of brilliancy, of delicacy, and of power are all explained in terms of a careful analysis of the ways in which the fingers, hand, wrist, arm, and indeed the whole body function in striking the keys. There are further remarks about how to get a clear staccato and an unblurred legato, about the dangers of undue emphasis on memorization and the need for variety in practicing, and special comments on the use of the pedal, which should be employed with as much precision as the keys.
Throughout, specific musical examples are presented as illustrations. The author draws not only upon his own experiences and methods, but upon the examples of Anton Rubenstein and of his teacher, Safonoff, for this remarkably lucid and concise formulation of basic principles.
Edition
Revised Edition
Contributor(s)
Author