Course No. 2 – Stylish Piano Performance and Modern Piano Theory
The four semesters of this course include the following compulsory courses: the History of Piano Performance and Pedagogy (9 hours), History and Literature of the Piano (36 hours), Theory of Piano Performance (9 hours), Pedagogical Seminar (24 hours), Interpretation Seminar (20 hours) and optional individual courses: playing the piano, Pedagogical Consultations, Chorepetition, Improvisation, Harpsichord Playing.
The course provides both theoretical and practical knowledge of the development of piano playing and how to perform, in a historically informed way, pieces that belong to the pedagogical and concert repertoire of pianists, from the earliest periods of keyboard literature to contemporary piano works. Historical information is interwoven with practical sound examples played on keyboard instruments that were the forerunners of today’s piano as well as on the modern piano. A comprehensive survey of the instructional literature of the piano is accomplished through analysis of compositions and their interpretation, juxtaposed with performances by international artists and teachers as well as students and pupils. Master recordings on audio and video media and recordings from international piano competitions are used, as well as live demonstrations in seminars associated with their analysis. This analysis is both a practical complement and an application of modern piano performance theory to pedagogical practice. The main focus of performance theory is on two areas: 1. the effective study of piano composition, 2. the preparation and conduct of public performance. In the elective courses, students are allowed to choose the number of hours and their scheduling and content according to their individual needs and work focus. They can check the correctness of their understanding and application of the acquired knowledge by playing the piano themselves, consult the results of their work with the pupil, or develop their piano accompaniment skills.
Detailed contents of courses with higher hourly endowment:
History and Literature of the Piano
- The life and works of the English Virgilists, French Clavecinists, Froberger, Kuhnau, Purcell, Handel and Bach, the origin and development of the piano, tempered tuning.
- Czech masters and their contribution to the development of classicism, the development of pianos, Bach’s sons and their works, the life and piano works of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven
- The life and works of Dusik, Weber, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Smetana, Dvořák, the Czech piano school, the life and works of Franck, Saint-Saens, Fauré, the emergence of the French piano school.
- The origin of the Russian piano school, the life and work of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, the work of the Mighty Few and the work of the great impressionists Debussy and Ravel, the life and work of Reger, the founder of neoclassicism Busoni, Hindemith, the piano works of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern.
- New trends in French music – the work of the members of the Paris Six and their piano works, manifestations of Russian modernism – Scriabin, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, representatives of Polish and Hungarian modernism – Szymanowski, Bartók.
- Works of Martinů, Janáček, Anglo-American piano music, Messiaen and his piano works.
Interpretive seminar
Analysis of the performance or video recording of the performance. The performance is assessed in terms of understanding the semantics of the author, the prevailing aesthetics of the style and the appropriateness of the chosen technical means of interpretation. The confrontation of the opinions of the trainees and their confrontation with the opinions of the teachers objectifies the evaluation of the performance, brings a clear response to the trainees and the performer and thus determines the further direction of their work.
Pedagogical seminar
Familiarization with the current knowledge of the field, analysis of the work of top pedagogical personalities (live or via recording). Presentation of the trainees’ own pedagogical work in front of a professional audience and subsequent discussion.
Ability to formulate professional opinions when evaluating student performance. Rubbing opinions in the discussion of forms and methods of developing performing talent. Practical introduction of trainees to new notation materials and aids, especially for elementary piano pedagogy. Audio recordings of instructional literature. Analysis of performance recordings from piano competitions. Space for discussion and formulation of opinions on topics chosen by the participants, e.g., pedaling methodology, articulation, four-hand playing.
Educational objective
To provide piano teachers with a reliable orientation to new knowledge in the history of piano literature, performance and pedagogy, which has multiplied in the last decades and led to the expansion of the repertoire and significant changes in its interpretation and pedagogical use. This is not just a single-minded focus on historically informed early music performance, but also an application of the most up-to-date knowledge about effective piano study. This has a direct impact on the quality of the pupils’ public performances, their success in national and international competitions, and the breadth of their knowledge and cultural outlook.
Conditions for obtaining a Certificate of Completion
Participation in courses recorded in attendance lists. Graduates of the course will receive a certificate indicating the courses studied or the grade achieved in the final exams, if requested.