Schumann's Ghosts
Exactly 163 years ago, on the night of 17th February 1854, Robert Schumann wrote down a short, chorale-like melody for piano. Though this melody is based on a theme he had written previously and used in compositions as recently as 1853, Schumann believed he was not only hearing it for the first time when he wrote it down that night, but that the melody has been 'offered' to him by spirits. The same spirit voices he had heard in his head for some time by now - sometimes benevo
In Celebration of Dussek
Today we say happy birthday to Czech pianist and composer Jan Ladislav Dussek - born this day in 1760. For once I won't be complaining about a composer being neglected, because Dussek's reputation reminds intact. His sonatinas are often seen on student piano stands, and though not performed as often as they should be, the larger scale pieces (there are some 34 piano sonatas for a start...) do feature on recordings and on concert platforms. The young Dussek cut quite a dashing
Playing It The Prudent Way
Today we say happy birthday to one Émile Prudent, born this day in 1817. I’m ashamed to say (yet again!) that until today I hadn’t even heard of Prudent, let alone tackled any of his music, but one of the joys of my daily delve into the nineteenth-century is the discovery of ‘new’ composers. New, perhaps, but certainly not isolated. Prudent, for example, apparently made his Paris concert debut sharing a stage with none other than the pianistic giant Sigismond Thalberg. He wa
My Fumagalli Affair
Anyone who attends my piano recitals will know I love discovering music by forgotten, neglected or otherwise lesser-known composers. Recent concerts have featured programmes made up of music by women composers only (yes, there were a lot of them in the nineteenth century, beyond Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn), and collections of pieces by the oft-ridiculed giant of the piano, Friedrich Kalkbrenner. This approach keeps the music on my piano stand fresh, it serves to rem
What's in a Diary?
In mid-May I decided to start a 'piano diary' project. The idea was to post an entry each day for thirty consecutive days, but life and indeed travels got in the way, and so today marked just the eighth entry. Each entry is a short improvisation: I go into my studio, sit down at the piano and record the first thing that comes in to my head - mistakes and all. For the sake of structure and framework, I try to keep the pieces to no more than about two minutes, and have attempt
Rethinking a Forgotten Maestro
He was considered the foremost pianist of his day, but you've probably never heard of him. He was one of the leading piano teachers in Europe in the 1820s and 1830s, but his popular method had faded into obscurity. He was an innovator, one who became wealthy through piano-manufacturing deals and who is considered one of the first pianists to incorporate (later commonplace) musical textures such as rapid double octaves into his work. Yet even his most innovative and interestin
