Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire, third edition

Using the Guide

Using the Guide Arrangement of entries. In the “Individual Composers” section, all composers are listed alphabetically. Sometimes biographies and/or stylistic comments follow the composer’s name and dates of birth and death. Under each composer’s name, individual compositions are listed by opus number,or by title,or by musical form,or by a combination of the three. The entries in the “Anthologies and Collections” section include the editor or compiler, the publisher, the composers, and sometimes the titles represented in the collection. Descriptions have been limited to general style characteristic, form, particular and unusual qualities, interpretative suggestions, and pianistic problems inherent in the music. Editorial procedures found in a particular edition are mentioned. The term “large span” is used when a span larger than an octave is required in a piece, and that occurs in many contemporary works. “Octotonic” refers to lines moving in the same direction one or more octaves apart. “Shifting meters”indicates that varied time signatures are used within the space mentioned (a few bars, a movement, the entire work). “Proportional rhythmic relationships,” e.g., 5″4 , indicates 5 notes are to be played in the time space for 4. “3 with 2” means 3 notes in one voice are played with (against) 2 notes in another voice. “Chance music” (aleatory, aleatoric) is described or mentioned, not analyzed, since it has no de¤nitely ordered sequence of events. “Synthetic scale(s)” are created by the composer whose work is being discussed; the range may be less than one octave. “Stochastic techniques ” refers to “a probabilistic compositional method, introduced by Iannis Xenakis, in which the overall contours of sound are speci¤ed but the inner details are left to random or chance selection” (DCM, p. 708). Grading. An effort has been made to grade representative works of each composer. Four broad categories are used:Easy,Intermediate (Int.),Moderately Dif¤cult (M-D),and Dif¤cult (D). The following standard works will serve as a guide to the grading: Easy: Bach, dance movements from the Anna Magdalena Notebook Leopold Mozart, Notebook for Wolfgang Schumann, easier pieces from Album for the Young Bartók, Mikrokosmos, Vols. I–II Int.: Bach, Twelve Little Preludes and Fugues Beethoven, Ecossaises Mendelssohn, Children’s Pieces Op. 72 Bartók, Rumanian Folk Dances 1–5 M-D: Bach, French Suites, English Suites Mozart, Sonatas Brahms, Rhapsody Op. 79/2 Debussy, La Soirée dans Granade D: Bach, Partitas Beethoven, Sonata Op. 57 xvii Chopin, Etudes Barber, Sonata These categories must not be taken too strictly but are only given for general indications of technical and interpretative dif¤culties. Details of entries. When known, the date of composition is given after the title of the work. Then, in parentheses, are as many of the following as apply to the particular work: the editor, the publisher, the publisher’s edition number, and the copyright date. When more than one edition is available, the editions are listed in order of preference, the most desirable ¤rst. The number of pages and the performance time are frequently listed. The spelling of the composer’s name and of the titles of the compositions appear as they do on the music being described. Speci¤cally related books, dissertations or theses, and periodical articles are listed following individual compositions or at the conclusion of the discussion of a composer’s works (a more extended bibliography appears at the end of the book). Sample Entries and Explanations C. P. E. Bach Six Sonatas 1761 W.51 (Juanelva Rose—TP 1973). 1761 is the year of composition; W.51 stands for Wotquenne (the catalogue of C. P. E. Bach’s music) and the number he assigned the pieces. Juanelva Rose is the editor. Theodore Presser is the publisher, and 1973 is the publication date. Franz Schubert Four Impromptus Op. 90 D.899 (Badura-Skoda—VU 50001). M-D. Op. 90 is the opus number. D.899 stands for Deutsch (the cataloguer of Schubert’s music) and the number he has assigned the pieces. Badura-Skoda is the editor. Vienna Urtext is the publisher, and 50001 is its edition number. M-D means Moderately Dif¤cult. Milton Babbitt Playing for Time 1977 (Alfred) in collection Twelve by Eleven 12pp. D. The date of composition is 1977; the publisher is Alfred. The piece is contained in the collection Twelve by Eleven; it is 12 pages long, and it is classi¤ed as Dif¤cult. Other pieces in the collection can be checked by looking in...