Cecile Chaminade: Piano Music.

by Cecile Chaminade. Dover Publications (31 E. 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501), 2001. 59pp., $7.95. Advanced.

Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944) was a renowned French pianist and prolific composer, known especially for her 200-plus short piano pieces. Although most of these "salon" pieces have disappeared from the repertoire, this Dover collection compiles eight wonderful works, reprinted from earlier editions. The only thing lacking in this collection is programmatic information about the works themselves. The compilation is clearly printed, containing original fingerings and pedal indications, but the scholar or serious student might wish for elaboration of the titles or explanation of Chaminade's musical intentions in determining an appropriate interpretation of the works.

The first three pieces in this volume are concert etudes focusing on various virtuosic and musical techniques, marked throughout with long soaring lyrical lines. The Etude Symphonique, Opus 28, is dedicated to the Polish virtuoso Ignaz Paderewski and is filled with complex technical passages. The Concert Etude, Opus 35 No. 6 (Tarentelle) bears a dedication to an interesting musical figure of the late nineteenth century, Marie Jaell, who was a student of Liszt's and a well-known pedagogue. She was one of the first to analyze, in collaboration with medical doctors, the specific movements involved in the physical act of playing the piano. The remaining etude in this collection is one of Chaminade's most well-known works, Automne (Concert Etude, Opus 35, No. 2). These three etudes are difficult virtuoso works with lush musical lines.

The other works in this collection include the "Scarf-Dance," a scene from Chaminade's ballet-symphony Callirhoe, Opus 37, and four character pieces: La Lisonjera, Opus 50 (The Flatterer); Arlequine, Opus 53; Les Sylvains, Opus 60 (The Fauns) and L'Ondine. While not as technically demanding as the concert etudes, these pieces are charming and full of descriptive musical effects. The basic harmonic and melodic language is not complex and often typical of late nineteenth/early twentieth century salon music.

While Chaminade's works may, for some, be an acquired taste, there is plenty of historical and musical value in them. Students, teachers and concert artists may be drawn to these works as unusual recital pieces. Most importantly, the serious teacher and student will be interested in studying these works by a historically important woman composer and pianist. The lush melodies and programmatic effects in Chaminade's works will be appealing to audiences as well. I encourage pianists of all levels to explore this new volume and discover the charms that impressed critics and musicians of Chaminade's time. Reviewed by Jennifer Hayghe, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.