Chopin, a Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano, w/2 CDs.* Chopin, a Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano, w/2 CDs, by Victor Lederer. Amadeus Press, (www.amadeuspress.com; 1(800) 637-2852), 2006. 146pp. $22.95. In Chopin, a Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano, Victor Lederer presents an imaginative, colorful and guided exploration into the piano works of Frederic Chopin. The book is an easy read, directed more towards the avid amateur pianist and music lover than the professional or academic musician. The first chapter provides a synopsis of Chopin's life and the historical, social and political backdrop against which he developed as a pianist and composer. The final chapter relates to Chopin's significance as a composer. Intervening chapters are each devoted to a genre in which Chopin composed--the mazurka mazurka (məzûr`kə, –z  r`–), Polish national dance that spread to England and the United States at the beginning of the 19th cent. , polonaise polonaise (pŏl'ənāz`, ō'–), Polish national dance, in moderate 3–4 time and of slow, stately movements. It evolved from peasant and court processions and ceremonies of the late 16th cent. and was later used by J. S. and W. , nocturne nocturne (nŏk`tûrn) [Fr.,=night piece], in music, romantic instrumental piece, free in form and usually reflective or languid in character. John Field wrote the first nocturnes, influencing Chopin in the writing of his 19 nocturnes for piano. and
ballade ballade (bəläd`), in literature, verse form developed in France in the 14th and 15th cent. The ballade usually contains three stanzas of eight lines with three rhymes and a four-line envoy (a short, concluding stanza). , to name a few. In these chapters, Lederer first sets the stage
by discussing the genre's essence and then provides detailed
analyses of individual pieces to enhance the reader's understanding
of Chopin's pianistic pi·a·nis·tic adj. 1. Of or relating to the piano. 2. Well adapted to the piano. pi writing and compositional style. A CD of selected pieces by Chopin is included from Idel Biret's recordings of the complete piano music of Chopin on the Naxos label. For each selection, Lederer provides an in-depth analysis that includes the time code from the CD so that the reader is able to reference the analysis while listening. This added touch makes for an enjoyable interactive reading and listening experience of Chopin's piano works. In his discussions, Lederer creates an intricate contextual network that links Chopin's style to those of other composers and compositions. For example: in the author's discussion of Chopin's waltzes, the reader learns of the Polish, Parisian and Viennese elements as well as the influence of Carl Maria von Weber's Invitation to the Dance. Lederer flows with ease from one topic to the next, always linking his discussion back to the music itself and what to listen for. Teachers and pianists at many levels can benefit from Lederer's imaginative depictions of Chopin's music. These descriptions provide teachers with ideas to help students develop an interpretation and a dramatic sense of Chopin's piano works. Lederer, himself a pianist, acknowledges that through his own study of music he has "learned the wide gulf between listening passively--no matter how closely and lovingly--and hearing music as a practicing musician." By providing an active listening Active listening is an intent to "listen for meaning", in which the listener checks with the speaker to see that a statement has been correctly heard and understood. The goal of active listening is to improve mutual understanding. experience of Chopin's piano works, Lederer's book is definitely successful in helping the reader bridge this gap. Reviewed by Lisa Zdechlik, Tucson, Arizona Tucson (pronounced /ˈtusɑn/, Spanish: Tucsón [tuk'son] * The items marked with this symbol can be ordered via the MTNA MTNA Music Teachers National Association MTNA Middle Tennessee Nursery Association (McMinnville, Tennessee) website through our affiliation with Amazon.com. Go to www.mma.org and choose Member Services from the Membership option in the main menu bar for more information. |
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