Miniatures, Volumes 1 and 2.

by Leopold Godowsky. Warner Bros. Publications (15800 N. W. 48th Ave., Miami, FL 33014), 2001. 45pp. each, $12.95 each.

Teachers seeking duet music from the classical repertoire to use with their elementary-level students will welcome this collection of duets by Leopold Godowsky. Included are two volumes of Miniatures written for two people at one piano. Three four-piece suites are found in the first volume, and the second volume contains two sets tided Ancient Dances and Modern Dances, comprised of seven pieces. This collection enables elementary-level students to play twentieth-century music as part of a team, and many teachers extol the benefits of duet-playing in the early stages of piano lessons.

The two volumes are carefully edited; the markings in the score, detailed and thorough, were all given by the composer. The secondo part contains pedal markings that work well when the two parts are played simultaneously. The use of large print and plenty of white space makes the score approachable and easy to read. Students and teachers will appreciate the careful planning of page turns, usually at the end of a section or piece.

A CD is included in each volume, featuring two versions of each duet: one played by both participants and one by only the secondo. Performances on the CD provide a stylistically appropriate model for an interpretation of Godowsky's style. Perhaps most advantageously, the CD enables students to practice their part with the secondo part on the CD.

The primo part may be played by an elementary student at the beginning stages of piano study. It consists entirely of a single melodic line that stays within a five-finger position and is played by both hands in parallel motion. Before each piece, a small diagram of a staff designates the hand position with finger numbers. This texture allows students to learn pieces quickly by relying on familiar patterns, but could lead to monotony when practicing the primo part alone. The primo part always contains melodic material, while the secondo part contains mainly accompanimental passagework.

More advanced musicianship is required in the secondo part, such as voicing, variety of articulation and balance between the hands. It also contains some double-note passagework, a thicker texture, more complicated rhythms and more movement around the keyboard. The levels of the secondo parts range from intermediate to early-advanced, so they could be played either by the teacher or a more advanced student. What these duets lack is the opportunity for beginning students to experience playing duets on the low end of the keyboard.

Though simple in style and clean in texture, the primo parts of these duets provide the teacher with many opportunities to teach musicianship. Of primary importance is phrasing. Students must be able to create a singing line with their melodic material, and in a duet setting they will hear and refine the balance between melody and accompaniment. A variety of articulations are found in these pieces, including legato, staccato, two-note slurs, tenuti, portatos and accents. In the primo part, the two hands have the same phrasing and articulation markings. Perhaps rhythm is the most challenging aspect of playing these duets. Syncopation is used often to add variety to the melody. Variations in tempi are written in the music. These tempo fluctuations allow students to improve their skills of listening and attending to their partner as well as demonstrate their own musical intentions.

The pieces become progressively more difficult, ranging from the beginning elementary to the late-elementary level at the end of Volume 2. Most of the pieces in Volume 1 are in the C-major five-finger position, an octave apart.

Volume 2 features pieces mainly within five-finger positions, but the "Bourrde" and "Siciliana" from "Ancient Dances" require the fingers in each hand to span a pentascale on all five black keys. Harmonic intervals begin to appear in Volume 2, but parallel motion is maintained between the hands. Pieces from Set 1, "Ancient Dances," are modeled after pre-classical dances, including the minuet, gavotte and Irish jig, while pieces from Set 2, "Modern Dances," are in the style of folk dances, such as the polka, tarantella, mazurka and polonaise. The range of nationalistic styles provides a wide array of harmonic and rhythmic variety.

The Miniatures are inventive, charming pieces with colorful harmonic writing in the secondo part, imaginative rhythmic devices and surprising turns of phrases that will charm both student and teacher. While the music itself is in the style of romanticized twentieth-century art music, its pianistic writing, consistent leveling and careful sequencing assure a pedagogically sound approach. Reviewed by Lesley Sisterhen, Norman, Oklahoma.