26
An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtágs Játékok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students * [국문초록] 피아노 교수법에 있어서 여러 가지 교육방법들이 계속적으로 진화되어가고 있다. 초급단계의 피아노 학생들을 위한 전통적인 접근방법들은 대체적으로 음악이론과 악보를 읽는 기술을 발전시키는데 집중되어 있는 것이 현실이다. 그러나 몇몇의 현대적인 교수법들은 악기를 연주하면서 동시에 학생들의 몸 전체를 사용하는 방법들에 집중하고 있다. 이러한 접근방법의 가장 대표적인 작품들 중 하나는 헝가리 작곡가 쿠르탁 (György Kurtág, 1926)8권으로 이루어진 모음곡 야테콕(Játékok)이다. 야테콕1권은 쿠르탁이 직접 고안한 새로운 그래픽 음표들이 특징적인 짧은 곡들로 이루어져있고 손바닥, 주먹, 팔뚝으로 연주하는 평범하지 않은 피아노 테크닉이 사용되어 진다. 이러한 방법은 학생들이 주로 손가락으로 피아노를 연주하는 것과 다르게 몸을 사용하게 만들고 피아노의 전체 음역을 사용할 수 있게 한다. 야테콕은 작곡된 지 40년이 지났음에도 불구하고 헝가리뿐만 아니라 전 세계적으로 교육용 * 이 논문은 2015년 5월에 University of North Texas 박사학위 취득 시 제출한 학위논문을 수정하여 제출한 것임.

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Page 1: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students1)

장 정 욱

[국문초록]

피아노 교수법에 있어서 여러 가지 교육방법들이 계속적으로 진화되어가고 있다 초급단계의

피아노 학생들을 위한 전통적인 접근방법들은 대체적으로 음악이론과 악보를 읽는 기술을

발전시키는데 집중되어 있는 것이 현실이다 그러나 몇몇의 현대적인 교수법들은 악기를

연주하면서 동시에 학생들의 몸 전체를 사용하는 방법들에 집중하고 있다 이러한 접근방법의

가장 대표적인 작품들 중 하나는 헝가리 작곡가 쿠르탁 (Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg 1926)의 8권으로 이루어진

모음곡 985172야테콕985173(Jaacuteteacutekok)이다

985172야테콕9851731권은 쿠르탁이 직접 고안한 새로운 그래픽 음표들이 특징적인 짧은 곡들로

이루어져있고 손바닥 주먹 팔뚝으로 연주하는 평범하지 않은 피아노 테크닉이 사용되어 진다

이러한 방법은 학생들이 주로 손가락으로 피아노를 연주하는 것과 다르게 몸을 사용하게 만들고

피아노의 전체 음역을 사용할 수 있게 한다

985172야테콕985173은 작곡된 지 40년이 지났음에도 불구하고 헝가리뿐만 아니라 전 세계적으로 교육용

이 논문은 2015년 5월에 University of North Texas 박사학위 취득 시 제출한 학위논문을 수정하여 제출한 것임

154 피아노음악연구

작품집으로 잘 알려있지 않은 것이 현실이다 이것은 아마도 선생님과 학생들 모두에게 익숙하지

않은 기보법 그래픽 음표들 한 권에 다양한 수준의 곡들이 있는 이례적인 음악적인 요소들

때문일 것이다 이 연구는 985172야테콕9851731권을 지도할 선생님에게 체계적인 안내서를 제공함으로써

보다 더 효과적인 피아노 교수법 도구로 잘 사용할 수 있도록 도와줄 것이다 이 안내서는

985172야테콕9851731권이 담고 있는 교육내용을 제공하고 원래 곡들의 순서를 레벨에 맞게 재배열할 뿐만

아니라 다양한 음악적인 기술을 창의적으로 가르칠 수 있는 교수법을 제공한다

Ⅰ INTRODUCTION

1 Brief Biographical Information about Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926) is one of Hungaryrsquos most important living composers

and pianists1) He studied piano composition and chamber music at the Franz Liszt

Academy of Music from 1948 to 1955 He also studied composition in Paris with

Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen During his stay in France Kurtaacuteg came across

some scores of Anton Webernrsquos works and studied some Bartoacutek pieces that had

been banned in Hungary during the Stalinist regime2) These two composers would

strongly influence Kurtaacutegrsquos development In 1947 Kurtaacuteg married pianist Maacuterta

Kinsker with whom he has performed many times Their duo repertoire mainly

consists of Kurtaacutegrsquos own transcriptions of JS Bachrsquos works and pieces from

Jaacuteteacutekok Kurtaacuteg worked as a resident composer for the Berlin Philharmonic from

1993 to 1995

1) Stephan Walsh ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series no 140 (1982) p 11

2) Sylvia Grmela ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental

Musicrdquo (PhD diss State University of New York 2004) pp 5-6

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 155

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Approach towards Piano Pedagogy

Throughout his career Kurtaacuteg has been critical of traditional piano pedagogical

methods His main criticism has been that standard methods lack freedom to

experiment and are not conducive to stimulating childrenrsquos playfulness and

curiosity Kurtaacuteg also believes these methods decrease studentsrsquo listening and the

ability to develop expressive qualities Because of his aversion towards these

methods Kurtaacuteg decided to compose piano works according to his own ideas

these are designed to supplant the elements he finds negative in traditional piano

methods According to Sylvia Grmela Kurtaacuteg feels standard piano methods are

tedious because 1) they mainly focus on playing at all times in the same register

and 2) students have to constantly think about fingering and rhythm3) Kurtaacuteg

composed works that use a wide range of the keyboard He also wanted to help

performers become more attuned with their bodies and to facilitate movement

He achieved this by writing numerous clusters to be played with the palm fist

and forearm as well as using wide range According to Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky (b

1947) and Gergely Szokolay who studied piano and chamber music with Kurtaacuteg

he always pointed out the importance of listening and expressing emotion4) This

is consistent with his compositional approach as many of his piano pieces have

as a primary purpose enhancement of the studentsrsquo listening and expression

skills

3) Ibid p 25

4) Gegely Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I know Himrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) pp 39-40

156 피아노음악연구

3 Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I

Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) is comprised of eight volumes containing hundreds of short piano

pieces Volumes I II III V VI and VII feature pieces for piano solo while

Volumes IV and VIII are for piano solo piano duet and for two pianos Primary

stages for the work originated in 1960 when Kurtaacuteg composed a few pieces for

his son Thirteen years later Hungarian piano pedagogue Marianne Teoumlke

suggested Kurtaacuteg compose music for children As a result Kurtaacuteg wrote an

additional nineteen pieces adding to those he wrote for his son These were the

starting points for the creation of Jaacuteteacutekok According to Rachel Beckles Willson

Kurtaacuteg wrote Jaacuteteacutekok in order to foster childrenrsquos playfulness curiosity and

bravura at the keyboard5) In the first part of the supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok Kurtaacuteg

himself stated that ldquoa great deal of freedom and initiative from the performerrdquo6) are

required to play these pieces properly7) As such Jaacuteteacutekok leads students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a

big toy

Volume 1 of Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short piano pieces featuring a new

graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg himself Some pieces nonetheless are written in

standard musical notation while others combine both According to Kristina Junttu

Jaacuteteacutekok is an invaluable piano method that provides learners with a set of

performing skills enabling them to use their whole body8) Several musicologists and

piano pedagogues have conducted research on the importance of Jaacuteteacutekok noting its

5) Rachel Beckles Wilson Ligeti Kurtaacuteg and Hungarian Music during the Cold War (New York Cambridge

University Press 2007) p 149

6) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Supplement to series for Piano Vol1 (Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979) p 1

7) Ibid p 9

8) Kristina Junttu ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Brings the Body to the Centre of Learning pianordquo The Finnish Journal of Music Education 11 no1-2 (2008) httpwww2sibafimusikkikasvatuslehtiusefilesFJMEvol11nro1+2

sivutpdf (accessed August 21 2014)

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 157

pedagogical value Antonietta Loffredo identifies Jaacuteteacutekok as method that is useful in

learning contemporary music She focuses her research on the piece titled Hommage

agrave Tchaikovsky which appears towards the end of Volume 19) In Centre and

Periphery Roots and Exile Stefano Melis explores various aspects that describe how

Jaacuteteacutekok helps children understand musical form and its relation to body gestures10)

He presents three pieces from VolumeI to illustrate the ways by which children

recognize and react to musical images Andre Hajdu states that Jaacuteteacutekok is a

significant pedagogical tool that introduces children to contemporary sonorities He

also claims that Jaacuteteacutekok encourages children to learn several sophisticated

performing techniques which include hand crossing technique playing overtones

and playing with palm fist and forearm11)

Most researchers and piano pedagogues have focused solely on researching

Jaacuteteacutekok from a kinesthetic perspective while providing brief guidelines and analyses

of selected pieces Even though many scholars have shown the significance and

advantages gained by students who learn Jaacuteteacutekok no research has been conducted

with regard to creating a systematic guideline aimed at successfully teaching the

work Though Kurtaacuteg provided teachers with a short four-page supplement that

includes detailed information on the new notation and the unusual signs that appear

in the score some of the signs are difficult to understand and follow As

mentioned in the previous paragraph most musicologists have focused on describing

the character of selected pieces within the set but none has fully addressed

teaching the work

9) Antonietta Loffredo ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo (paper presented at the 9th Australasian Piano

Pedagogy Conference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009) p 1

10) Stefano Melis ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A Voyagersquo into the Childrsquos Musical Mindrdquo in Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the Music of Istvan Anhalt Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg and Sandor Veress eds

Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong (Waterloo Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011) pp

241-259

11) Andre Hajdu ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A Composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243 (2008) p 27

158 피아노음악연구

Despite being written 40 years ago Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a

teaching tool in Hungary and is practically unknown in the United States This

probably is due to the fact that it presents students and teachers with atypical

musical elements These include use of novel notation use of an unlimited register

as well as pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume

According to Kurtaacuteg the first volume is mainly designed for children From a

pedagogical standpoint this volume would be appropriate for both beginning and

intermediate students

Thus given the potential significance and advantages of using Jaacuteteacutekok as a

pedagogical tool the creation of a systematic guideline is essential for teachers who

are not familiar with the collection or with teaching the techniques contained within

its various pieces Furthermore this research will be valuable for teachers looking to

explore a more varied repertoire for beginning and intermediate piano students

Ⅱ NON-TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGICAL ELEMENTS IN

JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Introducing Four Non-Traditional Elements

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I features four primary non-traditional musical elements These

constitute a serious challenge to teachers who are accustomed to working only with

standard notation and traditional method books These elements are 1) an unusual

novel notation 2) the use of a wide range of the keyboard that features the

inclusion of various ledger lines 3) the uncommon placement of notes and 4) a

wide gap between pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty Below I provide

a detailed guideline for four non-traditional elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 159

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Graphic Notation

As previously noted Kurtaacuteg uses his own graphic notation to portray different

kinds of musical ideas In addition to glissandi he uses six different kinds of

clusters these are to be played with the palm rotating palm circling palm

forearm fist laid fist In Volume 1 Kurtaacuteg frequently presents two kinds of clusters

as shown in ltExample 1gt The large black and white notes are meant to be played

with the palm the long thick lines with the forearm

ltEx1gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekokok Palm exercise Playing with palm and forearm

Copyright by Editio Musica BudapestReproduced by Permission

The large black and white notes (mm 1-8) require the performer to play palm

clusters Black notes are representative of shorter values while white notes stand

for longer values The accidentals on the left side of the clusters indicate their pitch

range The long thick lines in the last measure ask the pianist to use forearms

Kurtaacuteg also employs two kinds of duration signs these are located both at the top

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 2: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

154 피아노음악연구

작품집으로 잘 알려있지 않은 것이 현실이다 이것은 아마도 선생님과 학생들 모두에게 익숙하지

않은 기보법 그래픽 음표들 한 권에 다양한 수준의 곡들이 있는 이례적인 음악적인 요소들

때문일 것이다 이 연구는 985172야테콕9851731권을 지도할 선생님에게 체계적인 안내서를 제공함으로써

보다 더 효과적인 피아노 교수법 도구로 잘 사용할 수 있도록 도와줄 것이다 이 안내서는

985172야테콕9851731권이 담고 있는 교육내용을 제공하고 원래 곡들의 순서를 레벨에 맞게 재배열할 뿐만

아니라 다양한 음악적인 기술을 창의적으로 가르칠 수 있는 교수법을 제공한다

Ⅰ INTRODUCTION

1 Brief Biographical Information about Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926) is one of Hungaryrsquos most important living composers

and pianists1) He studied piano composition and chamber music at the Franz Liszt

Academy of Music from 1948 to 1955 He also studied composition in Paris with

Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen During his stay in France Kurtaacuteg came across

some scores of Anton Webernrsquos works and studied some Bartoacutek pieces that had

been banned in Hungary during the Stalinist regime2) These two composers would

strongly influence Kurtaacutegrsquos development In 1947 Kurtaacuteg married pianist Maacuterta

Kinsker with whom he has performed many times Their duo repertoire mainly

consists of Kurtaacutegrsquos own transcriptions of JS Bachrsquos works and pieces from

Jaacuteteacutekok Kurtaacuteg worked as a resident composer for the Berlin Philharmonic from

1993 to 1995

1) Stephan Walsh ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series no 140 (1982) p 11

2) Sylvia Grmela ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental

Musicrdquo (PhD diss State University of New York 2004) pp 5-6

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 155

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Approach towards Piano Pedagogy

Throughout his career Kurtaacuteg has been critical of traditional piano pedagogical

methods His main criticism has been that standard methods lack freedom to

experiment and are not conducive to stimulating childrenrsquos playfulness and

curiosity Kurtaacuteg also believes these methods decrease studentsrsquo listening and the

ability to develop expressive qualities Because of his aversion towards these

methods Kurtaacuteg decided to compose piano works according to his own ideas

these are designed to supplant the elements he finds negative in traditional piano

methods According to Sylvia Grmela Kurtaacuteg feels standard piano methods are

tedious because 1) they mainly focus on playing at all times in the same register

and 2) students have to constantly think about fingering and rhythm3) Kurtaacuteg

composed works that use a wide range of the keyboard He also wanted to help

performers become more attuned with their bodies and to facilitate movement

He achieved this by writing numerous clusters to be played with the palm fist

and forearm as well as using wide range According to Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky (b

1947) and Gergely Szokolay who studied piano and chamber music with Kurtaacuteg

he always pointed out the importance of listening and expressing emotion4) This

is consistent with his compositional approach as many of his piano pieces have

as a primary purpose enhancement of the studentsrsquo listening and expression

skills

3) Ibid p 25

4) Gegely Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I know Himrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) pp 39-40

156 피아노음악연구

3 Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I

Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) is comprised of eight volumes containing hundreds of short piano

pieces Volumes I II III V VI and VII feature pieces for piano solo while

Volumes IV and VIII are for piano solo piano duet and for two pianos Primary

stages for the work originated in 1960 when Kurtaacuteg composed a few pieces for

his son Thirteen years later Hungarian piano pedagogue Marianne Teoumlke

suggested Kurtaacuteg compose music for children As a result Kurtaacuteg wrote an

additional nineteen pieces adding to those he wrote for his son These were the

starting points for the creation of Jaacuteteacutekok According to Rachel Beckles Willson

Kurtaacuteg wrote Jaacuteteacutekok in order to foster childrenrsquos playfulness curiosity and

bravura at the keyboard5) In the first part of the supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok Kurtaacuteg

himself stated that ldquoa great deal of freedom and initiative from the performerrdquo6) are

required to play these pieces properly7) As such Jaacuteteacutekok leads students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a

big toy

Volume 1 of Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short piano pieces featuring a new

graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg himself Some pieces nonetheless are written in

standard musical notation while others combine both According to Kristina Junttu

Jaacuteteacutekok is an invaluable piano method that provides learners with a set of

performing skills enabling them to use their whole body8) Several musicologists and

piano pedagogues have conducted research on the importance of Jaacuteteacutekok noting its

5) Rachel Beckles Wilson Ligeti Kurtaacuteg and Hungarian Music during the Cold War (New York Cambridge

University Press 2007) p 149

6) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Supplement to series for Piano Vol1 (Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979) p 1

7) Ibid p 9

8) Kristina Junttu ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Brings the Body to the Centre of Learning pianordquo The Finnish Journal of Music Education 11 no1-2 (2008) httpwww2sibafimusikkikasvatuslehtiusefilesFJMEvol11nro1+2

sivutpdf (accessed August 21 2014)

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 157

pedagogical value Antonietta Loffredo identifies Jaacuteteacutekok as method that is useful in

learning contemporary music She focuses her research on the piece titled Hommage

agrave Tchaikovsky which appears towards the end of Volume 19) In Centre and

Periphery Roots and Exile Stefano Melis explores various aspects that describe how

Jaacuteteacutekok helps children understand musical form and its relation to body gestures10)

He presents three pieces from VolumeI to illustrate the ways by which children

recognize and react to musical images Andre Hajdu states that Jaacuteteacutekok is a

significant pedagogical tool that introduces children to contemporary sonorities He

also claims that Jaacuteteacutekok encourages children to learn several sophisticated

performing techniques which include hand crossing technique playing overtones

and playing with palm fist and forearm11)

Most researchers and piano pedagogues have focused solely on researching

Jaacuteteacutekok from a kinesthetic perspective while providing brief guidelines and analyses

of selected pieces Even though many scholars have shown the significance and

advantages gained by students who learn Jaacuteteacutekok no research has been conducted

with regard to creating a systematic guideline aimed at successfully teaching the

work Though Kurtaacuteg provided teachers with a short four-page supplement that

includes detailed information on the new notation and the unusual signs that appear

in the score some of the signs are difficult to understand and follow As

mentioned in the previous paragraph most musicologists have focused on describing

the character of selected pieces within the set but none has fully addressed

teaching the work

9) Antonietta Loffredo ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo (paper presented at the 9th Australasian Piano

Pedagogy Conference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009) p 1

10) Stefano Melis ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A Voyagersquo into the Childrsquos Musical Mindrdquo in Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the Music of Istvan Anhalt Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg and Sandor Veress eds

Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong (Waterloo Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011) pp

241-259

11) Andre Hajdu ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A Composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243 (2008) p 27

158 피아노음악연구

Despite being written 40 years ago Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a

teaching tool in Hungary and is practically unknown in the United States This

probably is due to the fact that it presents students and teachers with atypical

musical elements These include use of novel notation use of an unlimited register

as well as pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume

According to Kurtaacuteg the first volume is mainly designed for children From a

pedagogical standpoint this volume would be appropriate for both beginning and

intermediate students

Thus given the potential significance and advantages of using Jaacuteteacutekok as a

pedagogical tool the creation of a systematic guideline is essential for teachers who

are not familiar with the collection or with teaching the techniques contained within

its various pieces Furthermore this research will be valuable for teachers looking to

explore a more varied repertoire for beginning and intermediate piano students

Ⅱ NON-TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGICAL ELEMENTS IN

JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Introducing Four Non-Traditional Elements

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I features four primary non-traditional musical elements These

constitute a serious challenge to teachers who are accustomed to working only with

standard notation and traditional method books These elements are 1) an unusual

novel notation 2) the use of a wide range of the keyboard that features the

inclusion of various ledger lines 3) the uncommon placement of notes and 4) a

wide gap between pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty Below I provide

a detailed guideline for four non-traditional elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 159

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Graphic Notation

As previously noted Kurtaacuteg uses his own graphic notation to portray different

kinds of musical ideas In addition to glissandi he uses six different kinds of

clusters these are to be played with the palm rotating palm circling palm

forearm fist laid fist In Volume 1 Kurtaacuteg frequently presents two kinds of clusters

as shown in ltExample 1gt The large black and white notes are meant to be played

with the palm the long thick lines with the forearm

ltEx1gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekokok Palm exercise Playing with palm and forearm

Copyright by Editio Musica BudapestReproduced by Permission

The large black and white notes (mm 1-8) require the performer to play palm

clusters Black notes are representative of shorter values while white notes stand

for longer values The accidentals on the left side of the clusters indicate their pitch

range The long thick lines in the last measure ask the pianist to use forearms

Kurtaacuteg also employs two kinds of duration signs these are located both at the top

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 3: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 155

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Approach towards Piano Pedagogy

Throughout his career Kurtaacuteg has been critical of traditional piano pedagogical

methods His main criticism has been that standard methods lack freedom to

experiment and are not conducive to stimulating childrenrsquos playfulness and

curiosity Kurtaacuteg also believes these methods decrease studentsrsquo listening and the

ability to develop expressive qualities Because of his aversion towards these

methods Kurtaacuteg decided to compose piano works according to his own ideas

these are designed to supplant the elements he finds negative in traditional piano

methods According to Sylvia Grmela Kurtaacuteg feels standard piano methods are

tedious because 1) they mainly focus on playing at all times in the same register

and 2) students have to constantly think about fingering and rhythm3) Kurtaacuteg

composed works that use a wide range of the keyboard He also wanted to help

performers become more attuned with their bodies and to facilitate movement

He achieved this by writing numerous clusters to be played with the palm fist

and forearm as well as using wide range According to Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky (b

1947) and Gergely Szokolay who studied piano and chamber music with Kurtaacuteg

he always pointed out the importance of listening and expressing emotion4) This

is consistent with his compositional approach as many of his piano pieces have

as a primary purpose enhancement of the studentsrsquo listening and expression

skills

3) Ibid p 25

4) Gegely Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I know Himrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) pp 39-40

156 피아노음악연구

3 Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I

Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) is comprised of eight volumes containing hundreds of short piano

pieces Volumes I II III V VI and VII feature pieces for piano solo while

Volumes IV and VIII are for piano solo piano duet and for two pianos Primary

stages for the work originated in 1960 when Kurtaacuteg composed a few pieces for

his son Thirteen years later Hungarian piano pedagogue Marianne Teoumlke

suggested Kurtaacuteg compose music for children As a result Kurtaacuteg wrote an

additional nineteen pieces adding to those he wrote for his son These were the

starting points for the creation of Jaacuteteacutekok According to Rachel Beckles Willson

Kurtaacuteg wrote Jaacuteteacutekok in order to foster childrenrsquos playfulness curiosity and

bravura at the keyboard5) In the first part of the supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok Kurtaacuteg

himself stated that ldquoa great deal of freedom and initiative from the performerrdquo6) are

required to play these pieces properly7) As such Jaacuteteacutekok leads students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a

big toy

Volume 1 of Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short piano pieces featuring a new

graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg himself Some pieces nonetheless are written in

standard musical notation while others combine both According to Kristina Junttu

Jaacuteteacutekok is an invaluable piano method that provides learners with a set of

performing skills enabling them to use their whole body8) Several musicologists and

piano pedagogues have conducted research on the importance of Jaacuteteacutekok noting its

5) Rachel Beckles Wilson Ligeti Kurtaacuteg and Hungarian Music during the Cold War (New York Cambridge

University Press 2007) p 149

6) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Supplement to series for Piano Vol1 (Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979) p 1

7) Ibid p 9

8) Kristina Junttu ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Brings the Body to the Centre of Learning pianordquo The Finnish Journal of Music Education 11 no1-2 (2008) httpwww2sibafimusikkikasvatuslehtiusefilesFJMEvol11nro1+2

sivutpdf (accessed August 21 2014)

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 157

pedagogical value Antonietta Loffredo identifies Jaacuteteacutekok as method that is useful in

learning contemporary music She focuses her research on the piece titled Hommage

agrave Tchaikovsky which appears towards the end of Volume 19) In Centre and

Periphery Roots and Exile Stefano Melis explores various aspects that describe how

Jaacuteteacutekok helps children understand musical form and its relation to body gestures10)

He presents three pieces from VolumeI to illustrate the ways by which children

recognize and react to musical images Andre Hajdu states that Jaacuteteacutekok is a

significant pedagogical tool that introduces children to contemporary sonorities He

also claims that Jaacuteteacutekok encourages children to learn several sophisticated

performing techniques which include hand crossing technique playing overtones

and playing with palm fist and forearm11)

Most researchers and piano pedagogues have focused solely on researching

Jaacuteteacutekok from a kinesthetic perspective while providing brief guidelines and analyses

of selected pieces Even though many scholars have shown the significance and

advantages gained by students who learn Jaacuteteacutekok no research has been conducted

with regard to creating a systematic guideline aimed at successfully teaching the

work Though Kurtaacuteg provided teachers with a short four-page supplement that

includes detailed information on the new notation and the unusual signs that appear

in the score some of the signs are difficult to understand and follow As

mentioned in the previous paragraph most musicologists have focused on describing

the character of selected pieces within the set but none has fully addressed

teaching the work

9) Antonietta Loffredo ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo (paper presented at the 9th Australasian Piano

Pedagogy Conference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009) p 1

10) Stefano Melis ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A Voyagersquo into the Childrsquos Musical Mindrdquo in Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the Music of Istvan Anhalt Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg and Sandor Veress eds

Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong (Waterloo Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011) pp

241-259

11) Andre Hajdu ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A Composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243 (2008) p 27

158 피아노음악연구

Despite being written 40 years ago Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a

teaching tool in Hungary and is practically unknown in the United States This

probably is due to the fact that it presents students and teachers with atypical

musical elements These include use of novel notation use of an unlimited register

as well as pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume

According to Kurtaacuteg the first volume is mainly designed for children From a

pedagogical standpoint this volume would be appropriate for both beginning and

intermediate students

Thus given the potential significance and advantages of using Jaacuteteacutekok as a

pedagogical tool the creation of a systematic guideline is essential for teachers who

are not familiar with the collection or with teaching the techniques contained within

its various pieces Furthermore this research will be valuable for teachers looking to

explore a more varied repertoire for beginning and intermediate piano students

Ⅱ NON-TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGICAL ELEMENTS IN

JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Introducing Four Non-Traditional Elements

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I features four primary non-traditional musical elements These

constitute a serious challenge to teachers who are accustomed to working only with

standard notation and traditional method books These elements are 1) an unusual

novel notation 2) the use of a wide range of the keyboard that features the

inclusion of various ledger lines 3) the uncommon placement of notes and 4) a

wide gap between pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty Below I provide

a detailed guideline for four non-traditional elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 159

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Graphic Notation

As previously noted Kurtaacuteg uses his own graphic notation to portray different

kinds of musical ideas In addition to glissandi he uses six different kinds of

clusters these are to be played with the palm rotating palm circling palm

forearm fist laid fist In Volume 1 Kurtaacuteg frequently presents two kinds of clusters

as shown in ltExample 1gt The large black and white notes are meant to be played

with the palm the long thick lines with the forearm

ltEx1gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekokok Palm exercise Playing with palm and forearm

Copyright by Editio Musica BudapestReproduced by Permission

The large black and white notes (mm 1-8) require the performer to play palm

clusters Black notes are representative of shorter values while white notes stand

for longer values The accidentals on the left side of the clusters indicate their pitch

range The long thick lines in the last measure ask the pianist to use forearms

Kurtaacuteg also employs two kinds of duration signs these are located both at the top

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 4: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

156 피아노음악연구

3 Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I

Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) is comprised of eight volumes containing hundreds of short piano

pieces Volumes I II III V VI and VII feature pieces for piano solo while

Volumes IV and VIII are for piano solo piano duet and for two pianos Primary

stages for the work originated in 1960 when Kurtaacuteg composed a few pieces for

his son Thirteen years later Hungarian piano pedagogue Marianne Teoumlke

suggested Kurtaacuteg compose music for children As a result Kurtaacuteg wrote an

additional nineteen pieces adding to those he wrote for his son These were the

starting points for the creation of Jaacuteteacutekok According to Rachel Beckles Willson

Kurtaacuteg wrote Jaacuteteacutekok in order to foster childrenrsquos playfulness curiosity and

bravura at the keyboard5) In the first part of the supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok Kurtaacuteg

himself stated that ldquoa great deal of freedom and initiative from the performerrdquo6) are

required to play these pieces properly7) As such Jaacuteteacutekok leads students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a

big toy

Volume 1 of Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short piano pieces featuring a new

graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg himself Some pieces nonetheless are written in

standard musical notation while others combine both According to Kristina Junttu

Jaacuteteacutekok is an invaluable piano method that provides learners with a set of

performing skills enabling them to use their whole body8) Several musicologists and

piano pedagogues have conducted research on the importance of Jaacuteteacutekok noting its

5) Rachel Beckles Wilson Ligeti Kurtaacuteg and Hungarian Music during the Cold War (New York Cambridge

University Press 2007) p 149

6) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Supplement to series for Piano Vol1 (Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979) p 1

7) Ibid p 9

8) Kristina Junttu ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Brings the Body to the Centre of Learning pianordquo The Finnish Journal of Music Education 11 no1-2 (2008) httpwww2sibafimusikkikasvatuslehtiusefilesFJMEvol11nro1+2

sivutpdf (accessed August 21 2014)

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 157

pedagogical value Antonietta Loffredo identifies Jaacuteteacutekok as method that is useful in

learning contemporary music She focuses her research on the piece titled Hommage

agrave Tchaikovsky which appears towards the end of Volume 19) In Centre and

Periphery Roots and Exile Stefano Melis explores various aspects that describe how

Jaacuteteacutekok helps children understand musical form and its relation to body gestures10)

He presents three pieces from VolumeI to illustrate the ways by which children

recognize and react to musical images Andre Hajdu states that Jaacuteteacutekok is a

significant pedagogical tool that introduces children to contemporary sonorities He

also claims that Jaacuteteacutekok encourages children to learn several sophisticated

performing techniques which include hand crossing technique playing overtones

and playing with palm fist and forearm11)

Most researchers and piano pedagogues have focused solely on researching

Jaacuteteacutekok from a kinesthetic perspective while providing brief guidelines and analyses

of selected pieces Even though many scholars have shown the significance and

advantages gained by students who learn Jaacuteteacutekok no research has been conducted

with regard to creating a systematic guideline aimed at successfully teaching the

work Though Kurtaacuteg provided teachers with a short four-page supplement that

includes detailed information on the new notation and the unusual signs that appear

in the score some of the signs are difficult to understand and follow As

mentioned in the previous paragraph most musicologists have focused on describing

the character of selected pieces within the set but none has fully addressed

teaching the work

9) Antonietta Loffredo ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo (paper presented at the 9th Australasian Piano

Pedagogy Conference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009) p 1

10) Stefano Melis ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A Voyagersquo into the Childrsquos Musical Mindrdquo in Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the Music of Istvan Anhalt Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg and Sandor Veress eds

Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong (Waterloo Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011) pp

241-259

11) Andre Hajdu ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A Composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243 (2008) p 27

158 피아노음악연구

Despite being written 40 years ago Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a

teaching tool in Hungary and is practically unknown in the United States This

probably is due to the fact that it presents students and teachers with atypical

musical elements These include use of novel notation use of an unlimited register

as well as pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume

According to Kurtaacuteg the first volume is mainly designed for children From a

pedagogical standpoint this volume would be appropriate for both beginning and

intermediate students

Thus given the potential significance and advantages of using Jaacuteteacutekok as a

pedagogical tool the creation of a systematic guideline is essential for teachers who

are not familiar with the collection or with teaching the techniques contained within

its various pieces Furthermore this research will be valuable for teachers looking to

explore a more varied repertoire for beginning and intermediate piano students

Ⅱ NON-TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGICAL ELEMENTS IN

JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Introducing Four Non-Traditional Elements

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I features four primary non-traditional musical elements These

constitute a serious challenge to teachers who are accustomed to working only with

standard notation and traditional method books These elements are 1) an unusual

novel notation 2) the use of a wide range of the keyboard that features the

inclusion of various ledger lines 3) the uncommon placement of notes and 4) a

wide gap between pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty Below I provide

a detailed guideline for four non-traditional elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 159

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Graphic Notation

As previously noted Kurtaacuteg uses his own graphic notation to portray different

kinds of musical ideas In addition to glissandi he uses six different kinds of

clusters these are to be played with the palm rotating palm circling palm

forearm fist laid fist In Volume 1 Kurtaacuteg frequently presents two kinds of clusters

as shown in ltExample 1gt The large black and white notes are meant to be played

with the palm the long thick lines with the forearm

ltEx1gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekokok Palm exercise Playing with palm and forearm

Copyright by Editio Musica BudapestReproduced by Permission

The large black and white notes (mm 1-8) require the performer to play palm

clusters Black notes are representative of shorter values while white notes stand

for longer values The accidentals on the left side of the clusters indicate their pitch

range The long thick lines in the last measure ask the pianist to use forearms

Kurtaacuteg also employs two kinds of duration signs these are located both at the top

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 5: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 157

pedagogical value Antonietta Loffredo identifies Jaacuteteacutekok as method that is useful in

learning contemporary music She focuses her research on the piece titled Hommage

agrave Tchaikovsky which appears towards the end of Volume 19) In Centre and

Periphery Roots and Exile Stefano Melis explores various aspects that describe how

Jaacuteteacutekok helps children understand musical form and its relation to body gestures10)

He presents three pieces from VolumeI to illustrate the ways by which children

recognize and react to musical images Andre Hajdu states that Jaacuteteacutekok is a

significant pedagogical tool that introduces children to contemporary sonorities He

also claims that Jaacuteteacutekok encourages children to learn several sophisticated

performing techniques which include hand crossing technique playing overtones

and playing with palm fist and forearm11)

Most researchers and piano pedagogues have focused solely on researching

Jaacuteteacutekok from a kinesthetic perspective while providing brief guidelines and analyses

of selected pieces Even though many scholars have shown the significance and

advantages gained by students who learn Jaacuteteacutekok no research has been conducted

with regard to creating a systematic guideline aimed at successfully teaching the

work Though Kurtaacuteg provided teachers with a short four-page supplement that

includes detailed information on the new notation and the unusual signs that appear

in the score some of the signs are difficult to understand and follow As

mentioned in the previous paragraph most musicologists have focused on describing

the character of selected pieces within the set but none has fully addressed

teaching the work

9) Antonietta Loffredo ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo (paper presented at the 9th Australasian Piano

Pedagogy Conference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009) p 1

10) Stefano Melis ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A Voyagersquo into the Childrsquos Musical Mindrdquo in Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the Music of Istvan Anhalt Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg and Sandor Veress eds

Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong (Waterloo Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011) pp

241-259

11) Andre Hajdu ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A Composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243 (2008) p 27

158 피아노음악연구

Despite being written 40 years ago Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a

teaching tool in Hungary and is practically unknown in the United States This

probably is due to the fact that it presents students and teachers with atypical

musical elements These include use of novel notation use of an unlimited register

as well as pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume

According to Kurtaacuteg the first volume is mainly designed for children From a

pedagogical standpoint this volume would be appropriate for both beginning and

intermediate students

Thus given the potential significance and advantages of using Jaacuteteacutekok as a

pedagogical tool the creation of a systematic guideline is essential for teachers who

are not familiar with the collection or with teaching the techniques contained within

its various pieces Furthermore this research will be valuable for teachers looking to

explore a more varied repertoire for beginning and intermediate piano students

Ⅱ NON-TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGICAL ELEMENTS IN

JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Introducing Four Non-Traditional Elements

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I features four primary non-traditional musical elements These

constitute a serious challenge to teachers who are accustomed to working only with

standard notation and traditional method books These elements are 1) an unusual

novel notation 2) the use of a wide range of the keyboard that features the

inclusion of various ledger lines 3) the uncommon placement of notes and 4) a

wide gap between pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty Below I provide

a detailed guideline for four non-traditional elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 159

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Graphic Notation

As previously noted Kurtaacuteg uses his own graphic notation to portray different

kinds of musical ideas In addition to glissandi he uses six different kinds of

clusters these are to be played with the palm rotating palm circling palm

forearm fist laid fist In Volume 1 Kurtaacuteg frequently presents two kinds of clusters

as shown in ltExample 1gt The large black and white notes are meant to be played

with the palm the long thick lines with the forearm

ltEx1gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekokok Palm exercise Playing with palm and forearm

Copyright by Editio Musica BudapestReproduced by Permission

The large black and white notes (mm 1-8) require the performer to play palm

clusters Black notes are representative of shorter values while white notes stand

for longer values The accidentals on the left side of the clusters indicate their pitch

range The long thick lines in the last measure ask the pianist to use forearms

Kurtaacuteg also employs two kinds of duration signs these are located both at the top

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 6: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

158 피아노음악연구

Despite being written 40 years ago Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a

teaching tool in Hungary and is practically unknown in the United States This

probably is due to the fact that it presents students and teachers with atypical

musical elements These include use of novel notation use of an unlimited register

as well as pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume

According to Kurtaacuteg the first volume is mainly designed for children From a

pedagogical standpoint this volume would be appropriate for both beginning and

intermediate students

Thus given the potential significance and advantages of using Jaacuteteacutekok as a

pedagogical tool the creation of a systematic guideline is essential for teachers who

are not familiar with the collection or with teaching the techniques contained within

its various pieces Furthermore this research will be valuable for teachers looking to

explore a more varied repertoire for beginning and intermediate piano students

Ⅱ NON-TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGICAL ELEMENTS IN

JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Introducing Four Non-Traditional Elements

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I features four primary non-traditional musical elements These

constitute a serious challenge to teachers who are accustomed to working only with

standard notation and traditional method books These elements are 1) an unusual

novel notation 2) the use of a wide range of the keyboard that features the

inclusion of various ledger lines 3) the uncommon placement of notes and 4) a

wide gap between pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty Below I provide

a detailed guideline for four non-traditional elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 159

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Graphic Notation

As previously noted Kurtaacuteg uses his own graphic notation to portray different

kinds of musical ideas In addition to glissandi he uses six different kinds of

clusters these are to be played with the palm rotating palm circling palm

forearm fist laid fist In Volume 1 Kurtaacuteg frequently presents two kinds of clusters

as shown in ltExample 1gt The large black and white notes are meant to be played

with the palm the long thick lines with the forearm

ltEx1gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekokok Palm exercise Playing with palm and forearm

Copyright by Editio Musica BudapestReproduced by Permission

The large black and white notes (mm 1-8) require the performer to play palm

clusters Black notes are representative of shorter values while white notes stand

for longer values The accidentals on the left side of the clusters indicate their pitch

range The long thick lines in the last measure ask the pianist to use forearms

Kurtaacuteg also employs two kinds of duration signs these are located both at the top

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 7: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 159

2 Kurtaacutegrsquos Graphic Notation

As previously noted Kurtaacuteg uses his own graphic notation to portray different

kinds of musical ideas In addition to glissandi he uses six different kinds of

clusters these are to be played with the palm rotating palm circling palm

forearm fist laid fist In Volume 1 Kurtaacuteg frequently presents two kinds of clusters

as shown in ltExample 1gt The large black and white notes are meant to be played

with the palm the long thick lines with the forearm

ltEx1gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekokok Palm exercise Playing with palm and forearm

Copyright by Editio Musica BudapestReproduced by Permission

The large black and white notes (mm 1-8) require the performer to play palm

clusters Black notes are representative of shorter values while white notes stand

for longer values The accidentals on the left side of the clusters indicate their pitch

range The long thick lines in the last measure ask the pianist to use forearms

Kurtaacuteg also employs two kinds of duration signs these are located both at the top

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 8: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

160 피아노음악연구

of palm clusters and two kinds of pause signs in between palm and forearm

clusters The first of duration signs indicates a short duration while the second one

stands for a long one The first pause sign with red arrow in measure 5 stands a

long pause and the second sign of measure 9 indicates short pause

ltExample 2gt features the use of palm clusters and rotating palm clusters The

first type of graphic notation indicates a palm cluster while the second one asks

the performer to play with the two edges of the right hand palm from left to right

by rotating the right forearm The third graphic notation is needed to play with the

same part of the right hand palm from right to left rotating the right forearm

ltEx2gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Rotating palms (first line) Playing with palm and rotating palm

An additional form of palm cluster known as lsquocircling palmrsquo is shown in

ltExample 3gt To play a circling palm cluster the palm is placed on the white keys

and then turns in circular motion in either clockwise or counter direction Fingers

should try to remain on the same black keys which are shown by the black line

and the symbol For the first group of four circling palm clusters which are in

the treble clef part fingers should be placed to begin on B and right palm on

the white keys turns from E4 to C5 for the first circling palm cluster in the treble

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 9: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 161

staff For the second cluster of the first group the right palm on the white keys

turns from F4 to E5 while the fingers remain on B

ltEx3gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sidling Palms (first line) Playing with circling palm

3 Symbols for Accidentals and Range

A second category of unusual signs involve accidental signs of which there are

four types normal accidentals large accidentals (with different meanings) those

serving to show range on the keyboard and those for black keys white keys or a

combination of both Kurtaacuteg frequently uses larger sharps flats and naturals these

indicate that all notes in the staff should be treated as sharps flats or naturals12)

In ltExample 4gt for instance all notes should be played as sharps

ltEx4gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Large size sharp

12) Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg Supplement to Jaacuteteacutekok p 10

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 10: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

162 피아노음악연구

In ltExample 5gt the accidentals being used have two different meanings The

first one refers to the range of keyboard while the second one instructs the

performer to play black or white keys The accidentals before the first palm cluster

shown in other parts of Jaacuteteacutekok is indicative of the range on the keyboard This

could be potentially confusing and it should be noted once again that sharp and

natural symbols could refer to either the application of accidentals or to an

instruction regarding the range of the keyboard The range of the first palm cluster

extends from F4 to C5 The next palm cluster (found in the second line) denotes

accidentals that range from C3 to F3 The last forearm clusters of the last line

have both a sharp and natural signs The left side forearm cluster instructs the

performer to play the black keys with the left forearm while the right side cluster

should be played with the right forearm on white keys

ltEx5gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Quarrelling Two kinds of accidentals

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 11: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 163

4 Non-Traditional Placement of Notes

The third non-traditional element in Jaacuteteacutekok involves various kinds of unusual

placements of notes To begin with Kurtaacuteg places higher notes in the bottom staff

which is extremely uncommon in beginning pedagogical literature given the fact that

this reverses the traditional order of having the bass clef in the lower staff and the

treble clef in the upper one ltExample 6gt

As seen in ltExample 6gt the last note of the first measure C3 is on the top

staff rather than the bottom staff The third note of the second measure C4 is a

higher note than the previous C3 although this note is in the bottom staff This

piece can be used as a hand crossing exercise

ltEx6gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Higher notes in the bass staff and lower notes in the treble staff

Kurtaacuteg also uses the same clef in both hands as shown in ltExample 7gt Most

traditional method books also feature pieces with two treble or two bass clef signs

but what is unusual in this case is that higher notes have been placed in the

bottom staff Moreover traditional piano book usually employ the treble clef in only

one staff This example also shows the group of higher notes has been placed on

the bottom staff rather than in the top staff

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 12: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

164 피아노음악연구

ltEx7gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Dividing notes in the same clef sign into two different staves

A final example that illustrates Kurtaacutegrsquos non-traditional placement of notes involves

repeated notes in two different staves ltExample 8gt Most piano pedagogical method

books contain just one staff to write repeated notes but Kurtaacuteg positioned these in

two staves Kurtaacuteg suggested playing with the fifth fingers of both hands or even

with the side of the fifth fingers

ltEx8gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Repeated notes placed in two staves

Despite the difficult aspect of reading Kurtaacutegrsquos notation properly having an

unusual placement of notes stimulates studentsrsquo brain and fosters their creativity

When Kurtaacuteg described his motivation to compose Jaacuteteacutekok he spoke of playing the

piano with freedom and without limitations in addition to stimulating studentsrsquo

brain (eg improvement of thinking ability) and physical activity (eg using arms

and hand crossing) with game-like elements

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 13: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 165

5 Gap in Difficulty Levels

The last non-traditional element addressed in this study is the placement of both

beginning and more advanced pieces within the first volume ltExample 9gt shows a

piece that is too demanding for beginners This piece has a variety of difficult

elements that are out of reach for beginning students numerous accidentals playing

up to five-note clusters and a constant change in hand placement Usually method

books gradually increase the difficulty as one moves along In this case however

this piece is on the sixth page of the exercise part of volume 1 rather than in the

last part of the work

ltEx9gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok 12 c) to 13 d) Difficult piece for beginning students

Another example of a piece that has difficult elements is shown in ltExample

10gt This short piece has five sharps but these are placed in non-traditional order

Furthermore a piece with five sharps in the key signature would not appear in a

traditional method book for beginners This kind of difficult element could also be

confusing to teachers and would also pose concerns for students who have already

learned the normal order of sharps In addition this piece has free meter and

Kurtaacuteg did not follow same key signature in the bass clef part compared to the

treble clef part

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 14: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

166 피아노음악연구

ltEx10gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are (3) Difficult piece with five sharps

Ⅲ PREPARING TO TEACH JAacuteTEacuteKOKrsquoS VOLUME I

1 Preparatory study for teacher

Traditional method books introduce standard musical notation through a

step-by-step process The first level in a traditional method book usually introduces

basic musical elements such as the staff guide notes rhythmic values registers and

accidentals This is geared towards students who have never learned piano before

A book like this is obviously designed for beginners not intermediate students

Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 differs in approach it does not include information on basic

musical elements and consists of pieces for both beginning and intermediate

students many of which feature unusual musical elements Because of this

preparatory study to introduce these pieces to for both groups of students is

necessary

The contents of Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 can be divided into two categories 1) works

that are written in standard musical notation and 2) works that are written in

Kurtaacutegrsquos own graphic notation The table addresses a studentrsquos knowledge of

musical notation Both types of teaching contents are shown in ltTable 1gt

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 15: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 167

Concepts to be taught

Two groupsof Students

Novel notationTraditional Standard

Musical NotationTo be taught

Students who never studied piano

The concept of high and low register of notes with body movementTeaching normal staff and additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notationBlack and White keys for and natural signsThree kinds of restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp pp p mp mf f ff sff fff etcOssia

Teaching all Crsquos-from the lowest C to C4Explaining octavesDiatonic scalesAccidentals- natural signThe concept of register-from low C to C3

The concept of interval-2ndto6th

Wide leaps

Variety placements of notes bass clef notes in the treble clef part treble clef notes in the bottom

Students who know how to read standard musical notation

Teaching ranges of additional five linesIntroducing new graphic notation three new restsms and mdDynamics- pppp ppp fffOssia

Drawing family Crsquos except for bass C C1 C2 and C3The concept of register-from low part which is lower than low C to high part that is higher than C3Variety placement of notesDiatonic scalesInterval playing with accidentalsWide leapsChord playing

ltTable 1gt Instructorrsquos Categorization of Teaching Content for two groups of students

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 16: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

168 피아노음악연구

2 Rearrangement of pieces in three levels

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 features beginning through advanced intermediate pieces The

tables below rearrange the pieces into three levels of progressive difficulty ltTable

2gt categorizes works in Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 based on the use of clusters and

glissando further dividing them into five different sub-categories glissando forearms

palm fist and overtones

ltTable 2gt Rearrangement of pieces based on studentrsquos level and on use of clusters and glissando

subdivided into three levels and five categories13)

Cluster type

LevelGlissando Forearm Palm Fist Overtones

Level I II-A p1-A II-B IV-AIII-A IV-Ap3-A

VII-A

Level II

p4-AVII-Ap8-Ap10-Ap12-Ap19-Ap16-A

p4-Ap16-Ap19-A

VI-Ap2-Ap5-Ap8-Ap9-Ap12-Ap13-Ap14-Ap15-Ap17-Ap20-Ap22-LR

p11-Ap19-A

p8-ABp14-Bp19-A

Level IIIp11-Ap21-LR

p6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap20-Ap21-LR

VIII-Ap6-Ap10-Ap11-Ap16-ABp18-Ap19-Ap21-LRp23-LR

IX-ABp16-B

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 17: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 169

ltTable 3gt categorizes pieces that employ a standard musical notation In this

case these have been further organized by subdividing them by seven musical

elements Playing various Crsquos diatonic scales repeated patterns interval playing

chords chromatic scales and register use

normal notation

Level

Playing various Crsquos amp wide ranges

DiatonicScales

RepeatedNotes

amp patternsInterval Chord

Chromatic Scales

Variousregisters

Level IIV-B(8a)p5-B

V-B(9a)VII-B

p6-B

Level II

III-BIV-B(67ap1-Bp8-Bp2-Bp3-Bp4-Bp9-Bp17-Bp19-B

V-B(10a11a12)p12-B

VI-BVII-Bp8-Bp13-Bp9-Bp18-Bp20-B

VIII-B(Fifth)p5-Bp10-Bp11-Bp14-Bp15-Bp19-B

p8-Bp10-B

p12-Bp20-B

IV-BV-BAp18-Bp19-B

Level IIIp24-LR

V-Ap24-L

p17-Bp24-LR

ltTable 3gt Rearrangement of pieces that employ a standard musical notation

13) Every piece in Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume 1 is preceded by preparatory exercise Both pieces and exercises are

labeled with the same page number except that exercises are identified with pages headed in Roman

numerals while pieces use Arabic numbers Kurtaacuteg also indicated ldquoArdquo for left side pages and ldquoBrdquo for right

side pages Kurtaacuteg eliminated the letters ldquoArdquo and ldquoBrdquo from pgs 21-24 so I substituted these for ldquoLrdquo (left

side) and ldquoRrdquo (right side) for these pages

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 18: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

170 피아노음악연구

Ⅳ A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING SELECTED

MUSICAL SKILLS IN VOLUME I

1 Introduction

Two primary musical skills that students will foster through the study of Jaacuteteacutekok

Volume I are enhancing their listening skills and expressing their emotions This

chapter will present a variety of teaching methods and activities with selected pieces

from Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I The teaching methods and activities in this chapter

are aimed at stimulating studentsrsquo creativity Suggested methods and activities below

are based on ideas of Kurtaacutegrsquos pupils Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay as well as on

Dalcrozersquos method

According to Szervaacutenszky and Szokolay during his lessons Kurtaacuteg specifically

emphasized the importance of listening and expressing emotions Though Kurtaacuteg

does not specifically address three aforementioned skills in the supplement to

Jaacuteteacutekok his music (particularly his use of a novel graphic notation) does lead

teachers to reflect about the impact of these pieces on their students

Through my study of these pieces I find that activities that encourage students to

move their whole bodies based on the movement and rhythm of clusters help the

students to conceptualize the piece Below I suggest activities based on Dalcrozersquos

method14) particularly for developing listening skills and expressing emotions I

propose certain activities that encourage students to move their bodies based on the

movement and rhythm of clusters

14) Dalcrozersquos method is also known as Dalcroze Euryhthmics which is an approach that attempts to teach

musical concepts through body movement Dalcroze thought that music is closely related to the sense of

movement and rhythm and proved that his method is effective in developing listening memorizing

imagining and fostering creativity

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 19: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 171

2 Listening

According to Szervaacutenszky Kurtaacuteg regarded the studentsrsquoability to improve their

listening skills as being extremely important15) In an article titled ldquoAbout the

Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Szervaacutenszky proposes a teaching method based on each clusterrsquos

character She suggests that teachers allow students to listen to the sounds between

the clusters in a way that they are later able to express their own emotions of

each piecersquos character16) In addition I will suggest the teaching method that is

related to Kurtaacutegrsquos phrasing

Teaching students how to enhance their listening skills is closely related to

creating a story to tell for each phrase For example the teacher plays an excerpt

of music and teaches five short phrases The teacher then allows the student to

make up studentrsquos own story asking hisher to write five sentences (one for each

phrase) these should be based on the mood of each section Once the process has

been completed the teacher instructs the student to play the excerpt with hisher

story in mind This includes imagining the feeling student conceived for every

phrase and listening carefully to the sound that is sustained between clusters and

rests In addition I suggest that this activity includes body gestures based on the

movement for each graphic notation Gestures should be practiced as the students

speak their respective sentences out loud This teaching method is an adaptation of

Dalcrozersquos method For example the teacher lets the student stand up when

playing notes in a high register Similarly the student sits down when playing in

the low register Consequently the teacher instructs the student to bend hisher

waist forward when playing notes in a medium register

15) Valeacuteria Szervaacutenszky ldquoAbout the Jaacuteteacutekok-Gamesrdquo Gestes fragments timbres La musique de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan (Paris 2008) p 178

16) Ibid p 179

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 20: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

172 피아노음악연구

ltEx11gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Flowers We Are Frail Flowers

3 Expressing Emotions

The second significant musical skill through the teaching and study of these

pieces is developing the ability to express emotions particularly on the leaps that

occur either between clusters or between two notes ltExample 12gt Szokolay stated

that Kurtaacuteg often emphasized the importance of sincerity and originality of

expression and suggested Szokolay to practice leaps by gradually extending their

distance while keeping a singing quality17) Based on Szokolayrsquos statement it is

conjectural that Kurtaacuteg composed certain pieces with various leaps in order to

enhance expression skills

In order to teach the second skill the instructor may present students with the

following list of emotions and asks them to choose one or some happy angry

sad scary funny nervous and tired In the first part of the process the teacher

gives the student time to figure out how many close or wide leaps occur in the

music Afterwards the teacher asks the student to choose certain emotion for each

leap It is important for the teacher to point out that students should imagine

specific situations that generate feelings In addition teachers can have a group

activity with minimum two and maximum ten students that includes body gestures

17) Szokolay ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo pp 39-40

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 21: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 173

and singing based on the movement of each leap gestures should be practiced

following the distance in each leap For example the teacher instructs two students

to choose an emotion and the way they want to express it One student decides to

sing a high register part on the right side of the floor expressing the emotion that

heshe chooses The other student chooses to sing in a low register on the left side

of the floor and chooses an emotion For the first box of Example 12 two students

are in their places one on the right and one on the left and they follow the

distance as written in the music as the teacher plays an E4 Upon hearing this note

the student singing in a high register moves slightly to the left side and sings a

little bit lower than the first time for the second box Following the third box of cluster

shown in Example 12 both students move from their place to the right side In the

same way teachers can do this activity with ten students by dividing them into two

teams of five This group activity stimulates studentsrsquo cognitive skills as these relate to

the leaps between succeeding cluster The exercise also increases a studentrsquos interest

in music by encouraging body movement and expression of emotions through singing

ltEx12gt Kurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok Sound and Sound-ball mm 1-4 Wide leaps and close leaps between clusters

Ⅴ CONCLUSION

Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I features the use of several interesting musical

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 22: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

174 피아노음악연구

elements These include a new graphic notation unusual signs use of a wide

range of the keyboard and a non-traditional placement of notes Kurtaacutegrsquos use of

these components was mainly designed to stimulate studentsrsquo creativity In addition

students can learn contemporary musical elements such as free meter tone clusters

dissonance and irregular rhythmic patterns Volume I not only can be used to

enhance significant musical skills but also may be used strategically based on

studentsrsquo personalities For example a student who has a timid character may

become actively inclined to express hisher emotions through the performance of a

piece with loud or wide-ranging clusters

Traditional piano pedagogical method books are mostly focused on developing the

skills necessary to read music and teaching music theory As a piano teacher I

have often felt that traditional approaches decrease beginning piano studentsrsquo natural

interest in playing the piano because of the limited range involved and the focus

on music theory Unlike traditional approaches Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 stimulates

studentsrsquointerest and creativity enabling them to use their whole body This results

in students feeling more interested in playing the piano because of the sense of

freedom and fun In addition teaching methodologies suggested in Chapter IV are

may help teachers to bring out their studentsrsquo potential musical talent and creativity

Although Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 includes valuable pedagogical tools it is not

well known as a method book Additionally not all teachers are able to effectively

present the difficult musical elements present in the score It is hoped that this

guideline may serve as a useful complement to Kurtaacutegrsquos existing supplement for

teachers wishing to use Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1 in the teaching studio It may also allow

teachers to further understand Kurtaacutegrsquos complex writing and introduce to students a

valuable and novel method of learning piano that can be paired along traditional

methods for a more complete pianistic education

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 23: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 175

Bibliography

Beckles Wilson Rachel Ligeti Kurtag and Hungarian Music during the cold war New

York Cambridge University Press 2007

ldquoKurtaacuteg Jaacuteteacutekok by Maacuterta Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrdquo Tempo New

Series 204 (1998) pp 45-46

ldquoKurtaacutegrsquos Instrumental Music 1988-1998rdquo Tempo New Series 207

(1998) pp 15-21

Bitcon Carol Hampton The Clinical and Educational use of Orff-Schulwerk Santa Ana

Rosha Press 1976

Broughton Julia Success in Piano teaching New York Vantage Press 1956

Canaday Alice Max W Contemporary Music and the Pianists A Guidebook of Resources

and Materials Port Washington NY Alfred Music 1974 reprint Turnbridge VT

Trillenium Music 1997

Cohen VW ldquoThe Emergence of Musical Gestures in Kindergarten childrenrdquo DMA diss

University of Illinois 1980

Enoch Yvonne and James Lyke Creative Piano Teaching Illinois Stipes Publishing

company 1977

Grmela Sylvia ldquoExploiting Material to the Maximum Pitch Structure and Recall in Kurtaacutegrsquos

instrumental Musicrdquo PhD diss State University of New York 2004

Hajdu Andre ldquoA Galaxy Called lsquoMikrokosmos A composerrsquos Viewrdquo Tempo 62 no 243

(2008) pp 16-35

Johnson Monica Dale ldquoDalcroze Skills For All Teachersrdquo Music Educators Journal 79 no 8

(1993) pp 42-45

Johnson Tim ldquoCommunication and Experience Some Observations on the Relationship

between Composer and Performer in Jaacuteteacutekokrdquo Studia Musicologica Academiae

Scientiarum Hungaricae 43 no3-4 (2002) pp 281-287

Juntunen M-L and L Hyvoumlnen ldquoEmbodiment in musical knowing how body movement

facilitates learning within Dalcroze Eurythmicsrdquo Journal of Music Education 21 no2

(2004) pp 199-214

Junttu Kristina ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok brings the body to the centre of learning pianordquo

The Finnish journal of music education 11 no1-2 (2008) pp 97-106

Mead Virginia Hoge ldquoMore than Mere Movement Dalcroze Eurhythmicsrdquo Music Educators

Journal 72 no 6 (1986) pp 42-46

Melis Stefano ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok A lsquovoyagersquo into the childrsquos musical mindrdquo In The

Centre and Periphery Roots and Exile Interpreting the music of Istvaacuten Anhalt Gyoumlrgy

Kurtaacuteg and Saacutendor Veress eds Friedemann Sallis Robin Elliot and Kenneth Delong

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 24: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

176 피아노음악연구

pp 241-264 Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press 2011

Mills J and McPherson J The Child As a Musician A Handbook of musical development

Oxford Oxford University Press 2006

Loffredo Antonietta ldquoContemporary Music in Piano Pedagogyrdquo Paper presented at the

9thAustralasianpianopedagogyconference Sydney Australia July 13-17 2009

Orff Carl The Schulwerk New York Schott Music Corp 1978

Pelo Mika ldquoAn Analysis of the Third Movement of Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacutegrsquos Stelerdquo DMA diss

Columbia University 2009

Potamkin Frank J Modern Piano Pedagogy Philadelphia Elkan-Vogel Co Inc 1936

Song Hyun-Joo ldquoMikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games Introducing Contemporary Musical

Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Studentrdquo DMA diss

University of North Texas 2011

Szervaacutenszky Valeria ldquoAbout Jaacuteteacutekok of G Kurtaacutegrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La

musique de Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan

pp 177-184 France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2009

Szokolay Gergely ldquoKurtaacuteg as I Know Himrdquo In The Gestes fragments timbres La musique

de Gyoumlry Kurtaacuteg en lrsquohonneur de son 80e anniversaire ed LrsquoHarmattan pp 37-44

France rue de lrsquoEcole polytechnique 2008

Thompson Ellen R Teaching and Understanding Contemporary Piano Music San Diego

Calif Kjos West 1976

Walsh Stephen ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (II)rdquo Tempo New Series 142 (1982)

pp 10-19

ldquoGyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg An Outline Study (I)rdquo Tempo New Series 140 (1982) pp

11-21

Warner Brigitte Orff-Schulwerk Applications For the Classroom New Jersey Prentice-Hall

Inc 1991

Waterman Fanny On Piano Teaching and Performing London Faber Music 1983

ltMusic Scoregt

Kurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgy Jaacuteteacutekok Series for Piano vol1 Budapest Editio Musica Budapest 1979

ltInternet Resourcegt

Beckles Wilson Rachel ldquoKurtaacuteg Gyoumlrgyrdquo Grove Music Online Oxford University Press

httpwwwoxfordmusiconlinecomsubscriberarticlegrovemusic15695

[accessed December 19 2014]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 25: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students 177

[Abstract]

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume I to Beginning and

Intermediate Piano Students

Jang Jeongwook

Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving Traditional approaches for

beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to

read music Some contemporary methods however are centered on training students to use their

whole body while playing the instrument These more recent methodologies allow students to bond

with the piano in a more personal manner as if they were playing a game with a big toy One of

the most representative works of this approach is the eight-volume collection Jaacuteteacutekok (1973) by

Gyoumlrgy Kurtaacuteg (b 1926)

Volume I of Jaacuteteacutekok consists of short pieces featuring a new graphic notation devised by Kurtaacuteg

himself It also incorporates the use of unusual piano techniques such as playing with the palm fist

and forearm The method also explores the use of the entire range of the instrument Though the

work is over 40 years old Jaacuteteacutekok is only infrequently used as a teaching tool for piano instructors

in Hungary and is unknown in the United States This probably stems from the fact that it presents

students and teachers with atypical musical elements such as unusual notation use of an unlimited

register and pieces that feature varying degrees of difficulty within the same volume This study

provides a guideline which will assist instructors in implementing Jaacuteteacutekokrsquos Volume I effectively as a

pedagogical tool by introducing instructorrsquos teaching content rearranging the original order of pieces

in ascending level of difficulty and providing a methodology to creatively teach the three most

significant musical skills to be developed through Volume I

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일

Page 26: An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág s Játékok Volume

178 피아노음악연구

주제어(Keywords) 피아노 교수법 (Piano Pedagogy) 쿠르탁 야테콕 볼륨1권 (Kurtaacutegrsquos

Jaacuteteacutekok Volume 1) 현대음악적인 요소 (Contemporary musical elements)

논문투고 2016년 10월 31일 논문심사 2016년 12월 2일 게재확정 2016년 12월 15일