Frosi, S. (2011). the Improvisation of Structured Keyboard Accompaniments for the Ballet Class

7/27/2019 Frosi, S. (2011). the Improvisation of Structured Keyboard Accompaniments for the Ballet Class.

1/50

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2/50

TheImprovisationofStructuredKeyboard

Accompaniments

for

the

Ballet

Class

SimonFrosi

WesternAustralianAcademyofPerformingArts

EdithCowanUniversity

ThisdissertationissubmittedforthedegreeofBachelorofMusicHonours

2011


3/50

ii

DECLARATION

Icertify

that

this

thesis

does

not,

to

the

best

of

my

knowledge

and

belief:

(i) incorporatewithoutacknowledgmentanymaterialpreviouslysubmittedforadegreeordiplomainanyinstitutionofhigherdegreeordiplomainanyinstitutionof

highereducation;

(ii) containanymaterialpreviouslypublishedorwrittenbyanotherpersonexceptwhereduereferenceismadeinthetextofthisthesis;

(iii)containanydefamatorymaterial;(iv)containanydatathathasnotbeencollectedinamannerconsistentwithethics

approval.

ThiscopyisthepropertyofEdithCowanUniversity. However,theliteraryrightsofthe

authormustalsoberespected. Ifanypassagefromthisthesisisquotedorclosely

paraphrasedinapaperorwrittenworkpreparedbytheuser,thesourceofthepassage

mustbeacknowledgedinthework. Iftheuserdesirestopublishapaperorwrittenwork

containingpassagescopiedorcloselyparaphrasedfromthisthesis,whichpassageswouldin

totalconstituteaninfringingcopyforthepurposeoftheCopyrightAct,heorshemustfirst

obtainthewrittenpermissionoftheauthortodoso.


4/50

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Iwishtothankmysupervisor,DrJonathanPaget,forallofhishardworkandtimeasmy

supervisorthis

year.

His

huge

wealth

of

knowledge

is

just

amazing.

Iwould

also

like

to

thankMichaelBrettforhisassistanceandforallowingmetoanalysesomeofhis

transcriptions,andobservinghisclasses.IwouldliketothankStewartSmithforsupervising

methroughoutthefirstsemesterandhelpingmecomeupwithideasformythesis.Iam

privilegedtohavebeensupportedandsupervisedsuchagreatartistashimself.Also,thanks

tomymumaswellasteachersAnnaSleptsovaandPeterTanfieldfortheircontinued

supportandcarethroughmyfinalyearofstudiesatWAAPA.


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iv

ABSTRACT

Thisdissertationexploresthequestionofhowapianistcanlearntoimprovise

accompanimentsfor

aballet

class.

It

aims

to

examine

the

background

knowledge

required

inordertoembarkuponsuchataskandtoprovideatheoreticaltoolkitforpianiststouse

inimprovising. Additionally,thisdissertationmakesadetailedcasestudyofnotated

improvisationsbyMichaelBrett,anexpertexponentofthisgenre.Athematiccatalogueis

providedofBrettsimprovisationsforaforthcomingpublication,examiningaccompaniment

figurationsandrhythmicstructures.Amoredetailedharmonicandphraseanalysisisthen

madeofthreecompletepieces,examiningthecadentialandmelodicstructuresthat

underpintheseworks. SimilartotheBaroquepartimentotradition,thesephraselevel

analysescanbeusedastemplates,providingthemiddlegroundscaffoldingforthe

improvisingpianisttoembellish. Theycanalsobetreatedasexemplarsastohowapianist

maystructuretheirownimprovisationstosuitanyparticularballetexercise.


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v

CONTENTS

DECLARATION.........................................................................................................

II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................... III

ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................. IV

CONTENTS............................................................................................................... V

I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 1

II. ABACKGROUNDTODANCEACCOMPANIMENT.............................................2

III. REQUIREDGENERALKNOWLEDGE.................................................................61. TheRhythmicBasisofDance........................................................................6

2.

Cadences:Their

Relative

Strength

................................................................

6

3. ConstructingPhrasesandPeriods................................................................7

IV. THEPARTIMENTOTRADITIONANDITSAPPLICABILITYTOSTRUCTURINGIMROVISATIONSFORTHEBALLETCLASS.......................................................................... 10

V. THEANALYSISOFFREEIMPROVISATIONFORTHEBALLETUSINGMICHAELBRETTASANEXEMPLAR................................................................................................... 12

A. MYOBSERVATIONS..............................................................................................12

B. CATALOGUEANDANALYSISOFMICHAELBRETTSSCOREDIMPROVISATIONS

13

1.

BARRE.........................................................................................................

14

PLIES......................................................................................................................14

2. DEMIPOINT................................................................................................18

3. CENTRE.......................................................................................................19

4. ADAGE.........................................................................................................20

1STADAGE............................................................................................................21

5. PIROUETTES................................................................................................23

6. ALLEGRO.....................................................................................................25

7. POINTE........................................................................................................29

C. ANALYTICALDISCUSSION...............................................................................32

1.

AccompanimentPatterns

...........................................................................

32

2. DevelopmentofMotivicIdeas....................................................................33

3. HarmonicTemplatesDerivedfromMichaelBrettsBalletImprovisations33

4. ImprovisingfromaTemplate.....................................................................40

5. StepstoCreatingyourOwnImprovisation.................................................41

VI. CONCLUSION............................................................................................... 41

VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................. 42


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1

I. INTRODUCTIONWhenIarrivedatPerththisyear,Iwaspreparingmyselftoplayforsomeballetclassesat

theWestern

Australian

Academy

of

Performing

Arts

and

didn't

realise

what

adaunting

task

itistoplayforclasswithoutselectedmusic.Havingworkedasasessionalpianistplayingfor

examsandworkshopswiththeRoyalAcademyofDanceoverthelastthreeyearsIassumed

itwouldbefairlyeasyasIwasusedtoplayingwithsetmusicthatgavedetaileddirections

onexactlyhowtoplay.Theballetclassrequiresthepianisttounderstanddanceanddance

music,andtoapplythosedetaileddirectionsintothemusicwhentheyplay.Thisiswhere

theideaformythesiscame.HavingdecidedIwouldfocusonimprovisationinrelationto

theballetclass,IdecidedIwoulduseoneofAustralia'sleadingplayersandimprovisersin

thatstyle,MichaelBrett.FromthisIcameupwithsomequestions:

Firstly,whatweretherequirementsofaballetpianist? Howistheaccompanimentforaballetexerciseconstructedinrelationtophrase,

harmonyandcadence?

Howcouldoncereplicatethisinastheirownimprovisation? HowcouldIlearntoimproviseballetexercisesfromobservinganexpertimproviserin

thisstyle?

Ialsobecameinterestedinhistoricalmodelsforimprovisationandcompositionandbegan

toevaluatetheBaroquepartimentotradition,examiningwhatitcouldteachusabouthow

tomouldandscaffoldimprovisationsinatonalstyle.Thetraditionofpartimentowas

developedprominentlyinNaplesthroughoutthe16thand17thcentury.Theideawasthat

thestudentwouldplayoffinstructionalbasslines(calledpartimenti),whichwere

representationsofaharmonicstructure.Studentspracticedrealisingthesebasslinesin

keyboardharmony,andabsorbedmanycompositionallessonsfromclichdmusical

patternsembeddedwithinthem. Ineffect,compositioncomprisedthestringingtogetherof

anumberofstockstandardpatternslearntthroughpracticingthepartimenti.1 Ibecame

intriguedwithwhethersuchawayofpracticingcouldaidmeasadanceaccompanist.

Couldtemplatesbederivedonwhichtoformimprovisationsforadanceclass?

1Aaron

Berkowitz,

The

Improvising

Mind:

Cognition

and

Creativity

in

the

Musical

Moment

(publication

place:OxfordUniversityPress,USA,2010),pagenr


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2

II. ABACKGROUNDTODANCEACCOMPANIMENTThissectiondescribeswhattheexpectationsareforadanceaccompanistinaclassroom

setting.The

basic

structure

of

aballet

class

can

be

divided

into

three

sections:

barre,

centre

andallegro.TheteacherinstructstheclassusingFrenchterminologyanddemonstrates

whennecessary.First,thepianistmusthaveanunderstandingofballetterminologyand,by

observingthedanceteachersinstructions,mustplaysomethingfittingtothatparticular

exercise.2

Akeyconceptthatthedanceaccompanimentpianistmustcomprehendisthatof

howdancerscountmusic,andhowthisfitsinwithanideaofmusicalperiodicity,and

particularlytheprevalenceoftheeightbarphrase.ThisiscoveredextensivelyinCavallis

DanceandMusic,3andIexpounditfurtherinthenextchapter.

AnotherkeypublicationoutliningtherequirementsofdanceaccompanistisADance

ClassAnthology,producedbytheworldsleadingballetexaminationcompany,theRoyal

AcademyofDance.Thispublicationoutlinesinanutshellwhatisrequiredoftheclassical

danceaccompanistaswellasprovidingscorestosuitoneortwoclassesworthofmusic.

Someofthemusicincludesadaptedmovementsfromballets,opera,orchestralworks,and

solopianorepertoire. Therefore,itisnotmyintentiontofocusonselectingandadapting

repertoirefor

the

ballet

classas

this

has

already

been

donebut

instead

to

focus

on

techniquesthatcouldbeusedtoimproveapianistsimprovisatoryskills.

Thereisalsoavastamountofliteraturethatgivesclassoutlinesthatinclude

directionsfortherequiredaccompanimentforcertainexercisesbutnotnecessarilyasa

guideforthepianist.OneofthesethatincludemusicalscoredmusicalexamplesisBasic

PrinciplesofClassicalBalletbyAgrippinaVaganova,whichteachesRussianballettechnique.

Asamplelessonwithmusicalaccompanimentcanbefoundinthefinalchapterofthis

book.4Iamnotdiscouragingtheuseofadaptedrepertoire,butmerelysuggestingthatthe

2RoyalAcademyofDancing,ADanceClassAnthology:TheRoyalAcademyofDanceGuidetoBallet

ClassAccompaniment(R.A.D.)(London:RoyalAcademyofDance,2005),218.

3HarrietCavalli,DanceandMusic:AGuidetoDanceAccompanimentforMusiciansandDance

Teachers(Miami:UniversityPressofFlorida,2001).

4AgrippinaVaganova.TranslatedfromtheRussianbyAnatoleChujoy.Incorporatingallthematerial

fromthe4thRussianed.IncludingVaganova'sSamplelessonwithmusicalaccompanimentandtranslatedby

JohnBarker,

Basic

Principles

of

Classical

Ballet:

Russian

Ballet

Technique,

(New

York:

Dover

Publications,

1969),

pagenr.


9/50

3

danceaccompanistwhoisabletoimprovisewillbeabletoplayaclasswithmuchgreater

ease.

Thejoboftheballetaccompanistisverydemanding,notonlyrequiringtheabilityto

sight

read

difficult

orchestral

reductions,

learn

large

amounts

of

repertoire

(whether

from

balletrepertoryorexaminationsyllabi),butalsotoobservetheinstructionsofthedance

teacher,watchthedancers,andplayintime.Notalldanceaccompanistshavetheabilityto

improvise,butIarguethattheseskillsarehugelybeneficial,ultimatelymakingthejobofthe

danceaccompanistlesstimeconsuming,andabletorespondmoreadequatelytothe

immediatedemandsofthejob.

Someofthebenefitsofbeingabletoimproviseintheballetclassincludethe

following:

First,astheballetclasscangoforupto30exercisesormore,usuallyinthespaceof

oneandahalfhours(dependingontheagegroupand/orlevel).Thepianistmaynotalways

havetimetofindsomethinginthepianistsbooksormemoryintimefortheclasstostart

theirexercise.

Second,whenplayingmemorisedmusic,mentalblankscanbecommon.Beingable

toimproviseandhavingasoundharmonicsenseofapiecewillenablethepianisttoadapt

themusictothedancewithaslittlestressortroubleaspossible

Third,another

advantage

of

being

able

to

improvise

is

the

obvious

fact

that

the

pianistneedstoknowwhatisgoingonandwatchthedancerasmuchaspossible.Playing

fromscoresdivertsyourvisualfocusonthemusicstandandmerelyusingperipheralvision

tofollowthedancer.

Fourth,whilsttheinstructorisdivulginginformationonhowthedancerisgoingto

approachaparticularexercise,thepianistmaygivethemtheirundividedattentionfocusing

theirenergyonhowtheirmusiccansupportwhattheteacheranddanceristryingto

achieveinsteadofspendingtheirpreparationtimesiftingthroughtheirmusic.

TogetanideaofhowaballetclassisrunIhavepresentedIhaveincludedtwo

examplesofaballetclass.Figure1isfromtheADanceClassAnthologyissuedbytheRoyal

AcademyofDancingandFigure2isanexampleofaRussian'SixthYearclassfrom100

LessonsinClassicalBalletwrittenbyVeraS.Kostrovitskaya.Aclassmayberuninmany

differentwaysdependingonthestudentslevel,theteacher,andwhethertheyare

preparingforanexamorperformance.Butmostballetclasseshaveafairlysimilar

structure.Most

exercises

at

the

bar

and

other

diagonal

exercises

are

played

at

least

two


10/50

4

timessothedancerhastheopportunitytopresentboththeleftsideandtherightside.On

occasions,theteachermayasksomethingontheleftsidetobeplayedslightlyslowerasitis

generallytheweakersidewhichneedstobeaccommodated.

Another

requirement

of

the

ballet

accompanist

is

to

motivate

and

inspire

the

dancers.BalletmasterandchoreographeroftheBolshoiballet,AsafMesserer,believed

thatmusicalaccompanimentforadvanceddanceclassesshouldalwaysbe'artistically

varied,richinmelody,andinteresting.'5

Figure1.SampleclassoutlinefromADanceClassAnthology6

5AsafMesserer,ClassesinClassicalBallet(NewYork:LimelightEditions,2007),pg.485.

6Royal

Academy

of

Dancing,

A

Dance

Class

Anthology:

The

Royal

Academy

of

Dance

Guide

to

Ballet

ClassAccompaniment(R.A.D.)(London:RoyalAcademyofDance,2005),20.


11/50

5

Figure2.SampleOutlinefrom100LessonsinClassicalBallet7

EXCERSISESATTHEBARRE

DemiPlis

Exercise

16

Measures

in

4/4

BattementsTendus 32Measuresin2/4

RondsDeJambeATerreandGrandsRondsDe

JambeJetes

12Measuresin4/4

BattementsFondu 16Measuresin2/4

RondsDeJambeEnLair 8Measuresin4/4

PetitsBattementsSurLeCoudepied 16Measuresin2/4

BattementsDevelops 8Measuresin4/4

GrandsBattementsJets 16Measuresin2/4

EXCERSISESINTHECENTER

SmallAdagioandBattementsTendus 4Measuresin4/4

BattementsFondu

8Measures

in

4/4

PetitsBattementsSurLeCoudepied 8Measuresin2/4

GrandBattementsJetsBalancs 8Measuresin4/4

GrandAdagio 12Measuresin4/4

ALLEGRO

SissonnesFermesandEtrechatsquatre 16Measuresin2/4

BallonnsinPosEfface 8Measuresin4/4

BallottesandAssembles (Waltz)16Measuresin3/4

GrandEchappes 8Measuresin2/4

GrandJeteinattitudecroisee (Waltz)16Measuresin3/4

Glissades 4Measuresin4/4

PointeTendu (Waltz)16Measuresin3/4

Coupes 8Measuresin2/4

Emboites 8Measuresin2/4

BrisesDessusDessous 8Measuresin2/4

Petitschangementsdepieds 8Measuresin2/4

EXCERSISESONPOINTE

Echappes 8Measuresin2/4

SissonnesSimples 16Measuresin2/4

GargouilladesenDehors,andPasDeChat (Polka)16Measuresin2/4

Jetes 8Measuresin4/4

ToursSur

Le

Cou

de

pied

(Waltz)

16

Measures

in

3/4

ToursGlissadeenTournant 16Measuresin2/4

ToursenDehorswithDegage 8Measuresin2/4

7Vera

S.

Kostrovitskaya,

100

Lessons

in

Classical

Ballet,

1st

Limelight

ed.

(New

York:

Limelight

Editions,2004),pagenr.


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6

III. RequiredGeneralKnowledge1. TheRhythmicBasisofDance

Whentalkingdancestepsandrhythm,thedancertendstousedifferentlanguagethanthe

musician.Thedancergenerallyworksincountswhereasthemusicianthinksofbeats,

measures(orbars).Whenconvertingcountsonemustconsiderthetimesignatureandthe

pulse.Forexample;ifapianistwasplayinginathreefourtimesignatureforaGrand

Battementexercise,eachbarwouldbeconsideredacountandthetempocouldbemuch

faster,perhapsadottedminimequals70beatsperminute.IfonewastoplayaBattement

Fonduexerciseinathreefourtempo,eachcrotchetwouldbeconsideredacountandwould

berelatively

equal

in

tempo

to

awhole

bar

of

the

grand

battement

exercise.

Therefore

in

theFonduexerciseyouareplayingonethirdoftheamountofnotesiftheexerciseshares

thesamemusicandcounts.

Asmostdanceteachersarenotfamiliarwithdetailedmusicalanalysisanduse

differentterminology,theytendtoaskforaparticulartypeofdanceasanexamplelikea

slowwaltz,apolka,orarag.Thisfacilitatestheaccompanistwhenplayingfromscored

music,butwhenimprovisingthemusicianmusthaveanawarenessofotherfactors,which

inanycaseshouldalsobeconsideredwhenplayingoffnotatedmusic.Acomprehensive

understandingofhowrhythm,phraseandstructuresworkwillallowthepianisttomake

theirimprovisationseasilyunderstoodandbettersynchronisedwiththedancer(s).

2. Cadences:TheirRelativeStrengthCadenceisthebestwayofdefiningtheendsofphrases,aswellastonality.

8Cadencein

balletcanhelpguidethedancerthroughanexercise.Forthemusicaldancer,itprovides

themwithsubdivisionsofthephrase,whichifplayedcorrectlycanhelpthemwiththeir

ownsenseofphrasinganddirection.

Theimperfectauthenticcadence(IAC)andperfectauthenticcadence(PAC)are

characterizedbyadominantharmonyresolvinginthetonic.IntheUSterminologyIam

adoptinghere9,aperfectauthenticcadencereferstoclosedvoiceleading,withthesoprano

8WilliamS.Rockstro,etal."Cadence."InGroveMusicOnline.OxfordMusicOnline,http://0

www.oxfordmusiconline.com.library.ecu.edu.au/subscriber/article/grove/music/04523(accessedNovember

16,2011).

9RobertGauldin,HarmonicPracticeinTonalMusicWorkbook,SecondEdition,Workbooked.(New

York,London:W.W.Norton&Company,2004),133.SeealsoStevenG.Laitz,TheCompleteMusician:an

IntegratedApproach

to

Tonal

Theory,

Analysis,

and

Listening,

3rd

ed.

(New

York:

Oxford

University

Press,

USA,

2012),121125.


13/50

7

endingonthetonic,andthechordsbeinginrootposition. Thissoundsmorefinal,and

conclusiveanddesignatesthecloseofamusicalperiod.Theimperfectauthenticcadence

referstoaVIcadencethatdoesnotsatisfytheconditionsofbeingtonallyclosed(as

described

above).

As

such,

the

IAC

designates

the

end

of

a

phrase,

but

not

a

complete

musicalperiod. Thethirdsignificantcadencetypeisthehalfcadence(HC),whichdesignates

anycadenceclosingonchordV(whetherItoV,iitoV,IVtoV,vitoV,andsoon). The

fourthsignificantcadencetypeisthedeceptivecadence(DC),beingwhereadominant

chordsnormalresolutiontotonicisevadedbysubstitutionofthesubmediant.Finally,there

istheplagalcadence,whichappearsasasubstituteforthePACinsomelateRomantic

repertoire.Figure3)summarisesthesecadencetypes,theirabbreviations,andthe

harmoniesandvoiceleadingtheydesignate.

Figure3.Cadencestypes

CadenceType

(USterminology

English

terminology

Progression Voiceleading

Perfectauthentic

cadence(PAC)

Perfectcadence

withclosedvoice

leading

DominanttoTonic Sopranomoveseither7

8or2 1whilethebass

moves5 1

Imperfectauthentic

cadence

(AC)

Perfectcadence

with

open

voice

leading

DominanttoTonic Sopranocloseson5or3

Halfcadence(HC) Imperfectcadence Anythinggoingtothe

Dominant

Deceptivecadence(DC) Interrupted

cadence

Dominantto

Submediant

Plagalcadence Plagalcadence Subdominanttotonic

3. ConstructingPhrasesandPeriodsWhen

assessing

how

many

measures

one

would

play

to

fit

adance

exercise,

it

is

necessary

tofeelthemusicinphrasesandperiods.Itisalsovitaltothedancerthatthemusicisfeltin

phrasesratherthanindividualcounts,asthedancerneedstofeelthedirectionofthemusic

andhaveanaturalflowinordertogiveanorganicperformance.Whendiscussinghow

phrasesaretobedividedandthemusicalimpressiontheygive,itisusefultolabelthemby

theirtechnicalnames.

Ifadanceexerciseisplayedontwosides,thiswouldnormallycomprisetwoperiods,

eachconstructedinturnoftwodistinctphrases,oneanantecedentandoneaconsequent.


14/50

8

Theantecedentandtheconsequentphrasebothcombinedprovidetonalfulfilment.10

The

antecedentphraseprecedestheconsequentphrase,whichisusuallylefttonallyopen

definedbyacadenceonthedominant(oranimperfectauthenticcadence).Theconsequent

is

tonally

closed,

that

is

having

a

PAC,

therefore

providing

tonal

fulfilment.

11

It

is

also

useful

torecallthattheplagalcadencemaybeemployedtoendaphrase,althoughthisisless

common.12

Therefore,inconstructingadanceimprovisation,anaccompanistmustnormally

choosethefourcadencestobeplayedandtheirrelativestrengths. Possibleoutlinesare

givenbelowinFigure4:

Figure4.Twopossibletonalplans(withcadences)foradanceimprovisation

PeriodOne PeriodTwo

Antecedent Consequent Antecedent Consequent

PlanA EndswithHCintonic,orIACin

tonic

EndswithPACin

tonic

EndswithHCin

tonic,orIACin

tonic

EndswithPACin

tonic

PeriodOne

(Modulatestodominantkey)

PeriodTwo

(modulatesbacktotonic)

Antecedent Consequent Antecedent Consequent

PlanB

Ends

with

HC

in

tonic,orIACin

tonic

Endswith

PAC

on

dominant(or

otherclosely

relatedkey)

Multiple

options...

Endswith

PAC

in

tonic

Understandinghowaperiodisconstructed,andbeingabletoreplicatethisasthe

danceorexercisewarrants,willensuretheharmonicstructureandtosomedegreemelodic

designwillsupportthedancersinasatisfyingway.

Another

consideration

in

constructing

periods

is

motivic

repetition.

It

is

very

commonfortheconsequentphrasetoimitateorrepeatmelodicideasfromtheantecedent


York,London:W.W.Norton&Company,2004),page181.

11



12Robert

Gauldin,

Harmonic

Practice

in

Tonal

Music

Workbook,

Second

Edition,

Workbook

ed.

(New



15/50

9

phrase. Aperiodconstructedinsuchawayiscalledaparallelperiod.Ifnosuchrepetition

isemployed,itiscalledacontrastingperiod.13

Inconstructingapairofperiodsinthisway,adanceimprovisationmaysometimes

also

become

a

recognizable

musical

form

such

as

rounded

binary,

one

of

classical

musics

mostcommonformaltypes. DevelopedintheBaroque,roundedbinaryeventuallygrew

intosonataforminthelattereighteenthcenturybutpersistedastheformalmodelfor

minuets,trios,aswellasembeddedinminiaturewithinrondothemesandotherpiano

formssuchasmazurka.

Alsoknownastworepriseform,roundedbinaryisillustratedinFigure5below.

Figure5.RoundedBinaryFormasIllustratedinGauldin,HarmonicPracticeinTonalMusic14

Thefirstsection(A)isconstructedofaprogressiveperiod,theconsequentphrases

modulatingtothedominant. Thesecondsection(B)isdoublethelengthofthefirstsection

whichconsists

of

asmall

development

(often

consisting

of

sequential

material),

and

closing

witharepriseoftheAsectionthatisalteredsuchthattheconsequentphrasenowstayson

thetonic. Itiseasytoseethatroundedbinaryformislikeanincipientsonataform,contain

somequalitiesofaternaryform. Inadaptingroundedbinaryforadanceclass,therepeatof

theBsectionisomittedsuchthatthetwohalvesarepreciselyequalinlength.



14Robert

Gauldin,

Harmonic

Practice

in

Tonal

Music

Workbook,

Second

Edition,

Workbook

ed.

(New



16/50

10

IV. THEPARTIMENTOTRADITIONANDITSAPPLICABILITYTOSTRUCTURINGIMROVISATIONSFORTHEBALLETCLASS

AnewtypeofimprovisatorypiececalledapartimentoaroseintheBaroqueperiodwith

theinceptionofthethoroughbass.15

ThismethodwasdevelopedandpracticedinNaples

fromthe17thcentury.Theprincipalofthepartimentotraditionisthatthekeyboardplayer

wouldpracticesmallrealizations/patternsuntiltheyarewellingrainedandthenpractice

applyingtheseoverafiguredbassscoreinavarietyofwaysinmanydifferentkeys.Theidea

wasthatthenovicewouldhavetobuildupalargememoryofstoredmaterialthenlearnto

harbouritinsuchawaythattheycanperformstructuredimprovisations.16

Proficient

partimentiplayerscouldhavemorethan1,000differentpatternsmemorized,whichthey

couldapplywhenneeded.17Theresultwasastyleoffreeimprovisedperformancethat

couldbeusedforcompositionalpurposesorfortheperformerthemselves.Figure6isan

exampleisapartimentobasspattern'partimentinumeratibyFrancescoDurante.Theseare

cataloguedonlinebyNorthWesternUniversity.

Howisthisapplicabletodanceaccompaniment?Ofcourseitwouldntbeexpected

thatsomeonewouldhavetoknuckledownandlearnoverathousandrealizationsinallthe

keysand

be

able

to

apply

it

in

many

different

ways.

Good

improvisation

is

borne

of

logic

andformalorderandthesethingshavetobelearnt.Itisacraftasmuchasanart.

Developingastrategyandmethodofhowyouwouldpracticedanceaccompaniment

improvisationsandhavingasolidstructuralfoundationwillprovidethepianistwitha

repertoireofstockstandardphrasesundertheirfingers,addingfluencyandconfidenceto

theirimprovisations.

15BrunoNettl,etal."Improvisation." InGroveMusicOnline,OxfordMusicOnline,http://0

www.oxfordmusiconline.com.library.ecu.edu.au/subscriber/article/grove/music/13738pg2 (accessed

September29,2011).

16RobertO.Gjerdingen,Gebrauchsformulas,MusicTheorySpectrum33,no.2(Fall2011):191

17FrancescoDurante,PartimentiSiminuiti(embellishedBasses),MonumentsofPartimenti,

http://faculty

web.at.northwestern.edu/music/gjerdingen/partimenti/collections/Durante/diminuiti/index.htm(accessed

June16,2011).FrancescoDurante,PartimentiSiminuiti(embellishedBasses),MonumentsofPartimenti,

http://faculty

web.at.northwestern.edu/music/gjerdingen/partimenti/collections/Durante/diminuiti/index.htm(accessed

June16,2011).


17/50

11

Figure6.ApartimentoexercisebyFrancescoDurante18

Moreover,thewayinwhichpartimentiwereconstructedisofgreatinterest.Firstly

thereisafiguredbasstemplate,whichprovidesthestructure,boththeharmonicstructure

andphrasestructure.Thepianistplayingofftheserealizationscouldplaytheprogression

inanydifferentkey.Thepartimentopracticecanbeadaptedtonotonlytomemorise

certainharmonicprogressionssuitedtotheeightbarphrase,butalsoforthepracticeof

differentpatterns

to

suit

the

exercise.

Example;

for

an

exercise

you

could

play

in

a2/4

meterwitharepeatedlefthandvampstyleaccompaniment,orusingthesameharmonic

outlineusea6/8meterarpeggiatedaccompaniment,orevena3/4vampstylelikeawaltz.

Thesearedifferentstylesofplayingtheyareutilizingthesameharmonicstructureand

outlineanditisuptothepianisttobecreativewiththetexturesandmotivicmaterial.

Howdoesonedothisexactly?Obviously,memorisingmanyharmonicpatternscan

takealifetime.Buttheideaofapartimentoasaharmonictemplateisalsoausefulconcept.

A

harmonic

template

can

be

used

to

create

a

scaffolding

for

embellishment

through

improvisation. Firstly,thestructuremustbesetineveneightbarphrases. Dependingon

thelengthoftheexercise,thepianistmayeasilyadaptthemusicbysimplyselectingwhich

phrasestouse,orrepeatingphrases.

18FrancescoDurante,PartimentiNumerati(figuredBasses),MonumentsofPartimenti,

http://faculty

web.at.northwestern.edu/music/gjerdingen/partimenti/collections/Durante/numerati/index.htm(accessed

November17,2011).


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12

V. THEANALYSISOFFREEIMPROVISATIONFORTHEBALLETUSINGMICHAELBRETTASANEXEMPLAR

Mr.

Brett

has

almost

30

years

experience

playing

for

professional

ballet

classes

having

workedinGermanyfortheStuttgartBalletandHamburgBallet;inAustraliafortheWest

AustralianBallet;andinNewZealandfortheNewZealandSchoolofDance.Hewasthe

musicdirectorfortheRoyalAcademyofDanceinAustraliaandisnowthechief

accompanistforthedancedepartmentattheWesternAustralianAcademyofPerforming

Arts.Heisalsoindemandasanaccompanistforvisitingballetcompanies,balletmaster

classes,examinationsandcontinuestoassistdanceteachersinthemusicalaspectsoftheir

training.MostoftheworkMr.Brettdoes(syllabusandrepertoireworkaside)isimprovised.

However,he

also

extemporizes

from

memory

or

scores.

This

is

askill

he

has

developed

by

playingingroupsandensembleswhenhewasyounger,wherehehashadtoimproviseover

simplechordprogressionsandplayalargeamountofcommercialmusic,whichoverthe

yearshasbeeningrainedintohismemorysimilartoPartimentipatterns.Nowhehasthe

abilitytoaccessthisinformationanytimeheneeds.

A. MyObservationsWhenobservingMrBrettthefirstthingInoticedwashischoiceofrepertoire.Hetendedto

avoidusingmaterialfrompianorepertoireandusethemesfromeitherwellknowpiecesor

balletsandimprovisedaroundthem.Itseemstomakesenseastheyareavoidingrhythmic

repetitionormetricpredictability,whichisvitalfortheballetdancertofollow,whichdoes

againstwhatthegreatmastersweretryingtoachieve.19

MrBrettsstyleofmusicwasalsovarieddependingontheclass.Theclassitself

followsaspecific

structure

in

which

the

dancer

is

working

their

way

from

some

basic

stretchesandexercisesgraduallybuildinguptilltheyareperforminggreatleapsandjumps.

ThemusicthereforehasasenseofdoingthisandMichaelimprovisesindifferentstylesand

dynamic/intensitytosupportthedancers.

MrBrettsopeninggambitscreateanintroductiontothedance,providingaclear

rhythmiccharactertothedancers,givingthemtheopportunitytohearwhatstyleandpulse

19Wallis,Lynnetal.,ADanceClassAnthology:TheRoyalAcademyofDanceGuidetoBalletClass

Accompaniment,ed.

Jonathan

Still,

Melanie

Adams

and

Sabrina

Avellini

(London:

Royal

Academy

of

Dance

EnterprisesLtd,n.d.),12.


19/50

13

theymustfollow.Generallyhewouldplayafouroreightcountintroductionallowing

enoughtimeforthedancertocatchon.Theamountofbarsthatwouldbewoulddepend

onthemeterandthepulseofthemusic.

B. CATALOGUEANDANALYSISOFMICHAELBRETTSSCOREDIMPROVISATIONS

ImprovisationisdefinedbyBrunoNettlasfollows:

Thecreationofamusicalwork,orthefinalformofamusicalwork,asitis

beingperformed.Itmayinvolvethework'simmediatecompositionbyits

performers,ortheelaborationoradjustmentofanexistingframework,or

anythinginbetween.20

InthissectionIhavecataloguedtheimprovisationsofMichaelBrett,whicharegoingtobe

publishedinanexaminationsyllabussometimein2012.Thesewereconstructedusinga

DiskClavierpianolinkedtoacomputer,whichtranscribedwhathewasplayingintoscored

music.Aswellascataloguingthesetranscriptions,Ihavealsoanalysedandconstructed

templatesofaselectfew,whichdemonstrateclearharmonicandphrasestructures. These

structurescanbeembellishedtocreatenewworksinasimilarfashiontothepartimento

tradition.

20BrunoNettl,etal."Improvisation." InGroveMusicOnline.OxfordMusicOnline,http://0

www.oxfordmusiconline.com.library.ecu.edu.au/subscriber/article/grove/music/13738(accessed

November

2,

2011).


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14

1. BARREPLIES

EFlatMajor

Time

Signature

32BarSetting

4Bar/4CountIntroduction

Brokenchordaccompanimentwithsimplemelodymostlyconsistingofcrotchets.Givesa

flowingfeelwithlongmusicalline.

BATTMENTSTENDUANDGLISSSGMinor

2/4TimeSignature

32BarSetting


Nonlegatoalbertibasspatternwithastaccatomelodyconstructedwithsmallmotifs

accentuatingthebeat.Theresultisalight/snappyfeeling,whichcanhelpthedancer,

articulatetheirmovements.

RONDSDEJAMBEATERREANDASSEMBLSSOUTENUSCmajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting



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15

RONDSDEJAMBEATERREANDASSEMBLSSOUTENUSCmajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting


Thisexercisehasaflowingquaver,brokenchordlefthandpattern.MrBrettpurposely

phrasedthelefthandquaversingroupsoffourtogiveasenseoftwocountsinabar,which

thedancerwillbefollowing.

GRANDBATTEMENTSENCROIXANDRETIRSBFlatMajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting


BATTMENTSFRAPPSEFlatMajor

2/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting

2Bar/4

Count

Introduction


22/50

16

PETITSBATTMENTSDMinor

2/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting


BATTMENTSFONDUSENCROIXANDRONDSDEJAMBEENLAIRC

minor

4/4TimeSignature

8BarSetting

2Bar/FourCountIntroduction

DVELOPPSANDDEMIGRANDSRONDSDEJAMBEAFlatMajor

6/8TimeSignature

9BarSetting



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17

EXERCISEFORATTITUDEANDARABESQUEAMinor

TimeSignature

16BarSetting


GRANDBATTMENTSENCLOCHEQuickWaltz

TimeSignature

20BarSetting(4BarCoda)



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18

2. DEMI-POINTRISESAFlatMajor

4/4Time

Signature

32BarSetting


RELEVSEFlatMajor

2/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting


ECHAPPSRELEVSANDRELEVSAMinor

6/8TimeSignature

16BarSetting

2Bar/4

Count

Introduction


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19

3. CENTRE1STPORTDEBRASCMajor

6/8Time

Signature

16BarSetting


2ndPORTDEBRASGminor

TimeSignature

16BarSetting


SETEXCERCISEFMajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting

2Bar/4

Count

Introduction


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20

4. ADAGEEXCERSISEFORARABESQUEDFlatMajor

4/4Time

Signature

16BarSetting


EXCERSISEFORATTITUDESEFlatMajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting


TEMPSLISENAVANTANDENARRIRE

FMajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting



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21

1STADAGE

GMinor(TierceDePicadiEnding)

TimeSignature

32BarSetting

4

Bar/4

Count

Introduction

2NDADAGE

AFlat

Major

4/4TimeSignature

32BarSetting

2Bar/FourCountIntroduction

UNSEENADAGEENCHANEMENT:6/8

CMajor

6/8TimeSignature

16BarSetting



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22

UNSEENADAGEENCHANEMENT3/4BFlatMajor

TimeSignature

16BarSetting


UNSEENADAGEENCHANEMENT4/4

I. Fminor4/4TimeSignature16BarSetting



29/50

23

5. PIROUETTESPIROUETTESENDEHORS

D

Minor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting


PIROUETTESENDEDANS

EFlatMajor,ModulatingtoAFlatMajoratmidpoint

TimeSignature

32BarSetting


EMBOTSRELEVSANDPOSPIROUETTESBYHALFTURN

A

Minor

4/4TimeSignature

32or64BarSetting,dependingonrepeats


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24

UNSEENPIROUETTESENCHAMENTMALE

BFlatMajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting

2

Bar/4

Count

Introduction

TOURSENLAIRMALE

I.

C

Major

3/8TimeSignature

32BarSetting



31/50

25

6. ALLEGROWARMUPENCHANEMENT

G

Major

6/8TimeSignature

16BarSetting


1STALLEGRO

EFlatMajor

TimeSignature

32BarSetting


2NDALLEGRO

FMajor

2/4TimeSignature

16

Bar

Setting



32/50

26

3RDALLEGRO

Tempodipolkamazurka

EFlatMajor

TimeSignature

16

Bar

Setting


BATTERIEENCHANEMENTFEMALESamemusicasimmediatelysubsequent...

BATTERIEENCHANEMENTMALE

(Malemenomossoconbravura)

DMajor

Time

Signature

16BarSetting


UNSEENALLEGRONO.1POLKA

CMajor

2/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting



33/50

27

UNSEENALLEGRONO.2GIGUE

AMinor

6/8TimeSignature

16BarIntroduction

2

Bar/4

Count

Introduction

UNSEENALLEGRONO.3MAZURKA

BFlatMajor

Time

Signature

16BarSetting


UNSEENALLEGRONO.4SCHOTTISCHE

DMajor

4/4TimeSignature

8BarSetting



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28

UNSEENALLEGRONO.52/4

GMinor

2/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting

2

Bar/4

Count

Introduction

UNSEENALLEGRONO.6VIENNESEWALTZ

GMajor

TimeSignature

32BarSetting


UNSEENALLEGRONO.7LYRICALWALTZ

FMajor

TimeSignature

32BarSetting



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29

7. POINTERISES

C

Minor

4/4TimeSignature

32BarSetting


RELEVS

CMajor

4/4TimeSignature

16BarSetting


ECHAPPSRELEVSANDRELEVS

BFlatMajor

6/8TimeSignature

16BarSetting

2

Bar/4

Count

Introduction


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30

UNSEENPOINTENO.14/4

FMajor

4/4TimeSignature

8BarSetting

2

Bar/4

Count

Introduction

UNSEENPOINTE

NO.2

CMinor

3/4TimeSignature

30BARSETTING


POINTEENCHANEMENT

EFlatMajor

TimeSignature

32BarSetting



37/50

31

RVRANCE


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32

C. ANALYTICALDISCUSSION1. AccompanimentPatterns

Thisnexttable(seeFigure7)isatallyofdifferentlefthandpatterns/styles,whichMrBrett

employedinhistranscribedimprovisations.Whenlearningtoimprovise,itwouldprove

usefultopracticethepatternsMrBrettusesintheratioofthissetofpieces.Asisanoverall

representativeofhowheaccompaniesaballetclass.

Figure7.AnAnalysisoftheDifferentLeftHandAccompanimentPatterns

AccompanimentPattern

No

of

UsesComment

AlbertiBassPattern 1

Brokenchordpatternin4/4or2/4 6

Brokenchordfigurationin6/8 1

Arpeggiopatternin6/8 2

Arpeggiopatternin3/4 1

Simplechordalaccompanimentin3/4 2



Bassand

repeated

chord

pattern

in

3/4

2

Bassandrepeatedchordpatternin4/4 1

Vampstylebassandchordin4/4and2/4 11 Addsemphasisonthe'twoinabar'

feelasthebassfallsonevery

secondbeat.

Vampstylebassandchordin3/4 10

Vampstylebassandchordin6/8 3

'Barcarolle'arpeggiofollowedbychord

patternin6/8

1 Givesthemusicaliltedfeeling.

"Depictingthemovementofa

boat",isadescriptionintheNew

GroveDictionary.21

21MauriceJ.E.BrownandKennethL.Hamilton."Barcarolle."InGroveMusicOnline.OxfordMusic

Online,http://0

www.oxfordmusiconline.com.library.ecu.edu.au/subscriber/article/grove/music/02021

(accessedNovember14,2011).


39/50

33

2. DevelopmentofMotivicIdeasFrommyobservationsofMichaelBrett'splayingandhistranscriptions,heusuallyhasa

themeormotivewhichheplaysaroundwiththroughouttheexercise.Forexample,exercise

3(Figure

7)

employs

arhythmic

motive

of

adotted

quaver

followed

by

asemi

quaver

that

givesthemelodyaliltedfeel.Thismotiveisrepeatedfifteentimes. Amotiveissimplya

shortmusicalidea,whetherharmonic,melodic,rhythmicoranycombinationofthem.22

Whenimprovisingitwouldproveusefultohavesomesortofthemeorideainmindand

developitinasmanydifferentwaysaspossible. Repetitioncreatesasenseofmusical

cohesionandisnecessarytoanysuccessfulimprovisation. However,repetitionshouldnot

beoverdone:repetitionandcontrastmustalwaysbekeptinadelicatebalance.

3. HarmonicTemplatesDerivedfromMichaelBrettsBalletImprovisations

Figure8throughFigure12areharmonicanalysesofMichaelBrett'stranscriptions.Ihave

writtentheminfiguredbasssoonecouldreadoffthemlikeyouwouldreadoffapartimenti

basspattern.Ratherthandividingeachharmonyfromeachbar,Ihavestructuredthemin

countstomakeiteasierforthepianisttohaveanunderstandingofthedancersphraseand

beatas

opposed

to

the

musical

one.

So

if

there

are

two

or

more

harmonic

progressions

in

theonecount,thentheywillbewrittenintheonesquare.Itisthentheprerogativeofthe

pianisthowtheywilldivideandgivevaluetoeachoftheseharmonies.Inmostcasesthere

iseitheroneortwocountsinabar.

Ofthethreetablesinthesetemplates,thefirstrowinthetopleftcorneristhe

openinggambit.Thesecondisthefirsthalfoftheexercise,andthethirdrowisthesecond

halfoftheexercise.Ihavemarkedinthepivotalcadentialpointsandphrasenames,asthey

providetheunderlyingstructureofthemusic.Forthemusicaldancer,structureiskeytoa

successfulimprovisation,providingharmonicandrhythmicdirectionandstability.An

awarenessofthesestructureswhenpracticingwillhelpthepianistcreatetheirown

structuredimprovisations. Allgoodimprovisationsforballetclassareborneoflogicand

formalorder.

22WilliamDrabkin."Motif."InGroveMusicOnline.OxfordMusicOnline,http://0

www.oxfordmusiconline.com.library.ecu.edu.au/subscriber/article/grove/music/19221(accessed

November

18,2011).


40/50

Figure8. AanalysisofEXERCISE1:PLIS

OpeningGambit

Q^4 CTo & T& T&

ANTECEDENTPHRASE CONSEQUENTPHRASE

EFlatMajor

I I ^ V $3 T& Q uO 4m

T

T^5 T^5 and viiO/w ii ^4 CTo& Q^4

CMinor EFlatmajor

i q T$3 T& q^ CTo & I^ 4 TZ 9 m w w CTo& Q^ CTo &


41/50

35

Figure9. TheMusicofEXERCISE1:PLISbyMichaelBrett23

23MichaelBrett,forthcomingpublication.


42/50

36

Figure10.AnanalysisofEXERCISE2:BATTEMENTTENDUSANDGLISSS

OpeningGambit

q q^4 i q^ 4


HCiV7

HCIII V $3

i i^ r qqO^4 T& T^ 5 q T& q q^ iv iv 6


ACV^5 - i

PACV& - i

i qt T^ 5m E III Y^ Tm T V^ 5 q qr T^5m E III Y^


43/50

37

Figure11.TheMusicofEXERCISE2:BATTEMENTTENDUSANDGLISSSbyMichaelBrett24



44/50

38

Figure12.AnanalysisofEXERCISE3:RONDSDEJAMBETERREANDASSEMBLSSOUTENUS

OpeningGambit

I ^4 Q^ & Q ^ZZ# ii V


HC V& - eO& (OPEN)

PACT& - Q

I I RZ# RZ# I I viiO $ 3m V V& eO& i^Z# T&m T uO$2


PLAGALCADENCE

RZ# - Q^- Q

I vi ii V I ^ C/TO & ii R Z # I ^ viiO $ 3 ii V& / y R


45/50

39

Figure13.TheMusicofEXERCISE3:RONDSDEJAMBETERREANDASSEMBLSSOUTENUSbyMichael

Brett25



46/50

40

4. ImprovisingfromaTemplateSimilartothatofthebaroquepartimentibasspatterns,thisharmonicanalysiscanbeused

asthebasisofimprovisationforballetexercises.Itwouldbeagoodideatoworkthrough

thetemplate

practicing

the

chords

in

some

different

keys.

Inoticed

from

my

observations

of

MichaelBrettthathewouldusemostlykeyswithuptofourflatsorsharps.Hewould

generallyusekeyswithflatsandnotmorethanfourflats,butitisuptothepianistonwhich

keystheywillbeutilizing,aslongasthereisvarietywithdifferentexercises. Perhaps,one

couldpracticebetweeneachchordtwoatatimetoensurecontinuity.Oncethepianistis

comfortablewithplayingthesechordsanddoesn'thavetomakemuchofaconsciouseffort

toperformthetemplatebeginningtoenditistimetostartapplyingdifferent

accompanimentpatterns

and

motivic

textures.

Ifonewantssomesuggestedbasicharmonicpatternstopracticetheycouldstartby

referringtothecatalogueofworksandpracticeapplyingthedifferentlefthandpatternsto

thetemplatethepianistisworkingon.Onecouldalsopracticestockstandardtonal

progressions,suchasthecycleoffifths,orsimilarkeyprogressions(Iviii6VIorthe

similar). Itisimportantthatthepianistpracticesthelefthandseparatelytostartofwithto

ensurethattherightharmoniesarebeingemployedintheaccompanimentpattern.

Asfarasthemelody,themeand/ormotivicmaterialisconcernedIcanoffersome

suggestionsofhowtostartpracticingthese,butitisreallytrialanderroraswellaslistening.

Agoodstartwouldbepracticingsmallsectionsofsimpleofsimplemelodiesormotives.An

example:thefirsttwobarsofJ.S.Bach'sMinuetinGmajorFromAnnaMagdalena

notebook.Playthesefirsttwobarsineveryharmonysuggestedbythetemplate(oneata

time).Makesuretousethenotesofeachchord,andnotesnotfoundintheharmonyinthe

chordshouldbethatofthescalefromthekeyofmusic.Makesuremodulationsaretaken

intoconsideration,andthatifoneisplayinginaminorkeytheyshouldalsoconsider

employingthe

melodic

minor

scale

to

avoid

the

dissonance

between

the

flat

sixth

and

raisedseventh,unlessitisdesiredbytheplayer.Thesearenotaguaranteeofagood

soundingmelodybutmerelysomesuggestionsofhowonecouldpracticeimprovisinga

melody.Themostkeyislisteningandmakingsurethecontourofthemelodyreflectsthatof

thephrasestructureandharmonicstructure.


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41

5. StepstoCreatingyourOwnImprovisationInordertocreateonesownimprovisation,apartfromacompletetemplate,thepianist

needstoconsidermanyfactors. ThelogicalorderofstepsisoutlinedbelowinFigure14.

Figure14.LogicalStepstoCreatinganImprovisation

Step1:workoutthecounting,metre,andnumberofbarsrequiredfortheparticularexercise

Step2:chooseakeyandcreatephrasestructuresandcadential/tonalgoals Step3:findasuitableaccompanimentpattern Step4:haveamotivic/melodicgermtodevelop

VI. CONCLUSIONWhenIsetoutonmystudyforthisdissertation,mymaingoalwastoseehowIcould

becomeabetterimproviserfortheballetclass.ThekeyquestionIwasseekingtoanswer

waswhatexactlyisrequiredinordertolearntoimproviseforaballetclass.First,Ifound

thatIneededtohaveastrongunderstandingofhowaballetclassisstructured,andwhat

wasexpectedofthepianist. Second,IthenrealisedIneededtolearnmoreabouttonal

harmonyin

order

to

structure

an

effective

improvisation.

Ithus

read

extensively

from

theorytextsonthewaysthatphrasesandperiodsareconstructedintonalmusic. Third,I

wasalsointriguedbytheBaroquepartimentomethodanditsapparenthistoricalsuccessin

facilitatingstructureimprovisationsinaknownmusicalstyle. Mygoalwastodevelopmy

owntemplatestobeusedinsimilarfashiontothepartimentotradition. Fourth,Iwantedto

learnasmuchaspossiblefromtheimprovisationsofMichaelBrett. Forthelastyear,Ihave

effectivelybeenhisapprentice. Ihaveattemptedtousedmynewfoundtheoretical

knowledgetoanalysesomeofhiscompositionsandapplythemastemplatesinmyown

improvisatorypractice. Ihavefoundthatthisprojecthasgivenmeenoughtoolsto

commencerudimentaryimprovisations.Indeed,ithaslayedbarethepreviouslyhidden

structureunderlyingmuchtonalrepertoire. Inessence,theoryhastaughtmehowto

structureanimprovisation. ButobservationofMichaelBretthastaughtmethestylesand

typesofaccompanimentpatternsneeded,andthewaystodevelopmusicalmotives. This

hasbeenarichlyrewardingmusicaljourney,oneinwhichIhavecomefar,butone

presentingmanyfurthermusicalchallengesandpotentiallyalifetimetomaster.


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42

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no.

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November

14,

2011).

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Online.

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16,

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Gjerdingen,Roberto.Gebrauchsformulas.MusicTheorySpectrum33,no.2(Fall2011):

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Musician

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Workbook,

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Messerer,Asaf.ClassesinClassicalBallet.NewYork:LimelightEditions,2007.

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Paskevska,Anna.BothSidesoftheMirror:theScienceandArtofBallet.2nded.Pennington,

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Giorgio.

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Realization

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Introduction."

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Documents

Frosi, S. (2011). the Improvisation of Structured Keyboard Accompaniments for the Ballet Class