The English Piano School

7/29/2019 The English Piano School

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The English School:Matthay; His Pupils and Coleagues

Chapter 17:


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English piano instruction during the 18th century was

greatly influenced by foreign-born musicians.

Mendelssohn performed and conducted successfully inBritain between 1829 and 1847. His refined classical styleappealed significantly to the methodical Englishtemperament.


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Music Schools in England


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The Royal Academy of Music: Founded in 1823


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The Royal College of Music: Founded in 1882


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William Townsend

Balance of Arm in Piano Technique (Published in 1890)

To achieve true finger independence:

Every finger movement must be made without

occasioning the movement of any other part of the hand(p.364)

Inhibition of involuntary movements is as important as themovement itself.

but this inhibition is impossible as long as the weight ofthe hand and arm is not balanced.


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Balance of Arm in Piano Technique

The weight of the arm should be used with the greatest care.

if balanced arm-weight is not constantly in use duringplaying, the result is loss of tone-quality, of correctleverage, of independence of finger-action, of physicalcomfort and of naturalness of demeanour. (p.365)


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Balance of Arm in Piano Technique

Exercises:

Balance without hold

Balance with hold

Finger > Key resistance > push > hold and elasticity ofthe wrist


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Harold Bauer (1873 1951)

Violinist and pianist

Moved to Paris in 1892 on the advice of Paderewski to takeviolin lessons, but worked as an accompanist instead.

His only piano lessons were with a musician aunt.

He developed his technique by seeing a young dancer.


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Tobias Matthay (1858 1945)

He entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1872, at age 14

In 1880, he was named assistant professor of piano at thesame institution

He published The Act of Touch in 1903.

Of economy, either in time, words, paper or printing ink, Mr.Matthay has no conception Of course there is much more in the

book, and many things that have pedagogical value; but it is

laboriousto dig them out of Professor Matthays verbal tumulus.

-New York Tribune, September 1904


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Ambrose Coviello, one of Mathhays colleagues, later wrotea little volume entitled What Matthay Meant, His Musicaland Technical Teachings Clearly Explained and Self-Indexed.

Matthays Act of Touch is grouped into four divisions:

I. General Aspects of the Problems of Pianoforte Playing

II.Key Treatment from its Instrumental Aspect

III.Key Treatment from its Muscular Aspect

IV.On Position


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Section I

Intelligence in PlayingAttention Inwards:

Musical-Imagination to perceive Musical-Emotion andMusical-Shape

Ability to judge the Time-Spot and Tone-Kind for eachnote

Attention Outwards:

Attention Muscularly and Aurally.Feel

key-resistancebefore and during the descent and Hearthe completionof the descent


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Section II describes and analyzes the piano and its parts,

discusses the behavior of the strings, talks about theimportance of treating the key as a lever, and addressesissues in the process of tone production.

Matthay describes the relationship between speed of key-depression and tone quality. (p.375)


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Some of Matthays arguments against striking the keys:

We cannot estimate the weight

Loss of energy

quality of tone is impossible of attainment

loss of power, and loss of tone-beauty

Unreliability in the case of rapid reiterations of the samenote

Unnecessary muscular fatigue

Risk of overworking the muscles, and inflaming thetendons


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In Section III, Matthay describes the process of tonecreation from a muscular perception, emphasizing:

Feeling the key-resistance

Proper touch (never in the form of a blow)

Resting (always constant either at surface or bottom-

level of the keyboard) Rotary freedom of the forearm

Finger position and action:

Thrusting or Bent (muscular)

Clinging or Flat (weight)


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The fourth and last section is brief. In it he states that

correct body posture is the only way to achieve correctmuscular actions but it doesnt guarantee them.

About hand position, he insists that each finger is inposition, andfeels each key, before the act of key-depression is commenced

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The English Piano School