Walter Fleischmann is Professor Emeritus of Piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna.
Notes Become Music: A Guidebook from the Viennese Piano Tradition addresses the many unwritten nuances of dynamics, articulation and agogics as an expression of fundamental principles of a common European musical language. It treats the score as an incomplete musical shorthand that outlines the compositional and interpretive imperatives implicit within it, drawing on historical records from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and detailed comparisons of works to underline the author´s presentation of Viennese tradition.
This book is not primarily concerned with questions of style or interpretation. Rather, it explains the many facets of musical notation that were taken for granted by composers who assumed a knowledge of the piano tradition of their day. Notes Become Music informs not only those students in countries where the central European music tradition is still unfamiliar, but also a younger generation of Europeans who have grown up without a living connection to their musical past.
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- for the advanced student of piano or performing musician
- a readable and practical handbook of the most important unwritten musical conventions and principles of the period as they refer most specifically to the needs of the on-going pianist
- though grounded in a deep knowledge of the historical source material, it is written out of practical experience and for practical use
- illustrated throughout with 75 musical examples. 48 audio examples accompany the text as an eResource
1. Introduction: Musical Principles and the Limits of Notation / 2. Dynamics / 3. Articulation / 4. Agogics / 5. Pedal / 6. Notation / 7. Conclusion
1. Introduction: Musical Principles and the Limits of Notation / 2. Dynamics / 3. Articulation / 4. Agogics / 5. Pedal / 6. Notation / 7. Conclusion
Notes Become Music: A Guidebook from the Viennese Piano Tradition addresses the many unwritten nuances of dynamics, articulation, and agogics as an expression of fundamental principles of a common European musical language.
"[Notes Become Music] conveys fundamental insights into how the works of the masters may be played both correctly and beautifully.... The study is concerned with nuances of our musical language that are often neglected or overlooked.... Mr. Fleischmann´s insights are the fruit of decades of experience in piano teaching and performing."
—Paul Badura-Skoda, pianist and conductor
"Great piano music has lived for centuries not only on the manuillegalscript paper upon which it was notated by the masters, but also in the changing styles of interpretation over the years. Walter Fleischmann's intriguing work points out limits that serious pianists should not transgress, at the same time opening up a wealth of possibilities for legitimate interpretation for which there are no traditional means of notation."
—Alexander Jenner, Professor Emeritus, University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
