FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

  CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Timing

«Accuracy is good, haste is tragic, delay is marvellous».

20. After having personally conquered the nature of a piece, a performer can «break the time framework» and perform it without following a specific tempo. Anything he then performs will be good. A beginner, however, must take great care as far as the important

musical «tempo» chapter is concerned.

21. The reason behind the existence of compound time is the maintenance of fluency, preventing the time-constrain of performance. The terminology of compound time (borrowing the term from the Art of Psalms) is the condensation of two bars into one and not the one mistakenly given by the current theory of music (See Christodoulos Vassiliades, Theory of Music, First Theory, Chapter 5, paragraph 10, page 6).

22. Time should never be lost within the melody or tone of a certain piece, or within musical notes of great value. Within us, two powers are naturally always in combat; melody and time fight each other. Making use of the virtue of discrimination, we must always keep the two dimensions, these being the melodic line and time, inseparably bound and cleverly balanced.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

 CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Timing

«Accuracy is good, haste is tragic, delay is marvellous».

18. On several occasions, especially when a slow, melodic line is concerned, the performer wishes for the tempo to be slightly slower

than the right one. He must also, however, pay special attention to the needs of the audience, which almost always wishes for the piece to have greater motion and expression, thus - achieving the distinct reshaping and recreation of the musical pictures.

19. When having a fast tempo of three fourths, it is best to count every two bars, as if having before us a bar of six fourths. This adds much motion to the musical line.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

  CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Timing

«Accuracy is good, haste is tragic, delay is marvellous».

13. If wishing to place greater emphasis on a note, it is common practice to slightly delay playing the last note or chord of a piece; taking a small breath is an even more effective tool.

14. Always keep in mind the following rules: in music, anything said at exactly the right tempo is good, anything said before its time is a crime and sometimes a few things slightly delayed can be wonderful. It is way better to delay a note (where permitted, goes without saying), so that the audience does not hear the sound where expecting to, but with a slight delay.

15. Ensure that the ritenuto at the end of any piece is performed in the correct and orthodox way. Depending on the piece to be

performed, there is always only one correct type of ritenuto.

16. After having learned a piece well, it is best to allow the metronome to beat for a whole bar rather for every note. If, for example, a quaver is to be played at a beat of a 120, have the metronome beating for the half dotted at 40 (for a bar of three fourths). This is a clever trick offering greater fluency to the piece being performed without accelerating the tempo, transforming it into an embodied and authentic reality before the audience.

17. If performing a piece at a slightly faster tempo, the end result is nicer when performance is softer; when, however, performing a piece slightly more slowly, it is better to play this more loudly, as this adds sound and majesty to the piece.

(to be continued)

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

 CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Timing

«Accuracy is good, haste is tragic, delay is marvellous».

7. If you face difficulties in this section and believe that your logic predominates your performance which should spring from your heart and feeling through logic, an easy method for putting the situation

right is to perform the piece at a slightly faster tempo. This will resituate your brain so that it no longer acts as the restraining factor.

8. The correct tempo for any piece varies slightly each time depending on the mood of its performer, as well as on the tone in which it is performed, this may be slightly louder or softer.

9. When studying a piece with the aid of a metronome, check yourself regularly to ensure that the beat has not accelerated or retarded with respect to that indicated by the metronome.

10. It is the habit of some performers to adopt a slightly or much

faster tempo than the right one; yet, this is purely adopted as a means of selfprojection or show-off, not because it serves the correct interpretation and execution of the piece.

11. When spotting a rhythmic difficulty, gradually reduce the speed with which you are playing the piece until you reach a very slow tempo, so that you can detect just like a good doctor would- the source of the error or difficulty.

12. For succeeding in reaching a perfect ritenuto in between or at the end of a piece try to picture this as an engine which, having been turned off, slowly retards from 100 to 95, to 90, to 80, to 70, to 50, to 30, to 0.

(to be continued)

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Timing

«Accuracy is good, haste is tragic, delay is marvellous».

4. To gain your freedom, a freedom that will be genuine and real, you must first submit yourself to the beat of the metronome and become

its faithful servant. If you attempt to perform the various tempo changes (ritenuto, acceleranto, rubato etc.), without first having stabilised the tempo inside you, failure is bound to come.

5. When studying a piece, take care to do this slowly, until every detail subconsciously becomes second nature, until it becomes a

passion, a habit, so that when playing the piece at its normal speed, the need for thinking anything else apart from expression, no longer exists.

6. A melodic tune should have a spontaneous inward fluency and not consist of independent, unconnected parts. That is why, once having learned a piece, you must dissociate yourself from the need of the metronome.

(to be continued)

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

  CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Timing

«Accuracy is good, haste is tragic, delay is marvellous».

1. There is one and only tempo in which any piano piece must be

performed; neither faster, nor slower.

2. It is only after you perfect and experience a piece having first discovered everything there is to discover including it, about its

composer and era, that you can find the correct speed for it.

3. It is important to use a metronome when learning a piece. Play lighter than you ought to, so that you can hear the metronome. The louder you play, the less you listen to the metronome.

(to be continued)

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

 CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Notes on how to study

«Small mistakes can turn into bad habits difficult to uproot».

9. After having learned a piece, do not lose your concentration; always stay on the catch until all those elements composing the piece become passion, habit and second nature.

10. If you do not succeed in performing a certain part of the piece, both subdivide this into smaller time values (semiquavers, demisemiquavers), and convert it into exercises. It is best, once having learned this technique, to transform all difficult parts into exercises rather than study several exercises not directly connected to the piece.

11. When studying a piece in a slow tempo for the first time perform this in a soft tone, as it is a habit to play more loudly when the piece is performed much faster.

12. When studying a Fugue for the first time, first play the different

voices separately, paying no real attention to correct fingering, while simultaneously singing another voice out loud. This way, the various musical lines become engraved in your mind. As a second step, study separately the music corresponding to the left and to the right hand. In this way, you shall acquire correct understanding as far as playing the Fuge is concerned.

Christmas wishes

We wish you all the best for merry Christmas

and a happy and prosperous

new year!

Christodoulos Vassiliades

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT - THE PIANO

CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES 

Notes on how to study

«Small mistakes can turn into bad habits difficult to uproot».

5. Choose pieces that you personally enjoy studying, otherwise you will have no enthusiasm left to finish what you have started. The most

important thing of all is to maintain your enthusiasm until the end. Do not blame your teacher when observing no progress in your work; look for the one at fault inside you.

6. One way of learning a piece is to first learn it all in terms of rhythm, melody and fingering gradually adding the details to it. This strategy allows for the initial enthusiasm to be maintained until the end.

7. Personally, we prefer the method of performing the piece from the start bar by bar in every detail. This way you train your fingers to do

all those things that you wish them to do, from the start. In this way there will be no need for changing any parts in your performance afterwards, as you will have these ready from the beginning. It is much more difficult to change something after you have learned it and has become a habit.

8. The slightest detail, if neglected and not noticed from the beginning, will become much more noticeable when playing the piece in its normal tempo and will be much harder to correct.

(to be continued)

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT, THE PIANO

Notes on how to study

«Small mistakes can turn into bad habits difficult to uproot».

 

1. When studying, be careful so that the tempo with which you play a piece is neither too fast, nor too slow, but is the exact tempo which

will enable you to observe and perform all those things that you have in mind and wish to perform. Try to think of everything in advance; do not correct anything after having made a mistake.

2. When studying non-stop, your interest for what you are playing gradually fades away. For that reason, it is best that your study consists of small pauses that will allow you, on one hand, to not lose your interest and on the other to relax and avoid the danger of hypertension.

3. It is best to study a phrase of four bars until you learn it in great detail, almost off by heart, rather than studying one or two pages, repeating these from beginning to end.

4. When studying, you should be relaxed and it is best to take a shower before beginning your piano study. The desire to study should come from within you, it should not be something that you thrust upon yourself. For reasons well understood, it is best to study during the morning hours.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT, THE PIANO

 CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES

D΄.

Body position and exercises

«When playing the piano, acquire the same relaxing feeling as when lying on the surface of the sea».

12. Lightly, without exercising any force, place your fingers on the piano or on the table; then, move your fingers one by one, or two by two in the upward or downward direction.

13. Place your fingers, one by one, on the table and press them until a sense of contact and depth is created.

14. The fingers must be very close to the keys so as to be able to control the sound; there are, of course, exceptions to this rule. When about to perform a piece of high complexity and extreme speed, it is a must for all fingers to be positioned very close to the piano, if possibly adjoining to it. The reason that all fingers should be touching the keys is so that they can be extremely ready to immediately perform anything, however difficult this may be. We must first, however, train our fingers to correctly articulate the various sounds.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT, THE PIANO

 CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES

C΄.

Body position and exercises

«When playing the piano, acquire the same relaxing feeling as when lying on the surface of the sea».

8. Bend your hand upwards, aim at a note and allow it to come down freely.

9. From a high position play various staccato chords, abruptly raising your hand. Several pianists often employ this method as a means for showing off.

10. Weight lifting or sports such as tennis etc., does your hands great damage. C. The wrist

11. Depending on the piece to be performed (its speed, era or composer, whether it is rhythmical or melodic), movement of the wrist can be in the right or left direction, upwards or downwards.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT, THE PIANO

CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES

Β΄.

Body position and exercises

«When playing the piano, acquire the same relaxing feeling as when lying on the surface of the sea».

4. Raise your shoulders up high and allow them to come down freely.

5. Having your head facing downwards, bend forwards; raise your hands upwards, allowing them to freely come down again (do this at least five times).

6. Stand upright, raise your hands and again allow them to freely come down (repeat this at least five times), so as to form a circular motion.

7. Stand upright, close your eyes and allow yourself to be carried away by a feeling of upward lift. When this is achieved, the body shall take its proper position. B. Exercises for the hand.

(to be continued).

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT, THE PIANO

CHRISTODOULOS VASSILIADES

A΄.

Body position and exercises

«When playing the piano, acquire the same relaxing feeling as when lying on the surface of the sea».

1. When studying the piano or when about to perform in a concert, it is best to sit on the front part of the piano stool, so as to stabilise body

position by placing weight on your feet.

2. Your feet should always face forwards (even when studying, to avoid the danger of any other position becoming a habit and an addiction), and should be slightly open.

3. As the danger of losing body balance always exists when playing very high or low notes, it is best to sit close to the piano -not too close, howeverso as to maintain this balance. A. Exercises for the shoulders

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Introduction

 G΄. 

Christodoulos Vassiliades

 

We are convinced that it is as difficult to become a performer and a soloist, as it is to become a good professor. I say to become because

you cannot carry with you by nature all the aptitudes of a good professor, except, of course, those innate qualities of transmitting knowledge and information. To be an effective piano professor you have to analyse all facts, even the last subdivision, to disarrange them into pieces, to disassemble them into their components, to reach the inferior level of human being, to live the Crucifixion and then rearrange, reassemble them again, arrange them into bigger groups and ascent to the top of beauty of Resurrection and Transformation.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Introduction

 F΄. 

Christodoulos Vassiliades

All potentials hidden within the human nature should follow an upward path, moving towards perfection as a unified and non-divided whole, unilaterally and anisotropically, so that no one strengthens at the expense of the others. Our mind should be under continuous training if it is to become capable of receiving new

musical inputs on a daily basis. Moreover, one should exercise body dexterity and ability: of the hand, of the wrist and of the fingers, of vision (so that the performer can «listen» to the music within his soul simply by looking at the score), of hearing (so that when listening to a piece he can «see» the music within his soul). As a final step comes the training of our ability in mastering improvisation. This book is primarily addressed to piano professors, then to those performing this instrument and finally to advanced students trying to become initiated into the secrets of piano technique and performance.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Introduction

 E΄. 

Christodoulos Vassiliades

It describes, in every possible detail, the several movements of the body and of the soul, the «musical falls from both left and right», the route that leads towards musical perfection and most importantly

towards the training of the artist for becoming a virtuoso. The greatest, but unfortunately inevitable, as it seems, crime of our century, is the splicing of a living organism following its description, in an effort to understand this with our irrational reasoning. The consequence of this strategy is to lose the sense of integrity and hence of the essence of things. Within the «being» of truly great composers, all elements composing the marvellous subject termed music are found together as a whole, - 12 - undivided, uninterrupted and not confused entity, as independent yet inseparable parts.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Introduction

D΄. 

Christodoulos Vassiliades 

 Man as an artistic entity aims in finding through music, and more generally speaking, through art, his idol; for he believes that this is

real, with substance, and not imaginary. He, therefore, basically tries, consciously or unconsciously (the later case being the most common), to reach the highest possible point beyond which nobody else can go, that is the point of supreme beauty, of current loveliness, of everlasting heavenly music. And it is only when exhausted from the numerous attempts and pursuits, after having tried all existing musical forms, it is only then that God may have mercy for his creature, for He can
see his pointless search. And then, once you have humbled yourself to the point of realising your insignificance, God will reveal to you the true music, the angelic glorification and the glorious beauty that lies hidden within silence. This small essay is the result of experience that springs from many years of searching for vain knowledge.

(to be continued...)

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Introduction

C΄. 

Christodoulos Vassiliades 

Every human being is born with a certain number of talents, which one could define as the uncultivated abilities which God in multiple

forms offers to each one, such as the ability of perceiving fine sounds, of visually committing to memory various analogies, of object equilibrium etc. From - 11 - the very moment of conception these begin to change shape and form. Each individual character, however, should try hard, adding many new aspects in terms of knowledge, emotion, skill etc., if aiming to reach perfection and to transform into a integral musical existence. It is this process of gradual improvement that we attempt to describe as best as we possibly can within the pages of this book. However, once the student perceives and experiences these in full length (that is, once he himself empirically and practically experiences the objectives presented by this book), he must then unite all different strains of knowledge so that their form is transformed into one and only notion.

(to be continued...)

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Introduction

B΄. 

Christodoulos Vassiliades

 Within the pages of this book the reader can find many details concerning the movements of the soul and the body, the powers, possibilities and operations which concern music and which spring

from the deepest human substance and nature. The worse damage the conscience of any person may suffer, as far as artistic creativeness is concerned, is its compartmentalisation under the influence of scientific knowledge. That is why the need for a governing science, which serves the purpose of uniting the several secondary sciences, persists until today. In the old days, a composer did not learn his art through higher educational systems (anyway, the plain study of scientific books usually has nothing more to offer than scentless and tasteless pieces of knowledge). Instead, he devoted his entire life, his whole being, into studying anything associated with the substance of his art.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Introduction

A΄. 

Christodoulos Vassiliades

Many times I have wondered whether or not I should publish a book of self-written notes on musical issues. It is my belief that silence is much preferred where nothing new and important is to be said. But what does the word «music» and in particular the word «piano» mean? From a certain point of view, teaching or performing music, for example playing a piece on the piano, is somewhat similar to walking on tiptoe or becoming aware of extreme views from both your left and your right. Yet, you continue to walk on the tight rope, that is, you try to always follow the non-biased and royal route. The various notions set aside in this book refer to the transformation of act into theory. It is only when you bury your own will behind the «ego» of the past and the present, behind the experience of other well recognised musicians, it is only then, that you become be capable of grasping the ideal and attainable beauty of the art of music.

THE MEANING OF TEMPO IN THE PERFORMANCE OF WORKS FOR PIANO

Christodoulos Vassiliades

C΄.

From the moment the performer starts to learn a piece of music

feelings of excitation begin to ferment within his soul. «Only when you have perfected a musical composition and mastered it through emotional experience you can find the suitable tempo and only if you consider everything that relates to that piece of music: The composer and the era of his composition».

THE MEANING OF TEMPO IN THE PERFORMANCE OF WORKS FOR PIANO

Christodoulos Vassiliades

B΄.

Some sensitivity is essential on the part of the performer so that he can evaluate which tempo is suitable for each tone of the composition. If a

piece of music is performed much slower than normal then it loses its liveliness. Again, if it is performed faster than normal, then it becomes comical. Of course, we are of the opinion, that in order for the interpreter to smoothly decide on which tempo to use, he, first, has to master the musical composition. 

THE MEANING OF TEMPO IN THE PERFORMANCE OF WORKS FOR PIANO

Christodoulos Vassiliades

B΄.

The French temps normally means either measure or, more usually, beat. Mouvement is French for speed but, in English and other

languages, tempo is an acclimatized and common term»1 . The Oxford Dictionary defines tempo as "The speed at which a piece of music is performed"2 . I am confident that the tempo of a music piece is one and only one. It is not possible for a musical composition to be performed in different tempo each time: Sometimes slower and sometimes faster3 .

 

 THE MEANING OF TEMPO IN THE PERFORMANCE OF WORKS FOR PIANO

Christodoulos Vassiliades

Tempo,

I believe, is the most important element in a piano performance as it is

for any other instrument or orchestra work. If we grade the importance of the various elements of music, we would rank tempo first, rhythm second, melody third and harmony last. Tempo is the element which gives vitality to a piece of music. That is why it is the most important element of music. In Grove's Dictionary the Italian word tempo is defined as «the time of musical composition, hence the speed at which its performance proceeds.

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

 An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

E΄.  

It contains five songs. The lyrics were composed by Roulla Ioannidou-Stavrou and I composed the music. The songs can be performed by piano, keyboard, guitar and vocal song. “The Kyrenia ship” (the first song of the edition) was awarded honorary distinction

in a USA competition. In 1996 two other editions were published: “Ten variations for piano” and “Eighteen variations for violin”. These compositions are not following the style of classical period’s variations (i.e. theme and variations). Instead they are independent short pieces based on traditional motives of Greek and Cypriot traditional music. In 2005 I published “Hymns to the Lord - Melodies of piety”. The book contains nine songs. The lyrics were composed by Elder Germanos, Abbot of Stavrovouni monastery. The music of the songs was composed by myself, by Monk Chariton and by Gerasimos Papadopoulos. It is religious music in European and Byzantine notation. Currently I am working on another composition: “Dialogues” for piano. I have also published three books on music theory. 1.) “Theory of music”, 2.) “Concise dictionary of composers- Basic forms of music” and 3.) “From right to left” for piano. Considerable theory and practical information for understanding traditional Greek and Cypriot music is provided in the above editions.

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

D΄.  

We have to submit to the past, become enslaved and comprehend the past, learning and executing with precision the masterpieces which have been handed down to us. Then and only then, when we have «buried» our will and «immersed» ourselves in the works of great musical composers, will we be mature enough so that eventually as time lapses we will be in a position to create something which is our very own and which expresses us absolutely, something which, in reality is both beautiful and genuine and which after being tried and tested by the public, the geographical position and above all, time itself, will prove to be durable. Every new creation has to be subjected to trial and criticism not only by the distinguished but by the common public. If it manages to survive this test then it makes its way into people’s lives. If, on the other hand, it proves to be unworthy then it is destined to die, is automatically lost and remains written on paper only. Whatever manages to hold its own and survive as time takes its toll is precious (within the framework of historical events) on the assumption that it serves the plan of Eternity. “Emerging Memories” is a 1993 short edition.

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

C΄. 

However, no course is autonomous from the collective state of being. For this reason, the true creation acts as a measure of salvation not only for the creator but for the soul of the whole. In order to create something genuine in the field of music, then it must be due to the brilliance and the overwhelming emotions from within the heart of the composer. Firstly, the composer himself must live it to the full. The music which the composer’s fingers will transfer to the piano (or any other instrument) and which later will be written on the musical scale, must be the abundance of his love and not the insufficiency. To live one’s life in the correct way does not allow room for groaning, murmuring, despairing or giving up in difficult times, but on the contrary, does make room for constant repentance, hope, thanksgiving and praise. Of course one must not forget that the creation of something worthwhile in the field of music presumes first and foremost the in depth learning, knowledge and the utmost possible absorption of experiences of genuine Tradition. There is also another equally important issue: 

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

B΄.

 As for myself, may I be permitted to say that I take a completely different view of the issue: Deep down, all works of music are approximately alike and one piece of music brings to mind another piece. Each time a piece is written life’s experiences are always expressed in a variety of ways. The eternal problems of life itself, pain, sorrow, divine love, love for mankind, death, desertion, separation, repentance, poverty, loneliness, war and many others. All of these remain unchanged as emotive of human existence even if the external appearance of things changes. Man, in the depths of his existence remains essentially indestructible. As art (thus music too) express the depths of one’s soul, it follows that they too can change forms outwardly but in actual fact they retain an indestructible nucleus. Consequently, every time a composer tries to express that which he lives in notes, he is struggling to resolve one of the many problems of existence. The realisation and the expression of the problems mean simultaneously the first step towards its resolution. Thus, the composition of a piece of work essentially takes for granted prior interpretation of healthy elements which Tradition hands down to us and consequently the onset of the creation of a new work baptised in the revitalisation of this Tradition and at the same time enriched by the personal experiences of the particular composer. It is obvious that, via his work, the creator expresses that which he considers to be most vital for his own course. 

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

An introduction to the Compositions of Christodoulos Vassiliades

 

A.

Whatever is created autonomously from roots and tradition is determined to be extinguished and die out. On the contrary, whatever originates from live experiences of life and subsequently becomes the experience of man-creator, is destined to survive within the framework which is determined by human life as is today (birth-death, creation-end of the century). It is needless to mention that both the composer of a musical piece of work and the audience must share the same cultural tradition as that of the composer in order to

a) perform (composer) b) comprehend (audience) the musical work. The musical pieces contained in this book are simple and do not demand particular skills on the part of the performer. All the works were written within a period of nine months, from February to October 1990. The main characteristic of these works, as the title itself suggests, is «Memories». By using this term we mean that on listening to these compositions, the audience has the feeling, in some way or another, that the music is reminiscent

of marked personal experiences in his life and at the same time, whilst listening to this music, he is sometimes directed towards liberated self criticism. All the compositions have a sad funereal character and are delivered in a minor key except for two, namely number nine and number ten (the latter indeed being a study) which are written in a major key. When all is said and done, all the compositions contain the idea of joyous sorrow rather than everlasting grief. I believe that «D minor» is the most representative scale of this kind of musical composition. In Byzantine Music (or rather Choral Art) this scale is identified with the first or the plagal first mode, whilst in ancient Greek, D minor is equivalent to Phrygian mode. Whilst, as written above, this present work takes its inspiration from our rich Tradition, as a nation and as a people, its architectural structure however is not included in previously established musical forms. However, for its composer, one particular piece stands out. It has a particular inspiration and this happens to be number 2. For this reason is has been created for two pianos (Number 12). Opinion has it that if a work of a contemporary composer is beautiful and is liked, then it is a repetition of previous
hearings. However, others claim the exact opposite. In other words, that one cannot in actual fact consider something to be beautiful which repeats the previous. This is attributed to saturation of previous hearings.

(to be continued)

THE MEANING OF TEMPO IN THE PERFORMANCE OF WORKS FOR PIANO

THE MEANING OF TEMPO IN THE PERFORMANCE OF WORKS FOR PIANO 

Christodoulos Vassiliades

Tempo,

I believe, is the most important element in a piano performance as it is for any other instrument or orchestra work. If we grade the importance of the various elements of music, we would rank tempo first, rhythm second, melody third and harmony last. Tempo is the element which gives vitality to a piece of music. That is why it is the

most important element of music. In Grove's Dictionary the Italian word tempo is defined as «the time of musical composition, hence the speed at which its performance proceeds. The French temps normally means either measure or, more usually, beat. Mouvement is French for speed but, in English and other languages, tempo is an acclimatized and common term»1 . The Oxford Dictionary defines tempo as "The speed at which a piece of music is performed"2 . I am confident that the tempo of a music piece is one and only one. It is not possible for a musical composition to be performed in different

tempo each time: Sometimes slower and sometimes faster3 . Some sensitivity is essential on the part of the performer so that he can evaluate which tempo is suitable for each tone of the composition. If a piece of music is performed much slower than normal then it loses its liveliness. Again, if it is performed faster than normal, then it becomes comical. Of course, we are of the opinion, that in order for the interpreter to smoothly decide on which tempo to use, he, first, has to master the musical composition. From the moment the performer starts to learn a piece of music feelings of

excitation begin to ferment within his soul. «Only when you have perfected a musical composition and mastered it through emotional experience you can find the suitable tempo and only if you consider everything that relates to that piece of music: The composer and the era of his composition» 4 .

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Teaching

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

Teaching 

«I was lead by your cane and walking stick». (Psalm 22,4)

1. To teach something, you must first get hold of it in great depth yourself.

2. If you wish to transmit something concerning a particular subject to your student, you should start analysing it both generally and specifically.

3. If you have learned to play the piano without ever searching inside you for the particular musical themes, that is, how something is produced, you will never be able to transmit various pieces of knowledge to your student, as these shall have the form of dexterity or skill rather than knowledge inside you.

4. When having to repair a machine, I break it down into small pieces, find the mistake, fix it and reassemble it. I follow the same procedure with my student. I look inside him, try to locate andy mistakes, fix them and afterwards reassemble the various partial pieces.

5. A teacher should internally impose a classification on big and small musical subjects, so that his student may progress integrally and not partially.

6. I have seen many playing the piano expressively and with correct notes, yet being extremely deficient as far as rhythm is concerned.

7. A correct classification may be the following: rhythm, melody, fingerings, dynamics, technique, phrasing, and expression.

8. A good teacher is he who can tell where to use his cane and where his walking stick, that is when to encourage and when to scold his student

 9. If when about to begin your lesson, you can tell your student has put a considerable amount of effort into his work and has studied his piece fairly well, praise him and note the parts for which he has shown improvement. In this way you shall always keep him close to you and shape him in whatever you wish, for you shall have already conquered his will.

10. Afterwards, however, you should advise and correct him, with the strictness that springs from the true love for music, even for the smallest detail. Do not forget that the biggest mistakes start from small and insignificant details.

11. At the end of the lesson encourage him once more, showing your satisfaction for the progress that he is making.

12. I have heard many students, and even teachers, saying that different teachers share different views as to how something should be played. What they are unaware of, however, is that on each occasion, a good teacher emphasises a different element required for learning a work; keeping this in mind, all contradicting views are nothing more than the different energies and powers of one nature and substance.

13. You can tell whether someone is a good teacher or not, from whether he can, on each occasion, select the correct tempo at which his student should perform or study a piece.

14. To be able to understand your student's soul and win his affection, you should teach in a pleasant and light way and not with excessive strictness. If, however, this method does not work, try frightening him. The best teaching method consists of a combination of both, that is, keeping your student at some distance, while having him as friend at the same time.

15. A discrete teacher should focus his attention on one and only subject each time, so that he can explain this to the student thoroughly and in the best possible way.

16. On many occasions a student may not be in a position to understand something that his teacher is telling him to do. It is to the student's best benefit, however, to obey even if he cannot understand it at the time, rather than try explaining it with his vain and fruitless logic. Time shall come during which he shall find a solution to his problem without even realising how.

17. Never underestimate anyone, for you can learn a lot even from the worst and least well-known musician or music teacher. It is mentioned in the Gerontikon that before Father Arsenios, who lived in imperial palaces, abandoned everything to become a monk, he once asked a wise Egyptian monk about his own views and thoughts. The latter replied: «Father Arsenios, how come you, who know everything there is to know about Roman and Greek wisdom, are asking me, the illiterate, to give you my opinion about your thoughts?». And Father Arsenios confessed: «Although I know and possess the Roman and Greek education, I have not yet learned the alphabet of this illiterate person».

18. Every time you are about to teach, it is the lesson itself that shall show you what ought to be done and how you should act, given, of course, that you have the sensitivity and perception to conceive this.

19. Try to prevent your student from performing a composition at the speed that he has managed to reach at home, by encouraging him to perform it at a slightly slower speed. In this way you achieve to focus your student's attention on details and avoid any slips which in the end prove to be disappointing, rather than encouraging, for the student.

20. During the first stages of learning the piano it is necessary for the teacher to hold his student's wrist, so that the latter may relax and use his wrist correctly, in combination with his fingers and whole arm and later on his whole body.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Performance

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

Performance

 

«Carefully search in your heart to find the correct way for performing a composition»

1. To express a composition as appropriately and accurately as possible, you should pay special attention to several elements, handily recited here as ten: i) The mood that you yourself transmit to the audience while performing a composition. ii) The various accents (>, sf, etc.). iii) The various shifts of dynamics (forte, piano, crescendo, etc.). iv) The change in tempo (ritenuto, accelerando). v) Rubato. vi) Breaths and phrases. vii) The various sound shades used to portray the melodies. viii) Fluency of the melodic line of the composition. ix) Expression, which should vary according to the character of the work being performed (eg. Mazurka, Fugue, etc.). x) Expression, which should coincide with the composer's spirit and era (Chopin, Mozart, etc).

2. To perform a composer's work accurately and in the correct way, you should know and keep in mind his mother language (e.g. Chopin's was Polish), for this means of expression, the language, that is, that a composer speaks, subconsciously, yet fundamentally, influences the other means of expression, that being music.

3. When performing a piece on the piano, you should primarily be thinking of two things. The first and most important one (70%) is to perform the composition, accurately while the second one (30%) should be the notes which you are playing on the piano.

4. To achieve my pre-set goal concerning the melodic line and phrasing of a piece being performed, you should first imagine this goal; the desired effect then comes naturally. A general rule is that both your thought and imagination should keep pace with and coincide with reality, with what you are performing and what you ought to achieve in your performance.

5. If during the slow movement of a piece the left hand accompanies the right one mainly by playing arpeggio chords, the former should always follow and abide by the commands and motions of the right hand

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Clumsy and skilful improvisation and composition

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

Clumsy and skilful improvisation and composition

 

«Subordinate your will before the past, in order to achieve great things in the future».

 

1. Many are those who began piano studies, but very few those who managed to reach their desired goal, for during the course of their journey they were mislead into the footpaths of clumsy improvisation.

2. To improvise you must first study everything written in the field of music and in particular the field of your instrument. It is only then that you may allow yourself to get involved in the extremely hard, yet so attractive task of improvisation.

3. If you are concerned with improvising during the first stages of your studies, you will undoubtedly get carried away into inaccessible paths leading to dead ends.

4. To be in a position to improvise, your standard should allow for this, while all musical elements should be working within you concurrently (melody, rhythm, harmony, structure). Your composition should spring from the harmonic structure of the piece, while the harmonic and melodic course shall quide you to perfect your composition.

5. Do not try to pressure yourself and do not insist on continuing an improvisation when this has reached a dead end. Put it aside until this matures inside you once more, and then you will be able to continue it in the best possible way.

6. To achieve your goal as far as skilful improvisation is concerned, you should under no circumstances be influenced by any melody that you have previously heard. For this reason, when about to express your personal experiences on the piano, it is necessary to avoid becoming occupied with or be studying any other works, since these create musical pictures and impressions inside you, from which is difficult and takes time to escape.

7. In order to be capable of composing exceptional and original work, you must first experience, assimilate and live earlier tradition as a whole. It is then important to allow yourself to be freely expressed, moving within the life-giving spirit of living tradition while not copying this, or even worse breaking away from it.

8. To my opinion, a composer should not submit his will before any musical form. He should simply always keep in mind the legacies and try to follow them in as much detail as possible, without yet suspending the creative powers of his inner self. An then, he shall witness, given time, the new musical forms that will gradually start being shaped within him; in this way the composer's destination shall be fulfilled in an organic and vivid way

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Aural exercises

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

Aural exercises

«He who has learned to listen with his eyes and see with his ears is advancing towards perfection, as feasible as this can be in the field of music».

1. When a student is out of tune, the first thing you should do is to find the note he is singing. Afterwards, play this on the piano or an instrument producing a loud sound and from this note slowly and steadily start ascending or descending towards the various neighbouring notes.

2. If you wish for your student to reach a higher note, ask him to sing louder; if, on the other hand, you wish for him to reach a lower note, ask him to sing softer. Using this clever method you can achieve your goal, which is nothing more than to consolidate and implant within your student the various note pitches.

3. As a first step, the student may sing two notes that the teacher plays on the piano; later on, when the student has practised a lot, the teacher may play three or four notes and at a later stage a whole musical phrase.

4. At home the student may listen to various melodies that attract his attention on the radio, simultaneously writing these down as a start. When a full picture of the scale in which the piece was composed, as well as of the notes making it up, has been shaped within him, he will be capable to listen to any melody and automatically write this down on the stave.

5. The different orchestral instruments may often create confusion within us as to the accuracy of the correct pitch. For that reason we should practise our hearing using a different instrument each time, so as to become experienced in recognising any note, whichever instrument this might be coming from.

6. Some people have «perfect hearing» from birth, this being one of God's gifts to humans. It is very difficult, almost impossible, for anyone borne without it to acquire it. On the other hand, «positive hearing» may be promoted given correct training.

7. «Perfect hearing» is considered as a major advantage by many, yet to my opinion this can often be anobstacle, especially for all those practising on instruments belonging to the Baroque era (as the notes of these instruments are usually heard a semitone lower than present day notes), as well as on «transposable» instruments, such as the clarinet, (in which case the note written down on the score is different to the one heard).

8. Usually the sense of hearing opposes that of vision; for that reason, it is good to practise both senses in parallel. It is hard to find a piano player with both senses well developed. The most frequent is for hearing to predominate at the expense of vision or vice versa

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT First sight-reading

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT 

First sight-reading

«Learn to concentrate and do not burst off when playing the piano».

1. Studying the left and right hand scores separately is of no use to this exercise; it is, however, necessary, as all requisite details making up the melodic line of each hand should be learned.

2. When about to perform a composition for the first time, you should be so well prepared, that the saying «eyes listen to the melodies while ears read the notes» perfectly applies to you. That is, the whole score should march before your eyes when listening to a composition, while when looking at a page of music for the first time you should be able to listen to all melodic lines composing it, with your imagination.

3. To be able to imaginarily listen to the whole composition just by looking at the score, you should first perform and include in your repertory a plenitude of works from all eras and composers.

4. To be able to visualise the notes while listening to a composition, you should first practise in dectee, that is, listening to anything and writing this down.

5. As far as first-sight reading is concerned, you should play slightly softer than usual so as to be able to concentrate on the piece rather than express your true feelings or burst off on the piano.

6. Two powers or senses within you are always in combat as to which will predominate; hearing and vision. Many times, when performing something for the first time, you may discover that other melodies, different to the ones written down are created within you.

7. When reading at first-sight one should continuously be moving forward, forgetting the parts which have already been played, his glance always falling on the note or chord which immediately follows. On the contrary, when performing a composition in a concert, the internal forward movement should still be maintained, but your thought should stay focused to what is being performed at that particular moment. Perfection is reached when the two practices are combined.

8. You should never correct a mistake or slip, if you accidentally stumble somewhere or play some wrong notes. This of course, should also be done during your study time. Correction of a mistake should occur at a later point, after the problematic part has been isolated. It is important to focus your attention on this basic matter, for, marks are deducted during exams; whereas if you move on confidently, with a continuous forward movement («forgetting those that you have left behind, advancing toward those ahead»), you will gain a considerable amount of marks.

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Memorisation

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

Memorisation

«For memorisation to be substantial and lasting, you should first understand the harmonic, rhythmic and melodic structure of the composition».

1. Repetition is a basic requirement for memorising a piece, for as the saying goes, «practice makes perfect».

2. Understanding the harmonic, rhythmic and melodic structure of a composition precedes its substantial memorisation.

3. There are two types of memorising; empirical and rational memorising. The former is accomplished by means of constant repetition, while the latter by the rational understanding of the several individual parts of the composition. The best resuits are achieved by using a combination of both.

4. Having learned a piece by heart does not necessarily imply that you have also experienced it. Some time should pass, during which repetition of the piece should lead to you experiencing and discovering its basic and subsidiary messages.

5. Understanding the structure of a composition and remembering the differences rather than similarities that exist between its various similar parts immensely aids its memorisation.

6. Learning the music of the right and left hand off by heart makes memorisation of the whole composition much easier.

7. You are not advised to listen to various recorded versions of a composition unless you have learned this well, as this might influence you both substantially and subconsciously. The only thing, which might be gained from such a practice, is the internal imprinting of several melodic phrases aiding your faster learning and easier memorisation of the composition. You should, however, just like a bee, be careful and selective in choosing the performances which to listen to, ensuring that these belong to well accomplished piano virtuosos.

8. Mark five to six places 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. from which to restart the piece in case you make a mistake (nobody is perfect), so as to avoid repeating the whole thing from the beginning. It is from these places that your study should start every time.

9. Another sign that should be marked, is an arrow at the exact position that a page should be turned, in case somebody can do this for you (this should be marked one, two or three bars, or even a whole line, before the end of the right page, depending on the speed at which the composition is being played).

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT Pedals

FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

Pedals

 

«Learn to listen and you will have found the solution as to when to use the pedal»

1. The pedal should not be used in your study before a piece has been perfected or before your fingers have learned to follow everything you order them to do.

2. You should try to achieve as much as possible by simply using your hands; use the pedal only when your hands alone are incapable of achieving the desired effect.

3. Composers use the pedal very rarely and only for parts which are very difficult to perform. Anyway, writing where the pedal should be used on a stave, is quite a difficult task on its own.

4. Writing where the pedal should be used is wrong, for its use depends on several factors (the room, the particular piano, the mood of the artist, the sound volume, the era in which the piece was composed, etc.).

5. It is not a custom to use the soft pedal to achieve a soft sound (piano) effect; instead, try to achieve this by positioning your fingers close to the keys.

6. The soft pedal adds a different, rather gloomy character to the piece and thus should only be used when production of this particular effect is desired.

7. The pedal adds a certain degree of vibration to all notes. It functions in the same way as vibrato in singing or on the violin.

8. The effect of the pedal varies according to the piano range; for example, the sound should be softer when playing low notes, as these strings vibrate much more than the rest.

9. When playing chords the fingers and wrist should normally be lifted prior to lifting the pedal.

10. When beginning a piece, it is usually a custom to press the pedal before playing the notes; in this way, the sound being produced acquires a unique sound shade and an echo is produced, which can give an exceptional sensation when performing in a large room.

11. A practical and useful exercise can be the following: While holding the sustaining pedal: a. Make two movements simultaneously, that is, play the chord with your fingers and lift the pedal (at exactly the same moment). b. While holding the chord, press on the sustaining pedal again. c. Afterwards, lift your fingers (wrist and arm) from the keys.

12. Pay particular attention to clearing the sound being produced by the preceding chord (so that nothing overlaps the new chord) and keep all notes in the new chord free from all foreign sounds.

13. In most cases (not all, of course), the sustaining pedal is used following and not preceding a note.

14. For impressionist works (as for Debussy and several other composers), pedals are used to a great extend, joining various chords (which are, however, performed very softly in order to prevent dissonance from becoming obvious).

15. For slow movements or when having to perform notes of large value, delay pressing on the sustaining pedal as long as possible. This is to allow time for the soundboard to be cleared from sounds being produced by the preceding chord, so that the last chord is not trapped within sounds produced by the effect of the pedal on the following chord.