This page © 1997 by Kevin Purrone

I. Brief History of Piano Technique

A. About 1709: Pianoforte invented by Bartolommeo Cristofori of Florence, Italy


1. Finger school of technique (Viennese School)


a. Developers include Clementi, Hummel, Czerny
b. Early pianoforte keyboard action similar to the harpsichord


1. No new strength or muscular effort is needed to perform this early instrument


c. The pianist uses only the fingers
d. The pianist does not use other parts of the body
e. Technical training is purely mechanical, not intellectual
f. Repetitive practice at the instrument is required
g. The teacher is the absolute authority
h. There is little room for student discovery or exploration
i. J.C. Bach performs one of the first known pianoforte recitals in 1768


B. End of the eighteenth century through the middle nineteenth century


1. Evolution of the Pianoforte


a. More sturdy (heavier wood and the addition of cast iron)
b. Better mechanisms
c. More dynamic range and expressive potential
d. More literature specifically written for the piano
e. Era of great performers, composers and teachers


1. Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Liszt


2. Old finger technique found inadequate for the new literature, but some old school teachers resist innovations


a. Kalkbrenner (1877-1849) wrote new etudes but nevertheless insisted on a technique that incorporated a motionless-arms, fingers-only approach

b. Ehrlich (1822-1899) recommended that students practice with a book pressed under the arm to prevent arm motion (BAD IDEA, Don't bother)


C. End of the nineteenth century to the twentieth


1. Piano technique using weight and gravity


a. Developers include Deppe, Breithaupt, Matthay and Leschetizky


1. The hands are not the only playing apparatus
2. The arms, shoulders, and entire body are also useful
3. Loose, relaxed muscles and control of the arm weight provides good technique


b. Old school finger technique works with the newer weight and gravity approach


1. Both methods can form a continuum of technical achievement
2. Nimble fingers need a relaxed and flexible arm, and a relaxed and flexible arm won't help fingers that are not nimble
3. Different kinds of touch, tone, dynamics, articulation can be generated by combining both techniques


c. The pianist looks at the music as the authority to determine which kind of technique to use


1. Some pieces require mostly finger technique


a. Bach
b. Early classical


2. Some pieces require a combination of finger and weight technique


a. Beethoven
b. Schubert


3. Some pieces require more weight technique


a. Brahms


D. With Kochevitsky, an intellectual component is added to piano technique (1967)


1. Awareness of the nervous system is a vital component for good piano technique


a. The conscious mind has limitations in acquiring good technique


1. Innervation (absorbing technique through the body) works better than conscious thought


2. Mental hearing and inward judging of distances works better than mindless practice

3. Technical Phrasing


a. Kochevitsky credits Busoni with the seeds of his idea
b. Mental Convenience is worth more than motor convenience
c. Mental grouping of notes in a passage helps technique


1. By single direction
2. By regular pattern or repetition
3. By notes which fit the hand
4. By patterns which correspond with accents

Continue with: Clementi and the Viennese School