Pianist

For the passionate players, or early beginners, Pianist magazine will teach you the art of piano playing through professional advice, sheet music and lessons for all levels. Your piano playing journey starts here with the magazine that doubles as an entertaining read and the ultimate interactive piano teacher. Read, learn and play the piano with Pianist magazine every issue. Improve your piano playing and perfect your tone with 40 pages of specially selected sheet music. Whether it’s reading fascinating industry articles or putting your fingers to work with beautiful sheet music, you’ll be playing like an expert in no time with a digital subscription to Pianist magazine!

Spring has sprung

Pianist

Your chance to HAVE YOUR SAY • EMAIL: editor@pianistmagazine.com WRITE TO: The Editor, Pianist, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West St, Bourne, PE10 9PH. Letters may be edited.

Voulez-vous? • Announcing the winner of the 2024 Pianist Composing Competition

CLASS OF 2024 • Two of the most eminent international piano competitions take place this autumn – with two charismatic women in pivotal roles. Erica Worth asks them what makes a winner

ONE OF A KIND • Remarkable music played remarkably well: that’s Marc-André Hamelin’s trademark. Jessica Duchen finds the extraordinary French-Canadian pianist turning his hand to everything from Beethoven to the present day – including his own compositions

A STEP BEYOND SIGHT-READING THE ‘QUICK STUDIES’ WAY • Is it possible to learn a piece in five minutes? With ‘quick studies’, it might not be a perfect performance, but it will encourage a much more detailed, systematic study of a piece of music, says Mark Tanner

INVENTION TEST: CREATING YOUR OWN EXERCISES • Why do tricky passages continue to feel awkward, despite routine practice? We’re not being imaginative enough with the music in front of us, says Graham Fitch

THE SCORES • Pianist 137 • Read the lessons • Play the scores

BARTÓK SUNRISE, NO 2 FROM BOOK 1 OF ‘FOR CHILDREN’ SZ 42 • Don’t let the dissonances catch you off guard in this quirky yet calm miniature, advises Melanie Spanswick

MACDOWELL IN THE WOODS OP 28 NO 1 • ‘MacDowell! What a musician!’, wrote Jules Massenet. Nils Franke investigates and finds that intelligent pedalling and careful voicing will help create the magic

MENDELSSOHN SPRING SONG OP 62 NO 6 • Graceful arpeggios and lilting melodies announce the arrival of sunnier days in this satisfying Song without Words, says Lucy Parham

HANS-GÜNTER HEUMANN BEGINNERS KEYBOARD CLASS • LESSON 62: WARM-UP EXERCISES

Mel BONIS (1858-1937) • Gouttes de pluie (Raindrops) Op 103 No 9

Melanie SPANSWICK • Glorious Day

Béla BARTÓK (1881-1945) • Sunrise, No 2 from Volume 1 of For Children Sz 42

Charles Villiers STANFORD (1852-1924) • Morris Dance, No 4 from Six Sketches

Cornelius GURLITT (1820-1901) • Daffodil, No 5 from Spring Flowers Op 215

Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) • Halling, Lyric Piece Op 47 No 4

Alfred TOFFT (1865-1931) • Sunset Op 46 No 2

Edward MACDOWELL (1860-1908) • In the Woods, No 1 from 6 Idyls after Goethe Op 28

Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) • Little Bird, Lyric Piece Op 43 No 4

Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849) arr. Franz LISZT (1811-1886) • Frühling (Wiosna), No 2 from Six Polish Songs S 480

Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) • March (Song of the Lark), No 3 from The Seasons Op 37a

Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) • To Spring, Lyric Piece Op 43 No 6

Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) • Spring Song, Song without Words Op 62 No 6

PIANO TEACHER HELP DESK Facial and body expressions • Should we actively encourage or discourage physical...