Practicing Perfection

Memory and Piano Performance
1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-0-415-65102-8
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 320 Seiten, Format (B × H): 149 mm x 228 mm, Gewicht: 475 g

Reihe: Expertise: Research and Applications Series

The memory feats of famous musicians seem almost superhuman. Can such extraordinary accomplishments be explained by the same principles that account for more ordinary, everyday memory abilities? To find out, a concert pianist videotaped her practice as she learned a new piece for performance, the third movement, Presto, of the Italian Concerto by J.S. Bach. The story of how the pianist went about learning, memorizing and polishing the piece is told from the viewpoints of the pianist (the second author) and of a cognitive psychologist (the first author) observing the practice. The counterpoint between these insider and outsider perspectives is framed by the observations of a social psychologist (the third author) about how the two viewpoints were reconciled. The CD that accompanies the book provides for yet another perspective, allowing the reader to hear the polished performance. Written for both psychologists and musicians, the book provides the first detailed description of how an experienced pianist organizes her practice, identifying stages of the learning process, characteristics of expert practice, and practice strategies. The main focus, however, is on memorization. An analysis of what prominent pianists of the past century have said about memorization reveals considerable disagreement and confusion. Using previous work on expert memory as a starting point, the authors show how principles of memory developed by cognitive psychologists apply to musical performance and uncover the intimate connection between memorization and interpretation.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Chaffin, Roger

Imreh, Gabriela

Crawford, Mary

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikwissenschaft Allgemein Musikpsychologie, Musiksoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikinstrumente Tasteninstrumente
• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikwissenschaft Allgemein Musikveranstaltungen und -organisationen, Aufführungspraxis

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents: Series Editor's Foreword. Preface. In the Green Room. Improvisations. In the Words of the Masters: Artists' Accounts of Their Experience. Expert Memory. The Way to Carnegie Hall. Lessons From J.S. Bach: Stages of Practice. In the Words of the Artist. Effects of Musical Complexity on Practice. Memory and Performance. Stages of Practice Revisited. Coda. Appendices: Discography for Gabriela Imreh. Score of the Italian Concerto (Presto) by J.S. Bach.