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010 a| 2019047448;

020 a| 9780190920395q| (hardback);

020 a| 9780190920401q| (paperback);

020 z| 9780190920425q| (epub);

020 z| 9780190920432;

035 a| (WaSeSS)ssj0002282847;

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050 00 a| MT68b| .M617 2020;

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100 1 a| Mortensen, John J.?| UNAUTHORIZED;

245 14 a| The pianist's guide to historic improvisationh| [electronic resource] /c| John J. Mortensen.;

260 a| New York :b| Oxford University Press,c| 2020.;

300 a| ix, 208 pages :b| music ;c| 29 cm;

504 a| Includes bibliographical references and index.;

505 0 a| Introduction -- Figuration Prelude -- Toccata -- Rule of the Octave -- Diminution -- Variations -- Lyricism -- Suite -- Imitation -- Partimento -- Schemata -- Resources for Further Study.;

506 a| Available only to authorized users.;

520 a| "This book is for pianists who wish to improvise. Many will be experienced performers - perhaps even veteran concert artists - who are nevertheless beginners at improvisation. This contradiction is a reflection of our educational system. Those who attend collegiate music schools spend nearly all time and effort on learning, perfecting, and reciting masterpieces from the standard repertoire. As far as I can remember, no one ever taught or advocated for improvisation during my decade as a student in music schools. Certainly no one ever improvised anything substantial in a concert (except for the jazz musicians, who were, I regret to say, a separate division and generally viewed with complete indifference by the classical community). Nor did any history professor mention that, long ago, improvisation was commonplace and indeed an indispensable skill for much of the daily activity of a working musician. I continue to dedicate a portion of my career to "perfecting and reciting" masterpieces of the repertoire, and teaching my students to do the same. That tradition is dear to me. Still, if I have one regret about my traditional education, it's that it wasn't traditional enough. We have forgotten that in the eighteenth century - those hundred years that form the bedrock of classical music - improvisation was a foundation of music training. Oddly, our discipline has discarded a practice that helped bring it into being. Perhaps it is time to retrieve it from the junk heap of history and give it a good dusting off. I love the legends of the improvisational powers of the masters: Bach creating elaborate fugues on the spot, or Beethoven humiliating Daniel Steibelt by riffing upon and thereby exposing the weakness of the latter's inferior tunes. The stories implied that these abilities were instances of inexplicable genius which we could admire in slack-jawed wonder but never emulate. But that isn't right. Bach could improvise fugues not because he was unique but because almost any properly-trained keyboard player in his day could. Even mediocre talents could improvise mediocre fugues. Bach was exceptionally good at something which pretty much everyone could do at a passable level. They could all do it because it was built into their musical thinking from the very beginning of their training"--c| Provided by publisher.;

538 a| Mode of access: World Wide Web;

650 0 a| Improvisation (Music)=| ^A29381;

650 0 a| Pianox| Instruction and study.=| ^A311850;

650 0 a| Performance practice (Music)x| Historyy| 18th century.=| ^A255331;

655 0 a| Electronic books.=| ^A491897;

856 40 z| Full text available from Ebook Central - Academic Completeu| https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/eastcarolina/detail.action?docID=6141952;

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The pianist's guide to historic improvisation / John J. Mortensen.

Author/creator	Mortensen, John J.
Format	Electronic
Publication Info	New York : Oxford University Press, 2020.
Description	ix, 208 pages : music ; 29 cm
Supplemental Content	Full text available from Ebook Central - Academic Complete
Subjects	Improvisation (Music) Piano--Instruction and study. Performance practice (Music)--History. --18th century.

Contents	Introduction -- Figuration Prelude -- Toccata -- Rule of the Octave -- Diminution -- Variations -- Lyricism -- Suite -- Imitation -- Partimento -- Schemata -- Resources for Further Study.
Abstract	"This book is for pianists who wish to improvise. Many will be experienced performers - perhaps even veteran concert artists - who are nevertheless beginners at improvisation. This contradiction is a reflection of our educational system. Those who attend collegiate music schools spend nearly all time and effort on learning, perfecting, and reciting masterpieces from the standard repertoire. As far as I can remember, no one ever taught or advocated for improvisation during my decade as a student in music schools. Certainly no one ever improvised anything substantial in a concert (except for the jazz musicians, who were, I regret to say, a separate division and generally viewed with complete indifference by the classical community). Nor did any history professor mention that, long ago, improvisation was commonplace and indeed an indispensable skill for much of the daily activity of a working musician. I continue to dedicate a portion of my career to "perfecting and reciting" masterpieces of the repertoire, and teaching my students to do the same. That tradition is dear to me. Still, if I have one regret about my traditional education, it's that it wasn't traditional enough. We have forgotten that in the eighteenth century - those hundred years that form the bedrock of classical music - improvisation was a foundation of music training. Oddly, our discipline has discarded a practice that helped bring it into being. Perhaps it is time to retrieve it from the junk heap of history and give it a good dusting off. I love the legends of the improvisational powers of the masters: Bach creating elaborate fugues on the spot, or Beethoven humiliating Daniel Steibelt by riffing upon and thereby exposing the weakness of the latter's inferior tunes. The stories implied that these abilities were instances of inexplicable genius which we could admire in slack-jawed wonder but never emulate. But that isn't right. Bach could improvise fugues not because he was unique but because almost any properly-trained keyboard player in his day could. Even mediocre talents could improvise mediocre fugues. Bach was exceptionally good at something which pretty much everyone could do at a passable level. They could all do it because it was built into their musical thinking from the very beginning of their training"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography note	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access restriction	Available only to authorized users.
Technical details	Mode of access: World Wide Web
Genre/form	Electronic books.
LCCN	2019047448
ISBN	9780190920395 (hardback)
ISBN	9780190920401 (paperback)
ISBN	(epub)

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The pianist's guide to historic improvisation / John J. Mortensen.

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