American and Western Piano Professors

by LongmanSex on Friday, September 14, 2012

By Ricardo Dominguez


Concerning American lecturers Alexander Lambert takes high rank. Regarding over 20 years he has held aloft the common of sound musicianship in the art of instructing and playing. A quarter of a century of thorough, conscientious effort along these lines must have left its impress on the complete rising generation of learners along with lecturers in this country, and produced for the development and advancement of American art.

The idea shows significantly to have a native-born educator of such high aims living and working among us; an educator whom no flattery or love of gain can influence nor render indifferent to the high aim ever in view. There is no avoiding any sound and detailed course of study for those who come under Mr. Lambert's direction. Scales must be, willingly or unwillingly, the everyday bread of the player; the hands must be put in good shape, the finger joints rendered firm, the arms and body supple, before pieces are thought of. Technical learn must carry on along the complete course, hand in hand with piece playing; tactics for its own benefit, outside the playing of compositions.

And why not? Is the approach of an art ever little completed? Can it ever be laid away on the shelf and considered complete? Must it not constantly be maintained in operating order? "Have you not noticed several changes within the aims of pupils, and also within the conditions of piano instructing in New York, in the course of the years you have taught here?" I asked Mr. Lambert, in the course of the latest discussion.

"Several modifications, it is correct, I have noticed," he responded; "yet We must furthermore say in which the disorders participating piano instructing within America are odd. We have several outstanding lecturers here, lecturers which could keep their own everywhere, and also are usually effective of creating finished musicians. But permit a student goes to the finest educator in this region, as well as the probabilities are usually which he or she will be still seeking ahead in order to 'finishing' with several European artist. These people are usually not necessarily pleased right until they possess anchored the foreign stamp of acceptance. Although this is correct of the superior pianist, it is also more within evidence in the mediocre player. He, too, is dreaming of the 'superior benefits,' since he calls Then, of European study. He may have no foundation to develop upon may not actually be able to perform a scale properly, yet nonetheless considers he need to move in another country!

"An individual question if I believe pupils may acquire just as great training here as in Europe? That is a little hard to response off-hand. I completely think all of us possess a few instructors within America as capable as almost any on the additional part; within several methods they are better. With regard to one thing they are morally better I repeat, morally much better. With regard to another they tend to be a lot more comprehensive: these people consider much more attention in their students as well as will do more for them. Whenever such an instructor is discovered, he definitely justifies the heavy value and appreciation of the American pupil. However unfortunately, he rarely encounters the appreciation. After he has done anything for the pupil fashioned him into a well-equipped artist, the student is apt to say: 'Now I will go overseas for lessons with this or that well-known European master!' What is the outcome? He may never amount to anything may never be heard of afterward. On the other hand, I have students coming to me, which have already been years along with a few of the finest international experts, however who are full of problems of all types, problems that it requires me many years to correct. Some of them are provided with difficult touch, with tighten position and problem of arms and body, with defective pedaling, and with a shortage of understanding of several of the fundamental concepts of piano playing.




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