Laboring Music

 Labor Day celebrates workers, which includes pianists and other musicians. Here is a sampling of classical music that honors labor. While most of these pieces were not originally composed for the piano, arrangements for piano are usually available.

Probably the most renown piece that celebrates labor is Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, which honors those who fought in WWII. In response, Joan Tower wrote Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman, which is scored identically to Copland’s Fanfare. Copland also honored cowboys in his ballet Rodeo; the selection “Hoe-Down” is frequently performed on the piano.

For most of civilization, farming has been the job of the majority of people. Schumann's “The Happy Farmer” is one piece from his collection Album for the Young,  which was written for his own children to teach them about the piano. All the pieces are relatively easy to play, unlike the work of the farmer.

Traditionally, learning a job was done through apprenticeships. Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice musically demonstrates how a little knowledge can do damage.

Satie's Sonatine Bureaucratique is a humorous parody of Clementi's Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1. It musically depicts the daily life of the Parisian bureaucrat.

Another pointed message about labor is conveyed in Antheil’s Ballet Mecanique. It was written the same year as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and focuses on urban labor. In this case, the repetitiveness of factory work is emphasized.

On the other hand, Verdi’s Il Trovatore is best known through its “Anvil Chorus”, sung by gypsies who are proud of their hard work.

The sometimes-troubling life of the worker is depicted in music as well. Mozart’s Figaro, a valet, has trouble with his Count master in The Marriage of Figaro. Later, in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Figaro becomes a barber, but still has troubles with the Count.  Bizet’s Carmen follows the deeper troubles of a seductive cigarette worker.

Workers’ hard labor often led to unionization. Arnold’s Peterloo Overture was written for the 1968 centenary of the Trade Union Congress.

This Labor Day, we honor the labor of pianists and other musicians everywhere who make our labor a little easier to bear.

January Piano Composers

 

Start the year right by celebrating great piano composers who, themselves, began their lives in January. Several of them rate high with Tomoko.

Probably her favorite composer, Mozart, was born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756. Tomoko was married in Salzburg, and visited Mozart’s landmarks there.

One of the earlier composers, who competed with Mozart, is Musio Clementi, who was born in Rome on January 23, 1752. He was influenced by Scarlatti, Haydn and Bach; in turn, he influenced Beethoven and Chopin, two more favorite composers of Tomoko. Clementi produced is own brand of pianos and was a music publisher.

Another special composer on Tomoko’s list is Franz Schubert, who was born in Himmelpfortgrund, Austria, on January 31, 1797. This early Romantic composer died when he was only 32, but he left over 600 secular vocal works as well as symphonies operas and many piano compositions.

Almost a hundred years later, Parisian Francis Poulenc was born on January 7, 1899. He wrote light-hearted pieces such as the piano suite Trois Mouvements Perperpetuels, and in his later years composed religious pieces.

Lineages of Piano Composer/Teachers and Tomoko

 As a piano student, Tomoko took courses in composition, and she has great sensitivity to a composer’s nuanced musical approach and style. Tomoko also knows that several of her favorite piano composers were also piano teachers. Here is a sampling, which also show the lineage and impact of piano teachers.

The late 18^th century pianist Muzio Clementi was known for his piano sonatas and sonatinas. He also taught piano for over twenty year, and passed on his technical legato style to his students. One of those students was the German Ludwig Berger, who even went to Clementi to Russia, and stayed eight years.

When Berger returned to Germany, he transitioned from performing to composing (a concerto, sonatas, and studies) and teaching. His most famous student was Chopin.

Even though Chopin was one of the greatest piano composers even, he did not like to perform in public; he got stage fright and didn’t like being watched. He actually preferred teaching piano, and his etudes were used in such sessions. He wrote many études, which he used in lessons with his students. He mainly taught women who were serious about piano playing, although none performed professionally. One of his favorite students was Adolphe Gutman, who performed with Chopin, and later composed a set of études that were dedicated to Chopin.

Another lineage of piano composers/teachers starts with Christian Gottlob Neefe: a German 18^th century composer and conductor. He started composes at age 12, creaying mainly operas, although he also composed piano pieces. He was also Ludwig van Beethoven’s main piano teacher, and helped Beethoven compose his first works, which were piano pieces.

Besides his composing and public performing, Beethoven taught piano to increase the family’s income. One of his students was Austrian Carl Czerny, who impressed Beethoven with his performance at age 10. On his part, Czerny was impressed with Beethoven technical skill and ability to improvise.

Clementi also taught Czerny, who performed professionally and wrote more than a thousand compositions. Many of his piano pieces were études and piano solo exercises, which he used in teaching the piano. Indeed, Czerny began teaching piano at age fifteen.  His most famous student was Franz Liszt, who dedicated one of his own études to Czerny. Liszt also complemented his performing and composing with teaching, although he mainly taught masterclasses for groups of advanced piano students; he emphasized interpretation in those classes.  

Tomoko’s own students have gone on to perform professionally, compose, and teach piano. So she also has a legacy to be proud of.

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