21^st Cen­tury Piano

In this one-semester elective course, composers and pianists will learn about the contemporary piano mainly by focusing on its timbral possibilities.

It may sound otherworldly beautiful, subtle, mechanical or brutally harsh - most professional instrumentalists today are familiar with so-called extended techniques that offer their instrument a much greater variety of sounds than musicians only decades ago knew of. While microtones, pitch bend/glissandi, timbral trills, gradually changing the timbre of a sustained sound and various percussive sounds have become standardized among most instruments, this has all seemed somewhat inaccessible on the piano.

There is however an increasing number of solo/chamber/ensemble works that invite the pianist to listen to the vast possibilities of timbral variation of the piano, so let’s give it a try!

Language of instruction: English.

Course coordinator: Sanae Yoshida.

After completing the course, the students are expected to

• be familiar with a larger range of extended piano techniques, and examples of notation
• be familiar with several piano works using such techniques
• have practical experience, through performer/composer workshops, in how one effectively can make each sound as characteristic as possible.
• have an awareness of instrument safety (knowing how to leave the instrument in a better shape than you found it)

Examples of some of the topics included

• nodes/harmonic series on the piano
• how John Cage and other 20th/21st century composers prepare the piano
• techniques in George Crumb’s piano works
• suggesting a “piano kit” for the contemporary pianist
• instrument safety

There are 12 weekly lessons, each 90 minutes long. The classes will take shape as a combination of lectures and workshops.

A repertoire list suggesting works/extracts will be handed out in the beginning of the course, but it is also possible to suggest other repertoire.

After the first introduction lectures, then 1-2 participants will in every class present a work (or extracts) that includes relevant challenges. The desired sounding result, and how to effectively notate and realize it, will be discussed in the group.

• Active class participation is mandatory.
• The student must give a presentation of a work/extracts that includes relevant challenges. The pianists may perform examples; the composers may present their own composed sketches/works.

Student assessment is based on the learning objectives. The final assessment will be given as a pass/fail mark, which will be determined by the course instructor based on each student’s level of achievement throughout the course period.

New assessment: In the case of re-assessment, the same procedures apply.