The Piano Lesson
Many of the keyboard tutors published in Austria, Germany, France, and England devote a great deal of attention to principles of harmony and voice leading—elements of the art of accompaniment of which all the tutors speak. Keyboard players often had to rely on their mastery of chord progressions and the ability to spontaneously turn the skeleton of a harmonic progression into interesting and varied figurations, whether as a prelude introducing a piece or as accompaniment to a soloist or ensemble. Many of the keyboard tutors, including those aimed at beginners, present these principles of harmony as something to be studied right away by the student pianist. Only the treatises designed for advanced players, such as those by Bach and Türk, give significant attention to the finer details of expression.
Johann Gottfried Vierling
Johann Gottfried Vierling, Versuch einer Anleitung zum Präludieren (für Ungeübtere). Leipzig: In der Breitkopfischen Musikhandlung, [1794].
Johann Gottfried Vierling (1750-1813) was a respected church organist and the composer of around 160 cantatas. His treatise on improvising preludes for beginners belongs, along with the last chapter of Bach’s treatise, to a scant body of historical writings on the art of keyboard improvisation. Vierling supplies several examples of figured-bass lines, along with examples of how they might be spun into a prelude. He writes, "I give here differing examples of each, and the student can easily think up a few more possibilities."
Friedrich Willhelm Marpurg
Friedrich Willhelm Marpurg. Die Kunst das Clavier zu Spielen. Berlin: Haude & Spener, 1761.
Friedrich Willhelm Marpurg (1718-1795) was active not only as a critic and journalist but also as a composer of lieder and keyboard music. First published in Berlin in 1750, this treatise was later translated into French and published as Principes du clavecin (1760). It focuses exclusively on the art of accompaniment, including essentials of harmony and voice leading. Shown here are examples of modulating chord progressions, in tablature, which an industrious student has written into the book.
Marpurg’s advice reads: "Here I remind you that an industrious scholar must transpose these and the following examples to all keys, if he wants to be able to make use of them."
Anton Bemetzrieder
Anton Bemetzrieder, Leçons de clavecin, et principes d’harmonie. Paris: Chez Bluet, 1771.
Anton Bemetzrieder (1739-1808) was a versatile scholar who obtained degrees in philosophy and law. His tremendously successful Leçons was edited by his friend, the philosopher and critic Denis Diderot. Bemetzrieder emphasizes a thorough knowledge of harmony, as well as the importance of improvisation in combination with skill in continuo playing. Shown here are examples of harmonic progressions that establish several key areas, with demonstrations of how they might be presented as figurational accompaniment.
Friedrich Willhelm Kalkbrenner
Friedrich Willhelm Kalkbrenner. Methode pour apprendre le piano-forté à l'aide du guide-mains … Paris: Chez I. Pleyel, [18--].
The German-born piano virtuoso Frederic Kalkbrenner (1785-1849) studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where he earned prizes in piano and in harmony. He gained his greatest renown in England after 1814, where he, along with Cramer, Dussek, and Clementi, belonged to the front rank of English concert artists. When he arrived in Paris in 1831, Frederic Chopin would seek out Kalkbrenner as a teacher. Kalkbrenner’s Methode, like the piano tutors of Clementi and Montgeroult, includes various études for building stamina and strength.
This is a major difference between English and German tutors: the former place greater emphasis on brilliant technique, the latter on subtle nuance. A practicing device called the modèle de guide mains is shown here. The pianist is advised to rest his arms on the bar while practicing the études.
Hélène de Montgeroult
Hélène de Montgeroult, Cours complet pour L’enseignement du forté piano : conduisant progressivement des premiers eléments aux plus grandes difficultés, 3 vols. Paris: Chez Janet & Cotelle, [18--].
Hélène Montgeroult (1764-1836), composer, distinguished keyboard virtuoso, and student of Dussek and Clementi, was one of the first piano teachers at the Paris Conservatoire. During the Reign of the Terror she was accused of treason and sentenced to the guillotine. In 1793 the founder of the Paris Conservatoire, her friend and admirer Bernard Sarrette, appealed for her pardon, successfully, on the grounds that she was one of Paris’s greatest keyboardists and needed as a teacher. To convince the judge, a harpsichord was brought into the court and she improvised on the Marseillaise. She began her three-volume piano method perhaps as early as 1795, including 972 exercises and 114 progressive études. The imprint of hands on this page illustrates the type of technique that was admired in the eighteenth century. The impression is of lightness, poise, and balance, rather than strength and power.