WEEK 4: Post your Final Videos!

Bryan Sable Hi Bryan, these challenges are usually 4 weeks in duration, roughly following the calendar month. There is an initial challenge page which has the dates. This is the final week of this challenge, with the watch party set for next week. Hope that helps! 

Hey Everyone! 
I dug in and sight read the Op. 50 Valses Sentimentale.  They’re quite lovely, and will be using them with students to prep them for studying Chopin Waltzes. I have admittedly not studied Schubert much other than accompanying the song cycles in college.  These are a nice way of breaking in to the solo repertoire.  

This is just sight-reading, so you get the good, bad and ugly.  I was in church, so luckily no swearing was included!  This is broken up into two sections- I have a young student, 87 years old…(YES-87!)…Who was coming in for a lesson.  
:)
Happy playing!  

Bryan Sable Amazing.  Fantastic job.  Some day I want to be just like you!  Welcome to the channel.  I an new here too, but on the other end of the musical journey.  You are inspirational.

Bryan Sable Amazing sight reading! You sound great!

Vidhya Bashyam thank you so much for the kind words! Are you doing the Chopin Intensive? I’m really enjoying this community- always nice to meet kindred spirits! 

Bryan Sable I am doing the Chopin TWI (group 3). Yes, it’s a wonderful, kind and very supportive community! 

Vidhya Bashyam fantastic! I’m in group one. I’m a big fan of Chopin. Loved the first assignment, and am looking forward to the next one. 

Bryan Sable Wow, Bryan! This was pretty fantastic. 

Bryan Sable I'm so excited to meet another sight-reading fan!  I can see that you and I have the same approach, although you have a ton more experience...and a JOB in music. 

Can't wait to hear more from you!

Michelle R thanks for the kind words. I love sight reading and attempting to make it musical at the same time. Sometimes it fails miserably,  but, that’s the joynn be of live music! 

Gail Starr I LOVE sight reading. Yes- the job in music does sort of force me to keep the sight reading sharp. The choir I accompany professionally does a tremendous amount of repertoire, so it’s a big part of what I do daily. We need to do some piano duets soon!

Bryan Sable next week, maybe?

Bryan Sable a bit late to the party, but I am catching up on Tonebase videos, and I join the others in applauding your amazing sight reading skills, and to play so musically at sight- truly marvellous!

Michael I’m learning this wonderful sonata too. This is a good book recommended by my teacher- “Schubert's Late Music: History, Theory, Style” by Bodley & Horton. On my own, out of curiosity, I also read this dissertation you might find interesting- “Performance Challenges and Their Possible Solutions: Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960” - https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/etd/r/1501/10?clear=10&p10_accession_num=ucin1312294162

Vidhya Bashyam , Thanks so much for these excellent references! I found a few additional resources, but they likely don’t add much to what you have.

Attached below:

Review of Artistic Education no. 21 2022 73 – 80

10. SUMMARY OF SOME ASPECTS OF PIANO INTERPRETATION IN

SCHUBERT SONATAS, ACCORDING TO MUSICAL NOTATION

Brîndușa Tudor

David Montgomery 2003: Franz Schubert's music in performance : compositional ideals, notational intent, historical realities, pedagogical foundations

https://search.worldcat.org/title/1391520462

Eva Badura-Skoda’s chapter on Schubert Piano Works in R. Larry Todd’s book:  https://www.google.com/books/edition/Nineteenth_Century_Piano_Music/FWNGAQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA97&printsec=frontcover

Isn’t it wonderful that we live in an era where you can access entire books digitally, in minutes, for free? Then you can dictate your dissertation using voice recognition, and word process your bibliography.  Should be able to churn out a Ph.D. In a year or two, instead of 6 these days.

Michael Thanks so much! Will check these out. 

Vidhya Bashyam You are my favorite nerd!  I just enjoyed a dissertation on rubato in Chopin Mazurka's analyzed by AI (I'd be happy to share, if you are bored and have nothing better to read this weekend).

Josh Miller great work, Josh! I know what you mean about “poking” the bottom note. I notice when I play a waltz pattern, I often catch myself cheating on the -“pah-pah” of the pattern. So my focus was to try to be as accurate as possible in playing that figuration. 
What model Clavinova do you have? It appears to be one of the newer CLP series? I have a CVP-809 that I’m finally getting to break in this summer. I’ve always loved the Yamaha lines. 
Also- I love your video! You must have experience in editing?!?

cheers!

Josh Miller Really great job playing this lovely waltz! One of the most fun things about these challenges is seeing how the piece develops from the initial videos to the final posting.

Josh Miller I love your waltz-y feel!  You really convey how the folks during Schubert's time must have enjoyed dancing.    One tiny thing I think I noted:  did you perhaps use a few additional flats after the repeat?  It sounded cool, but I'm not totally sure those are written there.  In any case, fabulous job after only 1 month!

Josh Miller I know I'm a bit late, but just wanted to let you know that I listened to your waltz, and it sounds very nice!