Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Themed recital -- Joplin?

Just throwing out an idea for a themed recital I would like to see.....

The Great American Songbook

Very broad category
Encompasses several subgenres
Tons of written scores and arrangements
Accessible to all levels of player

I want to book three selections now for the Schumann recital!

Einsame Blumen - Freundliche Landschaft - Abschied
all from Op. 82

These are chosen because of the non-standard tempos and interpretations that will be used, is this okay?


M.

I'm in a Starbucks in Berlin and I can't read the whole thread right now, but I would love to be in the next themed recital! Only thing is, I'm afraid there is nothing by Joplin that I can learn in just a few months

+1!

Sam

I like the idea of Schumann or Bartok, as those have such a huge range there. Not opposed to Einaudi, or maybe doing a Rag theme (not sure if there's enough Joplin to go around that is doable for everyone, but certainly there are rags written for every level).

Personally, however, I do like to be challenged. I know that playing any piece for a recital is a challenge in itself, but I'm always trying to push myself technically. Not really sure what the Great American Songbook thing would mean.

+1 for Bartok

I meant my comments to be a way of ensuring that participation is encouraged, and I regret if they came off as trying to restrict participation.

There seems to be a great deal of enthusiasm for Joplin, and I like the idea of doing recitals with varying genres so that people who may have opted out of previous recitals find something they do want to participate in.

The recitals so far have mostly originated from a small crew -- even this latest recital organized by Dipsy who inherited the mantle from Rostosky, and the rest of us opleds pitching in in support of that vision. It's great to see the idea and organization spreading.

+2

great stuff in there, a REAL treasure trove.

Forrest

I like the idea of Schumann or Bartok as well, because they both have easier pieces that could involve beginners as well as more challenging pieces. I like the idea of having something for everyone.

I am not familiar with "The Great American Songbook", but if it also has a range of ability levels, I would vote for that as well.

Not a fan of ragtime, but listening at least a little couldn't hurt. Would much prefer classical or new age. Einaudi, Lanz But like jotur said, I don't have to participate if it's not my kind of music. There will be more recitals.

Same question

Same for me: +1

Perhaps 'involvement' would have been a better word (than 'consultation')..

I agree with you Richard - if the theme were broadened to 'anything ragtime' there would be something for people looking for something easier. And I also like the idea of the Great American songbook.

To me, though the music selected for the next themed recital is less important than how the recital is put together.
I think there are 2 key 'ingredients' in this current Grieg themed recital which should ideally feature in future ones (though I'm sure some may disagree!), because they are largely responsible for its success.

(1) The aim should be to prepare a complete body of work, clearly defined at the outset. That way, everyone knows how many pieces there are, and the list to choose from. This creates an immediate objective for everyone to focus on, and encourages people to develop a sense of shared commitment/interest. As pieces are selected, inevitably some are more popular than others, and then people dig deep to try to take on the remaining pieces. And that 'digging deep' - encouraging some to take on more, agreeing to take on more, even offering up/swapping pieces to help the team effort, all help foster the community spirit.

If people were to play duplicates, I fear that only the popular pieces would be chosen - again and again - leaving the unpopular ones with no one to play them. And its hard enough as it is to get people to choose the unpopular ones! (Oddly, often when people have done this, they have been surprised at how much they have enjoyed preparing a piece which they wouldn't otherwise have done).

(2) The level of involvement and communication between people is important. If there is an automated way of selecting pieces or submitting them, I think it would cut out a lot of the communication between members, which has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring aspects of this recital. As Richard pointed out, this time, we got 'a knowledge of each other beyond the piano' (helped by the opled system) - and much more of a sense of being in a community. If individuals simply had to pick a piece, then submit it using some automated system, although this would be highly efficient and cut out the work involved, there would be nothing to encourage them to get to know their fellow participants. And although us opleds have had to work hard, nurturing our 'batches', it has been very rewarding.

Having a less automated system also gives people an opportunity to make a wider contribution if they wish. People who are not comfortable taking on more pieces often have other skills and experience to offer. Its about putting faith in each other, rather than a system, to deliver the whole work.

(It feels a bit like comparing 5 members of a family going into a sweet shop, each taking the sweets they like, and leaving, not talking to anyone; and those same 5 people sitting around a table with a pie on it cut into different sized slices, and then deciding as a group who will have what so that everyone gets something).

Please see my post on p31 of the Grieg recital - a proposal thread for the different ways people got involved, and my thoughts on the community which emerged.

Might it be worth subdividing The Great American Songbook? It's too large to be thematic.

possible categories:-

Film music and/or musicals
Gershwin + Porter + Berlin and contempories.
Aaa-Czz (8 or 9 recitals there)
By decade 20s, 30s etc.

..and other possible subdivisions.

I love many songs from the Great American Songbook!

So, basically, is the Great American Songbook the well-known songs of Cole Porter, Gershwin, Irving Berlin and other songwriters of the 1920s, '30s, and '40s?

I would like to see duplicates, too, because I think there are many different arrangements of sheet music of these songs, and different levels from beginner to advanced, plus arrangements by members who do their own arranging.

Great idea! I love the Joplin idea, too.

I'd be interested in a Joplin/ragtime themed recital! I've played around a little with ragtime--it's fun to play and a recital would give me incentive to really work on a piece.
Just wondering if mp3s would be okay.
Thanks!

Derulux,
I'd love to hear your ragtime on any piano! Fun!

If the recital gets going, I'd love to hear any tips you have for playing ragtime, too. Actually, I'd love to hear them anyway!

In my lessons, classical music is the only kind of music the teacher teaches, but I'd love to learn more about other types of music, too.

Wow, such enthusiasm!

I can go for any of the following:

All Joplin, and only one submission per piece. I'd even do one of the obscure/not likely to be chosen/harder ones just to get it filled out. It's not likely I could play it "as written", or "at tempo" , but I already play a couple of Joplin, and I'm sure you folks would put up with me

All Joplin, dupes and easy arrangements allowed. Neither bothers me, I like Joplin.

All ragtime - I think this would be a great option. I've heard a little ragtime in the quarterly recitals from modern composers - maybe Martha Mier? - that write for beginners and intermediates, and they were great fun.

Great American Songbook - love this, too. It's the music I play most often, and as JimF says, there's a ton of choices of both tunes and arrangements.

MP3's allowed - I don't usually watch the videos, and, for me, they really don't add anything. I know others feel differently, but I like hearing the music.

I understand the "more automated, less community" feeling - there are folks who only show up to put in a recording, and one never hears anything else from them. But - I'm not sure about using the "less automated" to insure commitment and community. So I'll waffle on that one

I don't mind having a variety of kinds of themed or other recitals - I think each can stand on its own - automated, not automated, classical, not classical, restricted to a smaller body of work, anything from a large body of work, wide open quarterly or monthly piano bar - whatever there's a quorum for. All of those work for me.

Cathy

I really like the concept of doing an entire body of work (Songs Without Words, Lyric Pieces). Sure I can sit down and listen to some guy or gal who played all of these and recorded them, but it's so much cooler to hear individuals who I "know" or will get to know that contributed to what is otherwise a monumental effort by one person. Something charming about that which adds a sense of belonging to a group that appeals to me.

Plus, so often (but not always ) when you listen to one person doing the whole shebang inevitably there are some that sound like the person was getting tired of the project and just pushed through it without much thought or expression. Here, each person is selecting a piece or two or five to put their heart and soul into, and that really comes across.

So if the scope is too wide, like a genre or style, then I think we lose the concept of doing a complete body of work. I'm sure whatever is decided upon, though, it will still have the heart and soul of those participating.

You can't get any more flexible than that!

I love all these ideas!

If there is a decision to open it up to any kind of rag, I'll be there with something from Martha Meirs or Dennis Alexander!

As well maybe there can be some which are open-ended with the composers:

1) Waltzes (any Waltz by any composer, can include transcriptions)
2) Nocturnes (any Nocturne by any composer)
3) Preludes (any Prelude by any composer, can include Organ Choral Prelude transcriptions)
4) Etudes (any Etude by any composer)
5) Fugues (any Fugue by any composer)
6) Marches (any March by any composer, can include transcriptions)
7) et c.

So, for instance with the preludes one, there are preludes to select from by J.S. Bach (not only the Well Tempered Clavier sets, but also the Organ Chorale Preludes in transcription), Chopin, Scriabin, Vierne, Liszt (only one, the "Preludio Funebre"), Rachmaninoff, Moor, Debussy, et al.

I think there would be enough readily playable Preludes to go around, maybe the all-Preludes option would be best from that perspective (there are lots of Preludes to choose from for every level of technique).

Even with the Nocturnes there are few free from complications for some persons such as free hand filigree in the Chopin ones, that Field one with the endlessly rising trill at the end, et c.

Thoughts anyone?


M.