Archive for the ‘Song Reviews’ Category
Ragtime Sheet Music
November 13th, 2009
Ragtime!
Ragtime is an incredibly upbeat, jazzed-up, feel-good musical genre that was most popular between 1897 and 1918. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of several American cities lie St. Louis and New Orleans, even years before ragtime music was published as popular piano sheet music.
Known as the “King of Rag,” Scott Joplin became famous after his publication of “Maple Leaf Rag” in 1899. Maple Leaf Rag was a heavy influence on subsequent ragtime composers and their publications for years and years afterward because of the piece’s melody and harmonic progressions.
Here is my very own interpretation of Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag.
Advanced Piano
Scott Joplin: Collected Piano Works
If you are interested in stepping into the ragtime genre, there is no better composer to study than Scott Joplin. I recommend Scott Joplin: Collected Piano Works for a complete collection of Joplin’s greatest works, including rags, marches, and waltzes. This piano sheet music book has received a 5-star rating and is meant for those players who are in the early advanced stage of playing.
Ragtime Favourites by Scott Joplin – Piano Accompaniment
For those who are not quite advanced, but past the beginner stage, there are several arranged Joplin pieces to fit your level. Ragtime Favourites by Scott Joplin – Piano Accompaniment is meant for the medium-level piano player. It includes 36 pages of amazing rags that are not too difficult, but not too easy for those who need the challenge.
Joplin’s Greatest Rags For Easy Piano
Now, what if you’re just a beginner? You can still enjoy learning ragtime pieces. In my earlier piano days, I learned several easy ragtime pieces that were specifically arranged to for beginner piano players, with the same great sound of the original composition. If you’re looking for easy ragtime music, I really recommend Joplin’s Greatest Rags For Easy Piano. You don’t have to be an expert pianist to tackle these pieces.
The original publication of Maple Leaf Rag (which I played in the YouTube video) is a grade 9-level piece. When I first started learning this piece, I was studying for my grade 7 conservatory exam. This just goes to show that when you really want something, and you really discipline yourself to study the piece and practice often, you can achieve anything. Luckily, I was prepared with enough technical expertise and training to go beyond my grade-level to learn how to play this piece.
Elise’s Musical Tip For The Day:
Don’t be intimidated by the fast-paced movements and detached notes of the ragtime genre. If you are really interested in learning ragtime pieces, look at it as if it were a magnificent challenge, and don’t let anything hold you back. Focus on the easy or medium level Joplin pieces if you are not ready to tackle the original advanced compositions. You’ll be happy you did! Ragtime is one of the best genres of music that can help you feel happy, perky, and really good about yourself.
Posted in Easy Piano Sheet Music, Famous Composers, My Performances, Song Reviews | 
Tags: Maple Leaf Rag, Rag, Ragtime, Scott Joplin | 
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The Woman of Beethoven's "Fur Elise" Has Been Identified
September 29th, 2009
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Ever since I was little, I have always been infatuated with Beethoven’s famous piano solo, “Fur Elise”.
I remember when I was sitting on the floor in a circle with my music class in grade 2, my music teacher started talking about a famous piano solo written by Beethoven.
“It’s named after someone in this class,” she said. I looked down at the floor thinking to myself, “It’s definitely not me.”
Then, to my surprise, she looked at me and said, “Elise!”
From then on, I’ve always loved this piece, even though I’ve annoyed myself by listening to it so much and spending my time in elementary school trying to learn it. I always felt like this was “my piece.” I did end up learning it and playing it for a piano recital, but I haven’t played it in years. I would have to re-learn some parts of it.
There’s no doubt about it that Beethoven is one of the most famous composers of all time, and “Fur Elise” is one of his most well-known piano solos. A beautiful piece, the three-page long Bagatelle in A-minor has been played all over the world and social media, even found to be popular as a downloadable mobile phone ringtone.Thousands upon thousands of piano players over the past couple of centuries have bought up Fur Elise sheet music, tapes, and CDs to enjoy for themselves.
Although the piece can still be heard very often these days, many don’t know about the mystery that surrounded it. The manuscript of Beethoven’s Fur Elise was not discovered until 40 years after he passed, so there was no way to identify the exact origins of the piece. From the German language, “Fur Elise” translates directly to “For Elise,” suggesting an obvious dedication. Historians and researchers never did identify exactly who “Elise” was.
Just recently, a German musicologist claimed that he finally discovered the true identity of the mysterious woman from Fur Elise. Renowned “Beethoven expert,” Klaus Martin Kopitz, says that the woman of Beethoven’s famous dedication went by the full name of Elisabeth Roecekl (1793 – 1883).
According to Koptiz, Elisabeth was a German soprano and sister to the tenor, Joseph August Roeckel, who played the part of Florestan from a performance of “Fidelio,” which he conducted in Vienna during 1806.
In 1807, Elisabeth accompanied her brother to Vienna where joined the composer’s inner circle. Later on in life, she had actually married Beethoven’s friend and musical rival, composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel.
Kopitz explained that Elisabeth was also known by the shorter name, Elise. This has been backed up by an entry in the christening records of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, located in Vienna. At the time of christening, she was named “Maria Eva Elise,” suggesting the fact that she was most likely known as “Elise” in Vienna, as opposed to “Elisabeth.”
As Kopitz goes on, he explains that both Beethoven and Elise shared a close friendship when he wrote Fur Elise in 1810. There was no other woman in Beethoven’s life by the name of Elise. There was also evidence noting that Elisabeth communicated that “during a dinner party,” Beethoven “would pinch my arm out of sheer affection.” Before Beethoven’s death in 1827, Elise had even kept a lock of his hair and allowed herself to be presented with one of his final quills.
Elise’s Musical Tip For The Day:
To me, this discovery has opened my eyes completely. Listen to the piece. You can actually “feel” the different emotions in the piece. It starts out slow and beautiful, perhaps Beethoven is trying to express Elise’s gentle personality or nature. The piece suddenly changes, to a fast and almost angry state. In my interpretation, maybe Beethoven is expressing his jealousy and anger toward Hummel, his rival and husband of Elise. Then, the piece returns to its original melody, maybe suggesting that even through Beethoven’s jealousy, he still loves and respects her. The piece goes on to change to a playful sound, which could reflect the good times that Beethoven and Elise spent together as friends. Finally, the piece returns to the main melody once again to finish the piece.
It’s interesting to make your own interpretations of music, especially with some knowledge about the history of the piece and the composer. See if you can understand what I mean by listening to the piece, or listen to some other classical pieces and try to interpret them for yourself.
Posted in Famous Composers, In The News, Song Reviews |
Tags: Beethoven, Fur Elise, Piano Solo |
2 Comments »
Flight Of The Bumblebee, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
September 2nd, 2009
So, I have a new project. I decided this last night (at like 3am). Now that I’m done Clair De Lune (just needs some tweaking), it’s time to get my hands dirty. Like, REALLY dirty.
I need a faster piece to really challenge my technical skills. And WHAT better piece than “Flight Of The Bumblebee” by Korsakov?
This is going to be really interesting…
Unfortunately, I can’t really find the difficulty rating for this piece. I think it’s because this piece was not originally composed as a piano solo and there are various different transcriptions.
“Flight Of The Bumblebee” is actually an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, made for his opera, named The Tale Of Tsar Salta. It was composed around 1899 – 1900.
During the scene, a magic Swan-Bird is supposed to change Prince Gvidon Saltanovich into an insect so he can fly away and visit his father. That’s why this piece sounds like a bumblebee’s wings buzzing around really fast, almost sounding like it’s coming toward you, around you, and away from your ear with the corresponding dynamics, crescendos, and decrescendos.
I printed out one version of the piano sheet music last night and sat down to just play a few measures. It’s intimidating, but considering the fact that I have been playing the piano for so long, I can definitely tackle it.
The right hand of the piece is basically all chromatic variations. What’s THAT? Well, you’re pretty much just playing every single white note and black note in order, up and down the keyboard. Oh ya, at a RIDICULOUSLY FAST SPEED.
It’s okay though, I had to practice chromatics for my conservatory examinations, so it’s all good.
I’m so excited though, because I love chromatics. If I can master this without getting my fingers tied in a knot, I will pretty much have conquered the world (in my opinion).
It’s going to take a lot of time, a lot of grueling technical work, and crazy practicing HOURS (probably late at night) with this piece. Remember the post I just made on Slow Practice? Yeah, that will DEFINITELY apply to this piece. Luckily, the left hand shouldn’t be too hard. There are a lot of staccato notes.
Fantastic! Chromatic scales and staccato notes! My favourites!
I bet it will take me a year to fully master this piece. (Unless I give up.) It took me all summer to really master Clair De Lune and it’s not even a fast piece.
When I do (and I will) master Korsakov’s Flight Of The Bumblebee, I would love to find my old piano teacher and show her what I have done. She should be proud.
I remember back in the day when I showed her that I learned Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, she was pretty surprised. Awesome!
Elise’s Musical Tip For The Day:
WATCH THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO. This girl (Yuja Wang) plays Flight Of The Bumblebee with RIDICULOUS speed, accuracy, tempo, and amazing technique. It’s almost scary. And it is truly inspirational. I’m not all that for speed with the piano, so I’d be glad if I could play it half as fast as she could.
Get ready for something amazing…
EDIT: Well, I just found the transcription that looks like what Yuja Wang plays (more difficult). The other version I found was just chromatic scales in the right hand. Which version should I learn? I’m always up for the hardest challenge, so maybe the Yuja Wang version. We’ll see. I hope my Yamaha keyboard won’t explode.
Posted in Favourite YouTube Videos, Song Reviews |
Tags: Chromatic, Crescendo, Decrescendo, Dynamics, Flight Of The Bumblebee, Korsakov, Staccato, Technique |
5 Comments »
Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin
August 23rd, 2009
Before I started learning Debussy’s Clair De Lune, Maple Leaf Rag was my all-time favourite piece to play. Now, both are tied for first place. They’re both so different, but I don’t think I could choose between either of them.
Maple Leaf Rag was composed by Scott Joplin, an African-American composer and pianist from Texas during the first post-slavery generation. He is most known for his amazing ragtime compositions and was even dubbed “King of Ragtime.”
Scott Joplin (1867 - 1917)
He wrote 44 different ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. Maple Leaf Rag was one of his first ragtime pieces, and it became ragtime’s first and most influential composition.
Scott Joplin possessed an incredible ability to improvise at the piano; a skill that defines music of jazz and ragtime genres. He was mostly inspired by the music that he was surrounded with, including gospel and spiritual music, dance music, plantation songs, syncopated rhythms, blues, and choruses.
In 1894, he moved to Missouri and began working as a pianist in the Maple Leaf Club and the Black 400. These were social clubs for “respectable black gentlemen.” In 1899, Joplin composed the original and first major hit, Maple Leaf Rag.
Maple Leaf Rag was an immediate success and served as a model for the hundreds of ragtime compositions to come in the future. As the first instrumental to sell over one million copies of sheet music, Maple Leaf Rag really put Joplin right on the top of the list of ragtime performers, and even moved ragtime into a popular musical form.
Although Joplin composed over 40 ragtime pieces, many did not get the exposure they probably deserved as compared to Maple Leaf Rag. Joplin apparently realized that his music was ahead of its time, and he came to the conclusion that he would not be much of a popular hero during his own lifetime.
Joplin once said, “When I’m dead twenty-five years, people are going to recognize me.” Thirty years later, he was indeed recognized. Historian Rudi Blesh wrote a large book about ragtime, which he dedicated to the memory of Scott Joplin, “King of Ragtime.”
I absolutely love listening to Joplin’s ragtime pieces, and of course, Maple Leaf Rag is my favourite. I can play the entire piece, except for two lines which I skipped learning years ago because I was in a hurry to learn the piece for a piano recital. I had to skip a section in order to make good time for practicing. I’m learning it now, and I’m hoping it won’t take too long to master. It will be a real achievement once I can play the entire piece, including the section I skipped.
Elise’s Musical Tip For The Day:
A lot of people focus on the few popular genres in piano music, such as classical, contemporary, popular, and jazz. I’d like to encourage people to listen to some ragtime pieces, and even expand on that by trying to learn some through sheet music. Sometimes I think that a lot of people forget about ragtime because there are not as many pieces out there, and many piano players are intimidated by the quick-step rhythm of the pieces. The music also has a really “old” feel, and even kind of a goofy personality to it. Usually, when you hear ragtime music, it’s paired up with a video clip of a fast-forwarded black and white historical clip. Ragtime, in my opinion, is a bit of neglected genre in piano these days, and I definitely plan on learning more ragtime pieces in the near future. You can find Maple Leaf Rag and other works by Joplin in the book, Scott Joplin: Collected Piano Works by Scott Joplin.
Posted in Famous Composers, Song Reviews |
Tags: Maple Leaf Rag, Maple Leaf Rag Sheet Music, Ragtime, Ragtime Sheet Music, Scott Joplin |
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My Favourite Classical Piano Pieces
August 15th, 2009
I’ve been practicing Clair De Lune all day today, and then I thought that I should write a few of my ultimate favourite classical pieces.
Clair De Lune by Claude Debussy. Of course. I’ve posted about this piece several times, mostly because it is my main project right now. I’m improving everyday and it feels great. This is, by far, one of the most beautiful piano pieces ever (in my opinion) and really enjoyable to play. I hope to have fully completed perfecting the piece within the next 2 to 3 weeks.
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, op. 13—Sonata Pathétique (2nd Movement) by Ludwig Van Beethoven. This is the second (and most well-known) movements of three movements, which take about 19 minutes to play in total. The first movement is Grave (slowly with solemnity) and Allegro di molto e con brio (quickly, with much vigour). The third movement is Rondo: Allegro (quickly). The second movement, and my favourite, is Adagio cantabile (slowly, in a singing style). The second movements is the most recognizable, and I have about half or maybe even three quarters of the 2nd movement already.
Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin. Ahh, yes. This is not quite a classical piece, as it comes from the ragtime era and was composed by Scott Joplin, who is known as one of the great ragtime composers of all time. This is a grade 9 piano piece and I learned it a few years ago to play during my very last piano recital. I was in a rush, so I had to skip a section on the third page. I’ve tried several times to go back and practice it, but I’ve never kept up with practicing this section. Once I have this one section done, I’ll be done the entire piece.
Waltz in D Flat Major, opus 64, No. 1—Minute Waltz by Frederyc Chopin. This is a fun piece to play. It’s very upbeat and fast, and was given the tempo marking “Molto vivace”. I like this piece because it sounds great and it really challenges my ability to keep up with the tempo. Out of all these pieces, this one is probably the one that I have practiced the least.
Nocturne No. 20, Op. Posth. in C Sharp Minor by Frederyc Chopin. I haven’t touched this piece in quite a while. I believe I had mastered the first page or page and a half, but I haven’t tried playing it lately. The tempo is Lento con gran espressione and most of the left hand plays arpeggios throughout the piece before shifting into a dreamy pianissimo. The piece then returns to its original state and ends again in C sharp minor.
Elise’s Musical Tip For The Day:
What’s your favourite classical piece? Even if you prefer to learn or listen to more contemporary, popular, jazz, or new age piano compositions, I think it’s hard to completely ignore classical. Piano music has evolved thanks some of the greatest classical composers of all time, and without them, much would be lost. Take the time to listen to some classical piano, it’s very relaxing and I think you’ll really learn to appreciate the classical side of piano!
Posted in Classical Piano, Song Reviews |
Tags: Beethoven, Chopin, Clair De Lune, Classical Music, Classical Piano, Classical Piece, Claude Debussy, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Movement, Ragtime, Scott Joplin, Sonata, Waltz |
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