The Natural Effect of Emotions
"There is another relation between phrasing and breathing which the student may investigate to advantage. The emotions have a direct and immediate effect upon the breath, and as the brain informs the nervous system of new emotional impressions the visible evidences may be first observed in the breathing. It is quite unnecessary to go into the physiology or psychology of this, but a little reflection will immediately indicate what I mean.
"It is impossible to witness a disastrous accident without showing mental agitation and excitement in hurried breathing. Joy, anger, fear, love, tranquillity and grief—all are characterized by different modes of breathing, and a trained actor must study this with great closeness.
"The artist at the piano may be said to breathe his phrases. A phrase that is purely contemplative in character is breathed in a tranquil fashion without any suggestion of nervous agitation. If we go through the scale of expression, starting with contemplative tranquillity, to the climax of dramatic intensity, the breath will be emitted progressively quicker and quicker. Every musical phrase has some kind of expressive message to deliver. If a perfectly tranquil phrase is given out in a succession of short breaths, indicating, as they would, agitation, it would be a contradiction, just as it would be perfectly inhuman to suppose that in expressing dramatic intensity it would be possible to breathe slowly.
"In conclusion, I would urge students to cultivate a very definite mental attitude as to what they really desire to accomplish. Do you wish to make music? If so, think music, and nothing but music, all the time, down to the smallest detail even in technic. Is your ambition to play scales, octaves, double notes and trills? Then by all means concentrate your mind on them to the exclusion of everything else, but do not be surprised if, when, later on, you want to communicate a semblance of life to your mechanical motions, you succeed in obtaining no more than the jerky movements of a clock-work puppet."
Questions in Style, Interpretation, Expression
and Technic of Pianoforte Playing
SERIES III
harold bauer
| 1. | What is the nature of the technical study done by Harold Bauer? |
| 2. | Should immediate musical results be sought in technical study? |
| 3. | Upon what principle is expression in art based? |
| 4. | Is the utmost concentration necessary in all piano playing? |
| 5. | How may the piano become a barrier between the student and musical expression? |
| 6. | In what spirit should all studies be played? |
| 7. | Is the piano an expressive instrument? |
| 8. | Should pianists acquire a knowledge of the main feature in the construction of their instrument? |
| 9. | How may variety in piano playing be achieved? |
| 10. | How is phrasing related to breathing? |
