from the Rhythm Department of the Winter 2005 issue
Supplementary
audio clips to the article
How do you teach the rhythm challenges of the Chopin "Prelude
in E Minor?"
Editor: Bruce Berr
To hear Jennifer Merry's audio clips relevant to this same piece, click here
Author and pianist: Evan
Hirsch
Consult the print magazine
for the complete article
"In these first three
work-out practice steps, I am still looking for a brutally unambiguous
approach and sound. The time for refinement
is later."
Audio Clip #1 context:
Embracing the harmonic rhythm
"My next goal is to help the
student develop a physical mechanism that embraces the harmonic
rhythm, thereby avoiding the trudging left hand that all-too-often
is the hallmark of unmusical playing in this Prelude. For me,
the greatest challenge of the left hand is to physically experience
the harmonic movement, while at the same time maintaining a consistent
articulation of the individual chords (and all their suspensions).
In my own playing, I commonly assign different parts of the body
to execute different musical functions. Therefore, I have the
student play the basic chord progression by dropping the arm
somewhat heavily on each chord, but playing more lightly on the
suspensions, with just the fingers."
1.4 MB mp3 file
Audio Clip #2 context:
"This can be practiced by the left
hand alone at first, but there's no reason not to add the melody
as soon as possible; this clearly dramatizes the rhythmic counterpoint
between the two hands."
1.5 MB mp3 file
Audio Clip #3 context:
The final goal
"As a final step, I want the
student to be able to play the entire left hand alone, using
the arm to play the harmonic rhythm; the fingers to do the suspensions
(as legato as possible); and the hand, aided by a floppy wrist,
to articulate the eighth notes.
As you can hear, in these first three work-out
practice steps, I am still looking for a brutally unambiguous
approach and sound. The time for refinement is later."
1.2 MB mp3 file
Audio Clip #4: Evan Hirsch performs the Chopin Prelude in Em
"Here is my performance of the entire Prelude. As you can hear, I do use modifications of tempo, but sparingly."
1.8 MB mp3 file
Biography
| Evan Hirsch performs internationally as both recitalist and chamber player. He has premiered and recorded works of George Rochberg, Peter Child, Thomas Oboe Lee, Daniel Pinkham, and Martin Pearlman, to name a few. His recordings can be found on the New Albion, Arsis and Gasparo Labels. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase (NY) and a Master of Music from New England Conservatory. In addition to teaching piano and chamber music at Brandeis University, he has been on the Adult Education faculty at the New England Conservatory, and taught at Dartmouth College as a Visiting Professor in 1999 and 2001. He began his piano studies with Bruce Berr. |  |
Other audio
clips relevant to this article
from a past issue, by Jennifer Merry
Part of the lead-in by Bruce Berr
"This website has other audio
clips related to this piece. Please click on the Winter 1999
posting where you can hear several audio excerpts by Jennifer
Merry that demonstrate some of the "metric mis-communiques"
that commonly occur in this Prelude. These accompany the article,
"How
do you teach the difference between counting rhythm and musical
rhythm?"
For the other multimedia articles on this website
