Piano Technique

The history of piano technique begins in the 17th century…

When the harpsichord, clavichord, and pipe organ were the instruments used by J.S. Bach, George Frederick Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti. It all begins in Padua, of the Republic of Venice, where a harpsichord builder, Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731), invented the first effective hammer action mechanism for the harpsichord around 1695 (historical dates vary) and was subsequently called the fortepiano, meaning it could play both loud and soft by touch control of the keyboard. During that stage of instrumental development, clavierists performed with a light hand, delicacy of touch, and minimized arm movements to maintain the evenness of the rhythm.

Baroque Keyboard Techniques

I have my own history with Baroque keyboard techniques, having received the Ceravolo Prize for Excellence in the Performance of J.S. Bach, so know that mastering these techniques is relevant to this day for anyone who would make a career of the Baroque keyboard literature, as did the renowned harpsichordist, Wanda Landowska (1879-1959), and later, Ralph Kirkpatrick (1911-1984), and my esteemed colleague and friend, Kenneth Cooper (1941-2021).

It was Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, who wrote the guiding technical principles for the harpsichord and fortepiano in his two-volume Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments in 1753. This publication had a significant influence on the subsequent generations of keyboard players. And for any pianist curious about the Baroque and Classical styles of music expression and technique, it is the finest resource available.

By the 1770s, the fortepiano, which had evolved from Cristofori’s original design, had overtaken the harpsichord as the preferred instrument for composers and keyboard virtuosos. The early pianofortes were virtually identical to harpsichords in construction, except for the newly contrived hammer action. The fortepiano was not an instant success and took decades to be refined.

The first generation of musicians to shift from harpsichord to fortepiano included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), and Muzio Clementi (1752-1832). Their works remain popular in concert performances, and my students often enjoy playing them for their charm, inventive brilliance, and wit.

Mozart insisted his music should “flow like oil”. But legato playing was not the standard of technical execution at that time. As the composer Daniel Gottlob Türk wrote in his essay, Klavierschule (1789), “When playing notes in the ordinary manner, that, neither staccato nor legato, the finger should be lifted shortly before the written value of the notes requires it.” This is a level of detail not considered by most contemporary students, but it indicates a perspective to be considered when engaging the keyboard music of the period.

Father of Modern Piano Technique

Clementi is often regarded as the ‘father’ of modern piano technique, and his challenging method book of technical exercises, Gradus ad Parnassum, opus 44 (1817), is still widely used by pianists and music conservatories around the world. It was Clementi, more than Mozart or Haydn, whose compositions and technique progressed beyond the classical Style Galant and influenced the emerging Romantic era trends, both technically and harmonically.

Many of my students have successfully mastered Clementi’s Sonatinas, which are rather light-hearted and charming works at the early intermediate level, and they are an excellent gateway into his more challenging sonatas as well as those of Mozart and Haydn.

Clementi’s sonatas were admired and carefully studied by his younger colleague, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose sonatas and concertos required far more muscular engagement with the keyboard than anything imagined by the Baroque masters. His universally famous für Elise, as well as the first movement of the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata in C-sharp minor, have been successfully mastered by many of my students, many of whom went on to conquer several of his formidable sonatas as well.

The Beethoven Epoch

Beethoven was an epoch unto himself, and he greatly expanded the expressive power of music and a more muscular approach to the keyboard. Hands were now raised high when descending on dramatic chords, and the upper arms were employed. Upon hearing his younger colleague perform, Mozart said, “Keep an eye on this young man. He will make a great splash in the world.”

Beethoven’s fiery passion had a major, even shocking, impact on his contemporaries and paved the way for the following era of Romantic composers, such as Liszt, Chopin, and Brahms.

Carl Czerny (1791-1857), a dedicated student of Beethoven, is mainly remembered today for his highly effective technical exercises. Used more frequently than Clementi by piano students of all levels, Czerny’s exercises are great for improving articulation and strengthening finger independence in both hands.

During my student years, practicing Czerny's The School of Velocity, Opus 299, significantly improved my technique. I can easily instruct students on how to incorporate his exercises into their practice—though I only do so if they ask, as exercises are not for every student. A highly developed technique can be built directly through repertoire when approached with specific rehearsal methods. This is case-specific to each student, and another reason a pre-set computer app cannot assess a student’s actual needs.

Czerny had a significant influence on the evolution of piano performance, and among his students were Franz Liszt, the king of virtuosi, but also Döhler, Kullak, Jaëll, Belleville, and Leschetitzky who became one of the greatest piano teachers of all time, and whose students dominated the concert halls of the early 20th century.

My Teacher’s Lineage

My teachers trace their lineage directly back to Leschetitsky, and his technical indications are relevant today. For instance, it is currently considered revolutionary to study piano music when away from the keyboard. However, back in the 1880s, Leschetitsky advised students to mentally review their music from various perspectives while walking in a park or in other settings. And it was my teacher’s teacher, Rosina Lhevinne, who advised her students to study the piano repertoire away from the keyboard whenever possible, to gain a firmer grasp of the form and expressive possibilities.

The career and music of Franz Liszt (1811-1876), a student of Czerny, marked a pivotal moment in piano history by elevating keyboard virtuosity to new heights. His contemporary, Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849), was perhaps even more revolutionary in harmony and broadened the emotional range and exploration of the piano’s capabilities. Chopin's etudes are widely regarded as the perfect blend of Art and Technique on the piano. Nearly all of my students have eagerly mastered several of their many masterpieces.

As a student, when I read that Liszt declared, “Every pianist must discover his own technique,” I thought he was casually dismissing the subject. But I subsequently understood he was serious, and profoundly correct: no two hands have identical shapes and strengths, nor do pianists, no matter how intelligent, process information identically. Every pianist’s technique, including yours, must be custom-designed to accommodate both your hands and the music you prefer to play. With my decades of experience resolving challenges of differing hand-types in relation to repertoire, I’m here to help you develop a technique that’s perfectly suited to your growth.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) and Johannes Brahms (1933-1897), in addition to their monumental symphonic and piano compositions, composed many charming short pieces that have delighted piano students for generations. Among them are Schumann’s Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) as well as several beautiful Rhapsodies and Intermezzi by Brahms.

The Russian School

The Russian school of piano composition is extensive, beginning with Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and extending through Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and Prokofiev, among others. The most celebrated Russian piano virtuosi were Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894), who founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and whose stupendous technique and volcanic passion set the standard for all Russian pianists who followed. That tradition favored vigorous athleticism at the keyboard, producing substantial tonal projections and virtuosic technique.

The foremost Russian-influenced pianists following Anton Rubinstein were Serge Rachmaninoff, Joseph Hoffmann, Vladimir Horowitz, and Vladimir Ashkenazy. Truthfully, there are another two dozen super-virtuosi who could be added to that short list. However, Ashkenazy has disputed the notion of a so-called ‘Russian School’ of piano playing, insisting that the requirements at Russian music schools are no different from those of any other conservatories around the world.

The French & German Schools

By contrast, the French school of piano playing has traditionally been characterized by evenness of touch, speed, elegance, and precision. However, these qualities are also found in great pianists from any country, and exceptional performers like Alfred Cortot, Robert Casadesus, and, currently, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, exhibit physical power and emotional intensity comparable to those of any Russian pianist.

The German school of piano playing has been regarded as loyal to the printed note, rigorously academic, avoiding showmanship, and ‘intellectual’. That may have been broadly true of successive generations of pianists, such as Hans von Bulow, Arthur Schnabel, and Alfred Brendel. Yet the German pianist Walter Gieseking was famous for his silken finesse with the music of Debussy, and Wilhelm Kempff was widely praised for his affinity for the Polish composer Frederic Chopin.

Consequently, I do not assign significant weight to the idea of nationalist schools of piano playing, which was a prominent feature of late 19th and early 20th-century criticism. Currently, there is only one International school of piano playing; all elements of technique and music interpretation are available to any student who is ardent in pursuing their advancement.

Integrating these perspectives is the basis of a cultured, informed understanding of not only the piano literature but also the countless artistic possibilities available to you for musical expression.