Piano Virtuosity in the 20th century: Four Works by Composers-Pianists (Debussy, Bartók, Rachmaninov, Liszt/Horowitz)

Abstract

The final project for the Doctor of Music degree consists of the three requirements: a CD recording of four works for piano solo (Debussy’s Estampes L.108, Bartók’s Piano Sonata Sz.80, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Sonata op.36 (2nd edition) and Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens/Liszt/Horowitz); scholarly notes to accompany the CD recording; and a final solo recital of this program. The repertoire chosen for the recital offers a clear and evocative theme – works written by composers who were brilliant virtuoso performers in their own right. For that reason, I will discuss all four works from the virtuosity perspective, rather than a purely historical or theoretical point of view. Similarly, in the chapters dedicated to the composers, I will not focus on the biographical or musicological aspects. Instead, I will discuss these artists’ careers as concert pianists, as well as the various aspects of their writing for piano, and the impact of their exclusive knowledge of the instrument on their works. I intend to explore the term virtuosity and its meaning within a composition and for a pianist. Although the array of composers in my program is interconnected through the vastly different historical eras and generations, I aim to structure the scholarly notes chronologically.