What I know about Wagner is that from a young age he manifested extraordinary musical talent and after his family moved to Dresden in 1821, he dedicated himself to studying the music of Weber, Greek mythology, and the works of Shakespeare and Beethoven.
His musical studies were essentially self-taught, although he attempted to follow some music courses (harmony and counterpoint) in Leipzig starting from 1828.
So, self-taught... in terms of composition
His extraordinary musical versatility also led him to perform, at the age of only 17, a piano reduction of Beethoven's ninth symphony and ... etc.
I don't think this necessarily means he is a pianist; even today's composers perform reductions ( ) but that doesn't make them pianists... on the contrary
...as far as hand size is concerned, doesn't it seem to you that a small hand is a major limitation in terms of repertoire choice?
It is one thing to say, I can play Rachmaninoff but for reason X, Y and Z I prefer Mozart, and another is to say, I would like to play Rachmaninoff... but I cannot afford to because I have tiny hands (woman or not) and so I "choose" Mozart.
What do you think, will that pianist experience a choice or an obligation?
Of course, if for reason X, Y and Z they would have chosen Mozart anyway ...
...but not everyone is in this condition.
C
Carlos
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Reply 43 by Carlos
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759
Frank wrote:
I don't think this necessarily means he is a pianist
Clear; and above all, certainly not a "piano talent," an instrument for which he didn't know how to write much (at least with results comparable to his highest peaks...)
S
stefano
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Reply 44 by stefano
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Frank wrote:
...as far as hand size is concerned, doesn't it seem to you that a small hand is a major limitation in terms of repertoire choice?
It is one thing to say, I can play Rachmaninoff but for reason X, Y and Z I prefer Mozart, and another is to say, I would like to play Rachmaninoff... but I cannot afford to because I have tiny hands (woman or not) and so I "choose" Mozart.
What do you think, will that pianist experience a choice or an obligation?
Clearly, if for reason X, Y and Z they would have chosen Mozart anyway ...
...but not everyone is in this condition.
I am of the same opinion as you that it is a major limitation, but does someone who has this limitation cannot be considered a pianist because they cannot play Chopin's studies? It seems to me that this was the initial topic. I think being a pianist is independent of physical limitations, but I believe it is a mix of technical natural virtues, experience, sensitivity, and intelligence. To claim that "being a true pianist" implies performing studies which are indeed important but perhaps represent only a millionth of the piano repertoire, otherwise one is not a pianist, seems illogical and very reductive to me.
C
Carlos
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Reply 45 by Carlos
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759
Stefanus wrote:
To assert that "being a true pianist" implies the fact of performing studies which are indeed important but are perhaps one millionth of the piano repertoire, otherwise one is not a pianist, seems illogical and very reductive to me.
I agree and, since everything originated from a quote, I propose another one by Friedrich Gulda, who once said that "a pianist can define themselves as such when they know how to play all of Mozart's Sonatas". I'll leave it to you...
I share your idea that it is a major limitation, but does someone with this limitation not count as a pianist because they cannot play Chopin's studies? I believe this was the initial topic. I think being a pianist is independent of physical limitations, but I believe it is a mix of technical virtuosity, experience, sensitivity, and intelligence. To claim that "being a true pianist" implies the ability to perform studies—which are indeed important but perhaps represent only one millionth of the piano repertoire—otherwise one is not a pianist, seems illogical and very reductive to me.
I might be being too good-natured, but in Rotore's writing:
Rotore wrote:
I feel sorry for him, but objectively he will always be a half-pianist simply because a good 40% of the repertoire will be unplayable for him... Chopin would be the least of his problems.
I don't read anything very different from what you and dame wrote... certainly, perhaps the tone is different, but the essence is that one encounters major sacrifices, which is why I want to read between the lines....
In fact, I don't find support for these specific words of yours:
To claim that "being a true pianist" implies the ability to perform studies
... he says that Chopin is the least of the problems.
