Piano Lessons with Claudio Arrau

Piano Lessons with Claudio Arrau provides an insider's view of the art of piano performance as exemplified by one of the great artists of the twentieth century. Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau devoted his life to the piano and its music. As a child prodigy, he gained national recognition from government officials in Chile, including President Pedro Montt, who funded Arrau's education in Germany. Arrau studied in Berlin with Martin Krause, a pupil of Franz Liszt, and later immigrated to New York City where he taught and mentored a sizeable group of pupils while at the same time managing an international performing career. Arrau's profound musical insight and unique style of teaching inspired his pupils and motivated them to teach his principles to the next generation of students. This in-depth study of Arrau's principles and philosophy of technique and performance draws on information from published interviews with Arrau, from numerous interviews with Arrau's pupils, and from the author's experience in studying piano with two of them. Transcripts of actual lessons given by Arrau and preserved on tape present in his own words a detailed account of his technical and interpretive ideas about five major works of the piano repertory. References to over one hundred examples from Arrau's filmed recordings enable readers to observe the elements of Arrau's famed technique in action.

Victoria von Arx is a currently a member of the music faculty at the University at Albany and an active performer of piano and chamber music. She has written articles appearing in the Journal of the Society for American Music, the International Dictionary of Black Composers, and the RiD'im Newsletter.

Introduction
SECTION 1: ARRAU'S PREDECESSORSChapter 1 Martin Krause Chapter 2 Arrau and the Lisztian Legacy Chapter 3 Rudolf Breithaupt
Section 2: TECHNIQUEChapter 4 Arrau's Concept of Technique and Virtuosity Chapter 5 The "Arrau Technique" 5.1 Hand and Wrist Position 5.2 The Fingers 5.3 Dropping the Arm 5.4 Pushing the Arm Up 5.5 Reciprocal Vertical Motion 5.6 Vibration 5.7 Rotation 5.8 Circular Motion 5.9 Fingering and use of the Thumb
Section 3: TEACHINGChapter 6 Arrau's Collaboration with Rafael De Silva: A Community of Learners
Conclusion
APPENDIX: LESSONS1. Frederic Chopin: Ballade no. 2 in F major, Op. 38 mm. 1-46 mm. 38-83 mm. 79-170 mm. 169-end 2. Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110 Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo Allegro molto Adagio ma non troppo Fuga - Allegro, ma non troppo 3. Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la nuitScarbo mm. 1-119 mm. 119-220 mm. 232-332 mm. 332-end 4. Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la nuitOndine mm. 1-41 mm. 41-49 mm. 49-70 mm. 70-80 5. Ludwig van Beethoven: Fifteen Variations with Fugue, Op. 35"Eroica" 6. Richard Strauss: Burleske, TrV 145
BibliographyIndex