Customer Reviews for Ornamentation
Kevin Coan
Location: from Vernon, CT
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
January 8, 2012
Every Student Should Own
This is ond book that every piano student should have in his or her personal library. I require every student who reaches level 4 in a method to purchase this book and to bring it to their lessons. This book is one of the few ACCURATE texts on the proper realization of ornaments. It explains the differences in the meanings of the various notations in the different time periods. At the same time, it helps a student to understand that rules alone are not always enough; the student has to consider each ornament in the context of the individual piece. After listening to so many students perform ornaments totally not in keeping with the principles taught in this book, I finally decided to require each of them to study this book. In every instance, the student has been glad that I have done so, even when they objected at first! At the same time, this manual is so thorough that I often refer to it myself when encountering an ornament in a new situation.
12 of 16 people found this review helpful.
F. J. Hernando
Location: from Barcelona, Spain
Difficulty Level:
Early intermediate
September 5, 2011
Remarkable
Best of the manual is its simplicity, the order in which the concepts are presented, the number of realizations of ornaments studied, the inclusion of a first chapter with basic concepts and a second chapter with interrelationships between different arts, and their pedagogical approach. I don't like the mathematical approach to the fioritura, and the lack of some ornaments: is missing the "turn over the trill" sign, that means a turn starting on the main note, the "vertical turn", that means an inverse turn (starting on the lower note); but, in conclusion, it's a strongly recommended book that fills an important gap in the history of musical pedagogy.
12 of 18 people found this review helpful.