Off the Record: Performing Practices in Romantic Piano Playing

— —

Neal Peres da Costa (Lecturer in Musicology and Chair of Early Music Unit, Lecturer in Musicology and Chair of Early Music Unit, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney)

Off the Record

Performing Practices in Romantic Piano Playing

Neal Peres da Costa (Lecturer in Musicology and Chair of Early Music Unit, Lecturer in Musicology and Chair of Early Music Unit, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney)

$169.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

30 April 2012

Off the Record is a revealing exploration of piano performing practices of the high Romantic era. Author and well-known keyboard player Neal Peres Da Costa bases his investigation on a range of early sound recordings (acoustic, piano roll and electric) that capture a generation of highly-esteemed pianists trained as far back as the mid-nineteenth-century. Placing general practices of late nineteenth-century piano performance alongside evidence of the stylistic idiosyncrasies of legendary pianists such as Carl Reinecke (1824-1910), Theodor Leschetizky (1830-1915), Camille Saint-Saëns (1838-1921) and Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), he examines prevalent techniques of the time--dislocation, unnotated arpeggiation, rhythmic alteration, tempo fluctuation--and unfolds the background and lineage of significant performer/pedagogues. Throughout, Peres Da Costa demonstrates that these early recordings do not simply capture the idiosyncrasies of aging musicians as has been commonly asserted, but in fact represent a range of established expressive practices of a lost age. An extensive collection of these fascinating and sometimes rare professional recordings of the Romantic age masters are available on a companion web site, and in addition, Peres Da Costa, himself a renowned period keyboardist, illustrates points made throughout the book with his own playing. Of essential value to student and professional pianists, historical musicologists of 19th and early 20th century performance practice, and also to the general music aficionado audience, Off the Record is an indispensable resource for scholarly research, performance inspiration, and listening enjoyment.

By: Neal Peres da Costa (Lecturer in Musicology and Chair of Early Music Unit Lecturer in Musicology and Chair of Early Music Unit Sydney Conservatorium of Music University of Sydney)
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 31mm
Weight: 636g
ISBN: 9780195386912
ISBN 10: 0195386914
Publication Date: 30 April 2012
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Foreword Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Early Recordings: Their Value as Evidence Chapter 2 Playing One Hand After The Other - Dislocation Chapter 3 Unnotated Arpeggiation Chapter 4 Metrical Rubato and Other Forms of Rhythmic Alteration Chapter 5 Tempo Modification Conclusion Notes Bibliography Discography Index

Reviews for Off the Record: Performing Practices in Romantic Piano Playing

Engaging and thought provoking...An outstanding contribution to the discussion of how Romantic piano music might be performed...No serious teacher, performer (or critic) of the Romantic piano literature should be without this book. In questioning old assumptions and presenting a wealth of historical information, it will make you play and listen with new ears. --Limelight Magazine (Australia) The section on unnotated arpeggiation (with its oral tradition extending back to Bach) is particularly fascinating; pianists performing Beethoven, Chopin, and Brahms may find this discussion liberating. Via audio examples on the companion website the author reveals how his research has affected his own keyboard playing...Recommended. --Choice A very welcome and important addition to our understanding of how pianists of an earlier generation performed nineteenth century romantic piano repertoire. --ARSC Journal