The Pianist's Dictionary, Second Edition , livre ebook

THE
Pianist s
Dictionary

Second Edition
THE
Pianist s
Dictionary

Second Edition
Maurice Hinson and Wesley Roberts
Assisted by Sida Hodoroab -Roberts
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
2020 by Margaret Hume Hinson and Wesley Roberts
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-04731-1 (hdbk)
ISBN 978-0-253-04732-8 (pbk)
ISBN 978-0-253-04735-9 (web PDF)
1 2 3 4 5 25 24 23 22 21 20
In Memoriam
Maurice Hinson
(1930-2015)
CONTENTS

Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
List of Abbreviations
THE ENTRIES
Bibliography
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
T HE TASK OF TODAY S LEXICOGRAPHER IS A DAUNTING one when considered in light of the sheer abundance of information available. Nowhere else is this more true than for pianism, a domain now in its fifth century. Early piano builders could have never imagined the developments in manufacturing, piano literature, performance, and audience enthusiasm that have emerged in the centuries since that time. The piano s humble beginnings, emancipating from the action of the clavichord and embodying the form of the harpsichord, opened new doors of musical expression that have inspired composers, performers, and audiences throughout the ages, as they continue to do today.
This second edition of The Pianist s Dictionary follows the trajectory established in the first edition. Its aim is to provide the reader with a general reference guide to musical terms, selected compositions, composers, performers, treatises, and manufacturers of the piano. No one book could possibly contain all there is to be said, and readers are asked to be understanding if a favorite composer or performer does not appear.
This book is the first in Maurice Hinson s immense series on the piano to be published since his passing. It was my privilege to study piano with Hinson in the late 1970s at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and to serve as his student assistant. These were the early days in his editorship of the Journal of the American Liszt Society . Hinson would occasionally send me to the library to search for details related to Liszt, and occasionally I managed to find information that had eluded him. I imagine this was one of the reasons he entrusted me as coauthor of a new edition of The Piano in Chamber Ensemble (2006), the first in what has become a series of collaborations. Hinson was always interested in promoting music in the United States: readers of his works will notice a stronger emphasis on American composers and their music than is often found in other writings on piano literature. This approach was instilled in him early on and manifested itself in a series of three lecture-recitals he toured with early in his career tracing the development of the piano and piano literature in America. That it spilled over into his many publications should be no surprise.
Assisting me in the preparation of this volume has been my wife, Sida, whose linguistic skill in several European languages aided me on many occasions. For her assistance I am most grateful. Readers will find that some foreign terms may be translated in multiple ways. I have taken every precaution to interpret these in a musical context. Any errors herein are my responsibility. I am also thankful for the assistance of my colleague James W. Moore, who digitized musical illustrations, and to Kay Alston, librarian, and her staff at Campbellsville University s Montgomery Library for providing materials in the preparation of this edition.

December 2018
Wesley Roberts
Campbellsville, Kentucky
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
T HIS MUSIC DICTIONARY AIMS TO ASSIST THE PIANIST in all aspects of his or her art. It is a practical guide that covers definitions of terms, performance directions, names of well-known piano pieces, nicknames of pieces, forms, and styles, plus brief biographies of leading pianists, composers of piano music, and piano manufacturers as well as parts of the piano (action, soundboard, etc.) and neglected repertoire the author feels is important. I have also included the names of some college and university faculty members who are outstanding teachers, performers, or both, or who have made some unusual contributions to the piano world by their writing or editing. It is impossible to include some of the most interesting instructions from composers: Satie suggested the pianist should play like a nightingale with a toothache ; Messiaen urged the performer to sound like someone sharpening a scythe.
To be sure, there is more to interpretation than just recognizing the terms. The pianist has to know that allegro means a style as much as a tempo and that a Brahms grazioso is quite different from a Mozart grazioso. This dictionary aims to help with the other part of the meaning besides speed and tempo.
How many times has a pianist worked so diligently on a passage or piece only to realize there was a term or direction present all along that would have steered him or her in the right direction if only they had been properly understood? These words cannot be ignored, for they help bring a score to life.
I owe special thanks to Dr. Charles Timbrell for his assistance with death dates and students of listed pianists, and to Suzie Collins and Linda Durkin for typing the manuscript.
I have tried to keep the language as simple as possible as relates to the topic. The information contained covers the subject from around 1700 (the beginning of the history of the piano) to the present day. This is information I have worked with while teaching piano for almost sixty years.

Maurice Hinson
Louisville, Kentucky
ABBREVIATIONS
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Brahms
Johannes Brahms
BWV
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis
ca.
Circa; approximately
Chopin
Fryderyk (Fr d ric) Chopin
Curtis
Curtis Institute of Music
Debussy
Claude Debussy
e.g.
Exempli gratia (Latin); for example
Eng.
English
Fr.
French
Ger.
German
Haydn
Joseph Haydn
It.
Italian
J. S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Juilliard
The Juilliard School
K.
K chel (for Mozart) or Kirkpatrick (for Scarlatti)
L
Left
L.H.
Left hand
Lat.
Latin
Liszt
Franz Liszt
mm.
Measure
mms.
Measures
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
No.
Number
Op.
Opus
Peabody
Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University
Pol.
Polish
Port.
Portuguese
R
Right
R.H.
Right hand
S.
Searle catalog
Sp.
Spanish
U.S.
United States
WoO
Work without opus
THE
Pianist s
Dictionary

Second Edition
A
A (It.), (Fr.). At, in, to.
deux (Fr.). For two (as a duet).
deux mains (Fr.). For two hands.
l aise (Fr.). Comfortable; in a relaxed manner.
la mani re de (Fr.). In the style of.
la mesure (Fr.). A tempo; in strict time.
peine (Fr.). Slightly, scarcely.
A piacere (It.). At pleasure, as desired. The pianist is to use his or her discretion as regards the rhythmic or dynamic nuance; play freely.
quatre mains (Fr.). For four hands.
A tempo (It.). In the original speed, resume the original tempo after having made some deviation from it.
temps (Fr.). In time.
un temps (Fr.). In one beat.
volont (Fr.). At will, leisurely.
Ab Irato (In a Rage). Franz Liszt, S. 143, 1852. This piece first appeared in 1842 as Morceau du salon. It was expanded and reappeared in 1852 with the new suggestive title. It is an effective octave and chord study in a mainly violent mood.
ABA. Analysis term used to describe sections of a piece: A = first section, followed by contrasting section B , followed by repeat (sometimes modified) of A section.
Abegg Variations. Robert Schumann, Op. 1, 1829-30. A set of variations on a theme based on the notes A-B -E-G-G and dedicated to his friend Meta Abegg.
Aber (Ger.). But.
Abgesto en (Ger.). Staccato, detached.
Abram, Jacques (1915-98). American pianist and teacher, he began performing in public at the age of six and studied at Curtis with David Saperton and Juilliard with Ernest Hutcheson. He performed literature from Johann Sebastian Bach through B la Bart k and gave the American premi re of Benjamin Britten s Piano Concerto. He taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and the University of South Florida in Tampa. His course Issues in Music in Tampa was immensely popular and usually closed out each semester with over two hundred students from across campus.
Abridged Sonata Form/Modified Sonata Form. A form based on sonata form but not containing a development section.
Absolute music. Music witho