Sunday, September 15, 2024 by Mary O'Connor | listening

Today, we'll be listening to the end of the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini.  This piece, originally the overture to an opera, has been arranged for piano and is in several method books, including Piano Pronto Movements 1 and 2.  It's also in Bastien Book 4 and Piano Maestro.

The original story

https://youtu.be/nMygbxIPdfI

Maybe your grandparents watched the original Lone Ranger

https://youtu.be/0XSwVNBeNFw

Or you saw the newer Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp

https://youtu.be/_EMMH0NBcLU

Here's the entire William Tell Overture played by an orchestra

https://youtu.be/H_6_71G7xyM

Piano Solo

https://youtu.be/iyfSDlCvtMg

Franz Liszt made a really hard version for piano solo. See if you can follow along!

https://youtu.be/eisDlPuvCQo

Piano Duet (1 piano, 4 hands)

https://youtu.be/X3oOf99qyd8

Piano Duet arranged by Louis Moreau Gottschalk

https://youtu.be/BiW2EX_Ejjc

Piano Duo (2 pianos, 8 hands)

https://youtu.be/zwpeHYi1z1g

Piano Quartet (4 pianos, 16 hands)

https://youtu.be/QjvPBBePW2A

For pipe organ

https://youtu.be/N2KIqzfam_Q

For synthesizer

https://youtu.be/dcGmj9TYLqk

And then things get nuts with cartoons. Lots of cartoons used this music. Here are Mickey Mouse and friends

https://youtu.be/LGlyKv_XNXM

And Spike Jones

https://youtu.be/MRgokSbo7c8

Handbells...

https://youtu.be/82tgQ-2ufVQ

Poor Rossini - I think he'd have a fit if he knew how is music was being used.

Have a nice day!

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Saturday, September 14, 2024 by Mary O'Connor | parents

We have established that regular practice routines will not happen without proactive piano parents. So, how can parents be proactive practice assistants even if they have never touched a piano?

Day 2. The Practice Videographer: Piano teachers love to know what’s happening at home. By being a videographer, proactive piano parents can provide teachers with valuable home practice recordings that can be used to improve technique, posture, rhythm, and more.

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Friday, September 13, 2024 by Mary O'Connor | history

Clara Schumann (1819-96) was much more than the wife of composer Robert Schumann. She was, quite simply, one of the greatest pianists of all time. A child prodigy, her technique and musicianship as a mature artist led to her being regarded as the equal of giants of the keyboard such a Franz Liszt, Sigismond Thalberg and Anton Rubinstein.

And from her girlhood until the end of her marriage she composed wonderful music, mostly solo piano music, but other works as well, including a concerto, a large number of songs and a sublime piano trio.

In her later years, she was an internationally famous teacher, and her performing career lasted more than six decades. She was, quite simply, a phenomenon.

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