Jean-Baptiste Duvernoy (1800-1880 Paris) was a French pianist, composer and professor of piano at the Conservatoire de Paris. His overall oeuvre comprises more than 300 works. He is known particulary for his studies which include 'Ecole primaire' (25 studies for elementary instruction). These studies were written for beginner's lessons on the piano, consisting of a simple structure. They are supposed to train primarily the dexterity and independence of the fingers. But the special appeal of this collection lies, due to the cantabile character of the individual pieces, in the musical texture of these wonderful and expressive melodies. Their focus is on the experience of sound which is why these studies are very popular in lessons and perfectly suitable as performance pieces.

Die Studies for player piano des 1912 geborenen Amerikaners Conlon Nancarrow beweisen auf ebenso spielerische wie virtuose Art, dass der Einsatz eines mechanischen Klaviers weder zur Automatisierung der Musik noch zur Fliessbandproduktion eines Komponisten fuhren muss. Nancarrow lasst parallel bis zu acht unabhangige Stimmen in einer ubermenschlichen rhythmischen Prazision und unglaublichen Schnelligkeit erklingen.

German.

Studies by Bertini, Burgmuller, Czerny, Duvernoy, Gretchaninoff, Gurlitt, Heller, Kirchner, Lemoine, Schumann, Schoenmehl and others, arranged in order of progressive difficulty. These studies are fun as well as musically interesting and valuable.
The volume could be introduced in combination with vol. 3 of the piano tutor Piano Kids and subsequently be used in conjuction with other teaching material [e.g. Piano Kids in Concert, ED 8440).

This book Modern Piano contains 90 easy original pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries. The pieces selected display a great variety of styles including New Music, neoclassicism, modern dances, jazz, blues, pop, rock, musical studies, meditative music, New Age music and more besides: a colourful range of different styles, sometimes blurring the distinction between classical and popular music in 'crossover' pieces that bridge the gap between different musical worlds.

The little pieces selected invite us to go on a musical journey of discovery, introducing new experiences using modern sounds and rhythms. All these pieces are suitable for tuition purposes, auditions, examinations and school music competitions - or just as stimulating repertoire for pianists interested in music.