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.

German - English - French.

Czerny has been underestimated as a composer of studies for a long time. In the meantime, however, his studies are used more and more in lessons because he is a real master in .tackling technical and musical problems in concise exercises. Against the background of the discussion about practising ('How to practise in an efficient and targeted manner'), Czerny's studies have gained in importance. As a consequence, Schott has included the well-known cycle 100 leichte Ubungsstucke op. 139 in its study series 'Essential Exercises', with fingerings and didactic information by Wilhelm Ohmen.

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 - English - French.

In the compilation of this collection of studies, the author was moved principally by the desire to produce a work which would introduce the student gradually to all the problems of the piano technique, give him confidence and technical facilities, develop his pianistic gifts, and thus provide him with the technical and musical background to enable him to master the purely musical material without too great an effort. Studies are also useful in developing a musical sense, if played with taste and charm and not practiced in a dull and mechanical manner. The more gradually the technical difficulties are introduced, the more will be gained from these studies from the purely musical side. The majority of the studies in the first volume have been chosen purposely in the triad form, along with those in diatonic scales. Proceeding from the triad, the student is afforded to the opportunity of combining these exercises with his other musical studies. Ear training is given practical application by singing the triad to the syllables la or do mi sol (or bi gu la), and then playing it in different positions. Short verses of folk or children's songs within a range of five tones can also be played in the same way so that the transposition of the first exercises into other keys will no longer offer any great difficulties for an ordinary musical ear. In this way, the student is gradually introduced to the chromatic signs, tonally and technically, which makes it possible to use other keys than C major much earlier than usual, as is suggested in the present work. Attention should also be paid to dynamics. first awaken a sense of the contrast between loud and soft tones by practical illustration, which the student should then imitate on the instrument. He himself must decide if his tone corresponds to his musical intentions, which accustoms him from the start to listen critically to his own playing. In the first exercises, the right hand part in the original has been divided between both hands for pedagogic reasons, without altering the melodic line of the original. A number of studies have been transposed into other keys.

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.