Piano Lit Final 2015

General Knowledge
1.
SIX American composers born in 1938 (and still living!): William
Bolcom (Pulitzer Prize for his 12 New Etudes; also two sets of Bagatelles);
John Corigliano (mainly known for his Red Violin, but also..; John Harbison
(MIT prof, 3 visits to Blair, piano sonatas and concerti); Frederic Rzewski (the
Horowitz of composers; most famous piano work The People United will
never be Defeated theme and 36 variations); Joan Tower (Grammy winner,
pianist, Concerto and some solos); Charles Wuorinen (pianist with 3 concerti,
3 sonatas, various other solo works)
2.
Birth and death years for the following composers:
Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
Bartok (1881 1945)
Eilliott Carter (1908 - 2012)
Olivier Messiaen (1908 1992)
Copland (1900-1990)
Shostakovich (1906 1975)
Paul Hindemith (1895 1963)
Gyorgy Ligeti (1923 2006)
3.
HINDEMITH. Three piano sonatas, all composed in 1936. Ludus Tonalis
composed in 1942. There will be listening/score ID for the opening
movements of all 3 piano sonatas and a possible example from Ludus
Tonalis. You should know that Hindemith taught at Yale; and that he was a
talented artist, drawing entertaining images throughout a special edition of
Ludus Tonalis for his wife (I will bring a copy to class later in the semester).
4.
SHOSTAKOVICH. Even though Colleen will be doing a report on him,
his piano music will be part of the final. Besides the 24 Preludes and Fugues
there are the early 24 Preludes and two piano sonatas along with two piano
concerti, the 1st with a big part for trumpet.
5.
ELLIOTT CARTER (note the two Ls and two Ts). The WW2 sonata
(1946) and the Night Fantasies (1981) along with his piano concerto (1964).
6.
PROKOFIEV. Besides the 9 piano sonatas, there are the 5 concerti,
Visions Fugitives, opus 22, Sarcasms, opus 17, the Toccata, Opus 11, and the
early Etudes, Opus 2. Of the Concerti, you should know the opus numbers,
which arent that bad: 10, 16, 26, 53 and 55. The fourth concerto is for the
l.h., commissioned by the same pianist that commissioned the Ravel l.h.
concerto, Paul Wittgenstein. The 5th concerto has 5 movements and is opus
55!

7.
BARTOK. The 6 books of Mikrokosmos, the Sonata, the Out of Doors
Suite, the Dance Suite, the Improvisations, Suite Opus 14, 3 Burlesques Opus
8, the 3 concerti.

LISTENING AND SCORE ID

For PROKOFIEV:
1.
Opening of 5th sonata 1st movement.
2.

Opening of the 2nd piano CONCERTO

3.

Opening of the 9th piano sonata 1st movement

4.

8th piano sonata SLOW movement

5.

Visions Fugitives: Numbers 10, 14

For BARTOK
1.

Danses in Bulgarian Rhythm No. 1 (from Mikrokosmos Book 6)

3.
Suite. ALL 4 movements opening. Again, the openings are very
distinctive, with the folk tune in the 1st, the augmented triads in the 2nd, the
octatonic scales in the 3rd, and the expressive sadness and gentle rocking of
the last.
4.

Out of Doors. #1, 2, and 4.

5.

Dance Suite No. 3, Allegro vivace-folk tune.

For SHOSTAKOVICH
1.

Sonata No. 2: first and last movement opening

2.
Preludes and Fugues: JUST the Preludes from the following (the keys
are arranged like the Chopin Preludes) #4 in e minor, #15 in D-flat Major;
#16 in b-flat minor; #22 in g minor; #23 in F Major; #24 in d minor. I think
you will find these are all quite different and interesting.
For MESSIAEN
1.
Vingt Regards sur lEnfant Jesus (1944). Number X, regard de lEsprit
de joie. Also the theme that represents joie (an ascending major scale
starting on the dominant without the leading tone and with rhythm!) The
other main theme comes at the first key signature of 3 sharps (Bien modere).
There is also the theme de Dieu that comes AFTER all the various key
signatures, returning to none at Modere (this theme begins the entire work in
the first movement, and appears first in the following piece # XI).

In #XIV there is a very recognizable figure to begin the piece with the hands
overlapping one another. The first page also features the extreme range of
the keyboard at the 16a phrase.
#XV is the longest in terms of time, and has a remarkable ending 3 pages
from the end at Tres modere. The r.h. has an octatonic ascending scale to
begin, and the figuration is quite wonderful. A more modern version of the
end of Chopins 2nd Impromptu in the same key of F-sharp Major!
For HINDEMITH
1.
The opening phrases of all three piano sonatas, 1st movement.
A major, G major, Bb Major
For COPLAND
1.
Piano Sonata. Opening theme from all three movements
2.

Piano blues. No. 3 and 4.

For LIGETI
1.

Piano Etudes No. 2-5

STRAVINKSY
1.

Serenade en la, both the first and last movements (Hymn and
Cadenza Finale)