playing 1 composer

[skt1991]

Is it ok to play mostly one composer for a period of time. During this 6month to 1 year period I want to play mostly Bach since I have not payed much of him.  Is this a good idea or should the pieces I have more variety. I was thinking maybe 2 or 3 inventions and a Beethoven Sonata simultaneously. Is it a better idea to play a baroque piece, a romantic, and a classical one or something similar to that? In my opinions, Bach is fun to play but if it is a bad idea I won't try it. Thanks for repsonses.

[pianowolfi]

Well it depends of your goals. If you have to play auditions you would better practice at least three or four different composers from different stylistic periods. If you are just practicing for your own progress it can make very much sense to play only compositions by one composer for a while. I had a long period where I played Bach and nothing but Bach. I have had the same with Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninoff. And though I am a piano teacher I could sometimes not at all force myself to play something else during such a phase. It was a complete addiction to the respective composer. And it is still like that. And my phases can be very long. 

[nightingale11]

read through Bernhard's posts on planning.....You don't really need only to practice 1 or 3 pieces each month ....why not tackle 15-30 pieces each month? this assumes though that you are effecient in practice and planning(which the post helps you with).

[Mozartian]

As long as you don't have something like auditions/competitions coming up, I don't see any problem with doing that. Last year I worked pretty much like that- concentrating on Bach for the first third of the year, then on Chopin's Mazurkas, before I started preparing for auditions. The result was a much deeper understanding of both genres, which I don't think I could have obtained if I hadn't delved so deepily into them.

If you're planning on studying music in uni/conservatory, however, make sure you don't let your repertoire get too lopsided!

[arensky]

As wolfo and mozartian have pointed out if you're not preparing for auditions or in school and are therefore restricted to a "well balanced diet" there's nothing wrong with this. It will increase your understanding of whatever composer you're focusing on. Apart from increased musical understanding your technical approach to the composer's piano writing will benefit from immersion in their approach to the keyboard, without having another composer's style get you off track. Perhaps a one composer recital should be a part of conservatory/music school's requirements for pianists; why shouldn't we hone in on a certain composer's work if it's important to us and will be a big part of our musical life after school ( which is most of our life, hopefully). Some one composer projects I want to do in the future include Scriabin, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann and Ravel.

[rc]

I'm the same too, I get obsessed with a composer and can't focus on anything else

Something else I've noticed is that it doesn't go away.  I have to disversify for an exam, but I know as soon as that obligation's lifted I'll drift right back to where I left off in obsession.  I won't be happy until I'm sick of all my favorite composers!

[ramseytheii]

If you have the luxury to do it, you should by all means.  Neuhaus writes: "The man who plays 25 Beethoven sonatas is not the same as the man who plays 5.  In this case, quantity becomes quality."  Also Brendel remarked, "You know a composer's works in a totally different way when you have studied all of them."

But my favorite comes from author Milan Kundera: "It is dangerous to spend all one's time with Beethoven, just as all privileged positions are dangerous."

Just substitute "Bach" for "Beethoven."

Walter Ramsey
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