Learning the entire works of

[perprocrastinate]

a composer. Has anyone ever done this (or attempted to)? Is it even possible?

[49410enrique]

let's see if memory serves me correctly (i haven't researched it in a very long while)

vladimir ashkenazy recorded complete chopin piano works
gordon ferus-thompson did complete debussy and scriabin piano works
i believe alfred brendel did the full beethoven gig

i know uchida did  all the sonatas and concertos on mozart but i do not know about the smaller pieces.i don't know, maybe.

[drkilroy]

Of course it is possible. However, it is hard. Some people have done it, so it is doable.

I own two "Complete piano works" of Debussy and Ravel (Jean-Pierre Armengaud and Pascal Roge respectively). I also know of good Debussy complete piano works set by Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

Bear in mind that these composers do not really have a particularly big oeuvre. The bigger it is, the harder it is to learn. Complete keyboard music by Bach, Mozart, Schubert or Liszt, for example, would be fiendishly difficult to master.

Best regards, Dr

[j_menz]

If you restrict it to complete solo piano works, quite a few people are doable. I own complete sets for Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelsohn (Felix and Fanny), Sciabin, Schumann (Robert and Clara), Chopin and most of Mozart, Bach, Brahms and quite a few others.  Haven't got through them all yet, though 

[ajspiano]

I have a complete works of chopin lying around - its pretty disappointing though, a clear "must record all works" - not a "will record all works, assuming that I can give a polished interpretation of all works"

can't remember who the pianist is - no doubt since it wasn't memorable, at least not in a good way.

[j_menz]

its pretty disappointing though, a clear "must record all works" - not a "will record all works, assuming that I can give a polished interpretation of all works"

Reminds me of the Leslie Howard Liszt set.

[ajspiano]

Reminds me of the Leslie Howard Liszt set.

yes - I've got part of that on my phone at the moment. I felt quite depressed by trans etude no 4, it seemed like the performance wasn't even technically up to it in places (and I don't mean like small problems, more like really struggling), let alone musical on top of that.

[j_menz]

yes - I've got part of that on my phone at the moment. I felt quite depressed by trans etude no 4, it seemed like the performance wasn't even technically up to it in places (and I don't mean like small problems, more like really struggling), let alone musical on top of that.

I agree, it's ghastly and should never have been released. Some of his other TEs aren't too bad, but generally I feel if he hadn't done the lot of Liszt, we'd not be listening to him at all.

I also have his recording of the Tschaikovsky Sonata. Just imagine how crap that must be.  Multiply by 7!

[ajspiano]

I also have his recording of the Tschaikovsky Sonata. Just imagine how crap that must be.  Multiply by 7!

I'll make a note to avoid it.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

You guys think learning the entire piano works of a composer is difficult?

Try composing the equivalent of ALL of his/her works!

I wonder if composers knew all of their works by memory.  Did they?

[ajspiano]

Try composing the equivalent of ALL of his/her works!

If we are talking about a quantity figure here, rather than me composing at the same quality (subjective anyway) - Then this would be phenomenally easier than learning someone else's, as it would for anyone who can improvise fluently.

I can complete the composition of something in a fraction of the time it would take to technically master it, consider some of the pyrotechnics that come out of my mind when writing without actually sitting there playing.

[j_menz]

If we are talking about a quantity figure here, rather than me composing at the same quality (subjective anyway) - Then this would be phenomenally easier than learning someone else's, as it would for anyone who can improvise fluently.

A contrary point of view would be that of Mozart.  He appears to have had whatever the aural equivalent of a photographic memory is.  On one listening to a performance of Albinoni's Miserere he went home and transcribed it, allegedly note perfect.  Surely that would have been easier than actually having to come up with a few ideas (though given his phenomenal output, he didn't have too much trouble with that either).

[ajspiano]

On one listening to a performance of Albinoni's Miserere he went home and transcribed it, allegedly note perfect.  Surely that would have been easier than actually having to come up with a few ideas (though given his phenomenal output, he didn't have too much trouble with that either).

Well my ears obviously aren't that well developed.. 

I can listen to and transcribe - but since I can't memorise the aural data from one listening I would have to go over it many times to get it note for note

If I "improvise in my mind" there is no need to memorise, its just a free flow. And if I go over a passage, it doesnt have to be identical because the notes are my call. This is far easier than transcription as far as speed, considering that I can just spurt out music in real time or faster if I don't have to be able to write it out aswell. The time it takes to write it out severely interupts the creative flow for me, which is why I rarely do it.

^The time is taken up if I start getting picky about refining the composition, and being able to play it convincingly, which is why i said assuming quantity over quality.

[vitruvius]

I think the composer that is most worth learning while at the same time easy to accomplish would be Ravel. All his solo piano pieces are wonderful, and the good thing is there arnt many.

[akpl16]

I think the composer that is most worth learning while at the same time easy to accomplish would be Ravel. All his solo piano pieces are wonderful, and the good thing is there arnt many.

It's an interesting point, though I'd certainly have to say that it wouldn't be easy to accomplish; at times, the subtleties and complexities of Ravel's colours rival that of many of the most difficult works. That being said, I do agree that a study of his complete works is really rewarding. Chopin, too; I'm currently working on learning all his works, which is easier than the Ravel because a lot of his works fall into similar groupings and thus speeds up the learning process.