i bet kissin studied there!!!
one of my teachers studies in vienna when he was younger. He said that they worked only on technical studies for 3 years straight. Hanon had to be played in under an hour or they were failed. They practiced 10 hours a day. At one point he felt like killing himself he couldn't find a reason to go onward.boliver
I heard from my friends that they make the students practice 8 hours a day... (No wonder why Rachmaninoff skipped his classes...) But I don't know if this is true. The Russian and German schools are known as "pianist factories", with exaustive practice and traditional teaching and practicing methods... I believe that they used physical violence as part of their teaching...
There is a conservatory in Greece, the Xenakis Institute of Musical Studies. This place is crazy!! Students are required for thier senior recital to perform a work by Xenakis. They also take classes studying the construction of his music. Students who don't show up to class are forced to listen to Xenakis's "Herma" 8 times in succession.
II. TECHNICAL PROFICIENCYIt goes without saying, that technical proficiency should be one of the first acquisitions of the student who would become a fine pianist. It is impossible to conceive of fine playing that is not marked by clean, fluent distinct, elastic technique. The technical ability of the performer should be of such a nature that it can be applied immediately to all the artistic demands of the composition to be interpreted. Of course, there may be individual passages which require some special technical study, but, generally speaking, technique is worthless unless the hands and the mind of the player are so trained that they can encompass the principal difficulties found in modern compositions. In the music schools of Russia great stress is laid upon technique. Possibly this may be one of the reasons why some of the Russian pianists have been so favorably received in recent years. The work in the leading Russian conservatories is almost entirely under supervision of the Imperial Music Society. The system is elastic in that, although all students are obliged to go through the same course, special attention is given to individual cases. Technique, however, is at first made a matter of paramount importance. All students must become technically proficient. None are excused. It may be interesting for the readers of THE ETUDE to know something of the general plan followed in the Imperial music schools of Russia. The course if none years in duration. During the first five years in duration. During the first five years the student gets most of his technical instruction from a book of studies by Hanon, which is used very extensively in the conservatories. In fact, this is practically the only book of strictly technical studies employed. All of the studies are in the key of C. They include scales, arpeggios, and other forms of exercises in special technical designs. At the end of the fifth year an examination takes place. This examination is twofold. The pupil is examined first for proficiency in technique, and later for proficiency in artistic playing---piece, studies, etc. However, if the pupil fails to pass the technical examination he is not permitted to go ahead. He knows the exercises in the book of studies by Hanon so well that he knows each study by number, and the examiner may ask him, for instance, to play study 17, or 28, or 32, etc. The student at once sits at the keyboard and plays. Although the original studies are all in the key of C, he may be requested to play them in any other key. He has studied them so thoroughly that he should be able to play them in any key desired. A metronomic test is also applied. The student knows that he will be expected to play the studies at certain rates of speed. The examiner states the speed and the metronome is started. The pupil is required, for instance, to play the E-flat major scale with the metronome at 120, eight notes to the beat. If he is successful in doing this, he is marked accordingly, and other tests are given. Personally, I believe this matter of insisting upon a thorough technical knowledge is a very vital one. The mere ability to play a few pieces does not constitute musical proficiency. It is like those music boxes which possess only a few tunes. The student’s technical grasp should be all embracing. Later the student in given advanced technical exercises, like those of Tausig. Czerny is also very deservedly popular. Less is heard of the studies of Henselt, however, notwithstanding his long service in Russia. Henselt’s studies are so beautiful that they should rather be classed with pieces like the studies of Chopin.
yes, the russian school does emphasize on technique as prerequisite for anything else you might want to play. however, i have never heard of (and i can find it very hard to believe) any student being kicked out of the school for playing something else outside the programma. quite the opposite - you are encouraged to work on as much material as you can handle.
my teacher didn't get kicked out for playing other stuff, but he did gets marks off his grade. Something like a letter grade.
what do you mean by "other stuff"? other works different from the programma?and did he get a lower grade simply for working on something else, or because this interfered with what he was supposed to work on?
He was working on Hanon and other exercises. If he was caught playing anything else his grade was docked. They told him to play like God, you must have the technique of God. Stop wasting time playing other music that won't create a God-like playing ability.boliver
wow, i've never heard of anything like that! it's hard to believe that teachers who had read neuhaus can do something like this...anyway, this must have happened sometimes in the 70s, i believe that was the period when the moscow conservatory was more "nazi-camp"-like - i think things have changed since...
sounds like how rachmaninov started off at his teacher's house. haha
There is an article in the Etude by Rachmaninov which shows that they are still using the same system for over a hundred years:TECHNICAL PROFICIENCYIt goes without saying, that technical proficiency should be one of the first acquisitions of the student who would become a fine pianist. It is impossible to conceive of fine playing that is not marked by clean, fluent distinct, elastic technique. The technical ability of the performer should be of such a nature that it can be applied immediately to all the artistic demands of the composition to be interpreted. Of course, there may be individual passages which require some special technical study, but, generally speaking, technique is worthless unless the hands and the mind of the player are so trained that they can encompass the principal difficulties found in modern compositions. In the music schools of Russia great stress is laid upon technique. Possibly this may be one of the reasons why some of the Russian pianists have been so favorably received in recent years. The work in the leading Russian conservatories is almost entirely under supervision of the Imperial Music Society. The system is elastic in that, although all students are obliged to go through the same course, special attention is given to individual cases. Technique, however, is at first made a matter of paramount importance. All students must become technically proficient. None are excused. It may be interesting for the readers of THE ETUDE to know something of the general plan followed in the Imperial music schools of Russia. The course if none years in duration. During the first five years in duration. During the first five years the student gets most of his technical instruction from a book of studies by Hanon, which is used very extensively in the conservatories. In fact, this is practically the only book of strictly technical studies employed. All of the studies are in the key of C. They include scales, arpeggios, and other forms of exercises in special technical designs. At the end of the fifth year an examination takes place. This examination is twofold. The pupil is examined first for proficiency in technique, and later for proficiency in artistic playing---piece, studies, etc. However, if the pupil fails to pass the technical examination he is not permitted to go ahead. He knows the exercises in the book of studies by Hanon so well that he knows each study by number, and the examiner may ask him, for instance, to play study 17, or 28, or 32, etc. The student at once sits at the keyboard and plays. Although the original studies are all in the key of C, he may be requested to play them in any other key. He has studied them so thoroughly that he should be able to play them in any key desired. A metronomic test is also applied. The student knows that he will be expected to play the studies at certain rates of speed. The examiner states the speed and the metronome is started. The pupil is required, for instance, to play the E-flat major scale with the metronome at 120, eight notes to the beat. If he is successful in doing this, he is marked accordingly, and other tests are given. Personally, I believe this matter of insisting upon a thorough technical knowledge is a very vital one. The mere ability to play a few pieces does not constitute musical proficiency. It is like those music boxes which possess only a few tunes. The student’s technical grasp should be all embracing. Later the student in given advanced technical exercises, like those of Tausig. Czerny is also very deservedly popular. Less is heard of the studies of Henselt, however, notwithstanding his long service in Russia. Henselt’s studies are so beautiful that they should rather be classed with pieces like the studies of Chopin.
It is said here that such curriculum is good for 9 years and the first 5 years are virtually purely Hanon? I feel that such is not only psychotic, but is also obsessive-compulsive. But who knows if this is really followed - students can of course learn any pieces they wish to in the comfort of their own time (such as when they are at home).Anyway, let's not forget that Russia, like Germany, had been a COMMUNIST and in communist countries, all institutions, including schools, are own and controlled by such communist government which is just too "disciplinarian."
I'm under the impression a vast number of people WANT music to be like science or mathematics--you learn the hard, boring underpinnings before you get to the real stuff.
But it really isn't like that at all, it can be enjoyed from start to finish (death), ...
Russia was certainly not communist when Rachmaninoff was in school there.And it is incorrect to say that Russia and East Germany "had been a COMMUNIST". More appropriately, Russia and East Germany adopted at one point a government based on the principles of communism. Saying someone or something is "a COMMUNIST!" is a cheap way of playing on people's fears and certainly a subtle reference (in my mind) to propaganda.I would have thought that at this point in time, Mcarthyism would have subsided! Please don't make superficial judgements based on heresay and popular opinion - saying something is "disciplinarian" does nothing to further a discussion, it only creates an atmosphere ripe of gossip and stereotypes.Sadly, Hanonism was not confined to Russia. Around that time, there was global obession with finding a sort of psuedo-scientific method to playing the piano, as at that point in time, more and more people became interested in learning to play as the great concert pianists began to rise in fame and numbers.
I am not familiar with xenakis so what is the big deal about this?boliver
Atonal modern music, and his pieces are AT LEAST as hard as Sorabji's. Am I needing to say more
Topic: psychotic conservatory? Does it exist?