Ways of the Mind

This chapter proposes a progressive approach to research at the intersection of autism studies and music studies, one through which scientific frames of objectivity-aspiring, anonymizing representation are replaced by ethnographic and phenomenological frames of personhood-aspiring, individual re-presentation. Through a case study of the musical experiences of first author Dotan Nitzberg, a concert pianist on the autism spectrum, and through the re-presentation of dialogues between Nitzberg and the chapter’s second author, ethnomusicologist Michael Bakan, the commonplace practice of objectifying and dehumanizing autistic individuals, including musicians, is challenged. The authors posit that phenomenological approaches, and those informed by a Levinasian philosophy of alterity in particular, have the capacity to leverage this challenge in affirming the agency and humanity of people on the autism spectrum, fostering an appreciation for their difference and contributing to a larger activist agenda of reducing the stigma and marginalization to which they have historically been subjected.

Vsevolod Topilin is a legendary pianist, but… unknown

Inroduction. Vsevolod Vladimirovich Topilin (1908–1970) is a concert pianist-virtuoso and a teacher who played a significant role in the development of Ukrainian piano culture. His name was as famous as V. Pukhalsky’s, F. Blumenfeld’s, G. Beklemishev’s in the 30-ies of the XX century, and in our time he was respected along with S. Richter, A. Vedernikov and the «great Henry» – H. Neuhaus. He was well-known as the first accompanist of D Oistrakh. Their legendary ensemble was formed in 1930 and toured triumphantly throughout the territory of the Soviet Union and abroad until 1941. The tragic events of the twentieth century broke his life and career, deleted him from the sphere of public activity. He remained in the memory of very few people (and not only musicians!) as the pre-war legendary image of the pianist in the halo of European glory. Theoretical Background. Great significance of V. Topilin’s personality and the scarcity of information about him as well as the absence of special works about the life and work of the pianist and the complete social evaluation of his place in the musical culture determined the goals of this publication. The theme of the tragic fate of the world-acclaimed patriotic musician arises in the context of cruel circumstances of the war and brutal laws of the power. The problem of “artist and government” is reflected in the fate of Topilin in one of its most tragic refractions – under the totalitarian Soviet regime with its antihuman laws. Studying the life of V. Topilin helps us feel the inhuman character of a bygone era, realize its truth and lies, and ask: what are the other layers of unknown spiritual and creative life hidden under the cover of oblivion? The study of this topic is very urgent in the post-Soviet period which is marked by a keen interest in our past and primarily in its forgotten heroes. The purpose of the article is to expand knowledge about the great musician and teacher, adding new details and facts about his personality, and to restore the status of V. Topilin in the history of European pianism. The scientific novelty lies in the reproduction of the facts of V. Topilin’s biography as a whole, inscribed in the general historical and cultural context. The life and work of V. Topilin in the context of the 20s–60s of the 20th century is presented as a real biography of the pianist: from apprenticeship to the first heights of professional recognition; from fascist captivity – through many years of the Gulag and ‘amnesty’ – to the late revival of Conservatory classes. The whole life of the artist is traced in inseparable connection with the historical, and first of all – musical-historical context of the time. Conclusions. Our research has returned the name of Vsevolod Topilin to the history of our culture, revived an important page of our history, rudely torn out by the previous government. The life of V. Topilin demonstrates greatness of the spirit of the artist, who was able to find the strength to return to the great art and leave his mark in the history of national culture.

Classical soloists’ life histories and the music conservatoire

This article explores the life histories of virtuoso classical music soloists with particular reference to conservatoire provision. Detailed life-history interviews were conducted with six virtuosi between May 2018 and January 2019. These participants were three singers, two cellists and a concert pianist. Resultant qualitative data were stored in an NVivo software database and understood through a process of analytic induction. Key findings spotlight the significance of Higher Education, a connection between broad creative and cultural interest and musical excellence, and a significant role for conservatoires in diversifying their training and easing transition into the career. The soloists also warned of dangers relating to controlling teachers, loss of autonomy and a need to convey their career realities to students.

The Maverick type of accomplished Concert Pianist of the XX century

The extensive and so complex piano repertoire of the last two centuries, favored a diversification of the stage piano performance art, and in the same time, accordingly shaping in vary forms, the accomplished concert pianist general profile as we seek for, in the Modern and Contemporary Era. Outlining this profile, for a long time the high-class concert pianist was conditioned for validation by winning great competitions, later by strict specialization on certain stylistic segments, by recording and presenting in public some composer's integrals. However there always have been singular musicians, who in front of the general public and critics presented a particular type of musicality, which allowed the understanding of the musical text to be transmitted in a completely new, revealing way. Maverick type musicians, as the American press has been trying to identify a term for them, are not an invention of our century, they existed and imposed themselves on public musical attention as ones of the highest and most inspiring profiles in the performing arts. The nonconformity and particularity of their musicality built these artistic landmarks of pianism we are relating to. In this article we search to investigate their performance approach and to identify the common characteristics that these individuals, with outstanding musical personality, possess.

CONCERTMASTER'S MULTIFUNCTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN THE DOMRA CLASS

The article is dedicated to theoretical examination of psychological and pedagogical qualities and basic professional skills of a concert pianist. The complete musical creativity of a concert pianist assumes achieving the artistic result and creation of a qualitatively new product in any area of musical art. In this regard, the article reveals the forms and particularities of performing collaboration at the special instrument class; examines the basic functions of the interaction between the subjects of the pedagogical process; it highlights the problems of intensifying the creative work on a piece of music related to the search for concrete artistic means for disclosing the composer's intentions. It is emphasized that the musical ensemble requires communication under the condition of coordinated understanding of different parts and ability to achieve a common goal through joint efforts. Direct and efficient contact occurs during the implementation of an interpretation plan, joint musical experience while solving a creative problem. Depending on the student's endowment various traditional subject forms and methods of work in the special instrument class are considered. Undoubtedly, the mastery of the concertmaster requires from the pianist versatile musical and performing abilities, artistic skills, acquaintance with all musical instruments. The success of joint playing depends on creative activity, emotional responsiveness, richness of imagination, initiative, flexibility of performing talent and creative fantasy of each partner.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF THE FUTURE MUSIC TEACHER FOR CONCERTMASTER ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASS OF CLASSICAL DANCE

The article is devoted to the questions of a number of aspects of formation of skills of concertmaster activity as a component of piano preparation of the pianist-beginner in the class of classical choreography, revealing of the functional connections of the tandem teacher-choreographer – pianist-concertmaster, determination of the level of psychological-pedagogical students and performers interaction with the choreographer. The data are analyzed in the context of consideration of the general laws concerning the selection of the performing repertoire for musical design of classical choreography lessons, their importance, expediency and correspondence to the students' age characteristics, their level of musical perception. Key words: concertmaster activities, beginner concert pianist, choreography art, classical dance, psychological and performance barriers, musical design.

The Lady Composer in Demand

The next phase of Dring’s career finds her contributing musical numbers to the intimate revues produced by Laurier Lister on London’s West End. Her lyricist for many of these songs is Charlotte Mitchell, and her work appeared side-by-side with the revue numbers of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann. Additional information on these revues is found in The Lord Chamberlain’s collection in the British Library. A representative example of these songs is “Snowman,” which is discussed in detail. Other songs appeared in Seán Rafferty’s Child’s Play, produced at the Players’ Theatre, and numerous other compositions are documented, including the soundtrack for six episodes of the cartoon series, Little Laura. Dring also began to appear more frequently as a performer, in particular with The Kensington-Gores, a trio she formed with Margaret Rubel and Alan Rowlands. During the latter part of this period, Dring published many piano pieces, suitable for various grade levels, from beginner to concert pianist. One of the most popular of these collections is Colour Suite, which receives an extended discussion.

Rostislav Genika: performer, teacher, composer

Under consideration are various facets of the creative work of Rostislav Genika, a comprehensively educated musician, universally gifted personality, one of the founders of the Kharkov piano school. The research is based on the study of critical reviews of R. Genika’s and his students’ concerts. Under analysis is the main genre of R. Genika as a composer and pianist – a transcription represented by the piece “Concert Paraphrase” to the motive of “Kupava’s Complaints” from P. Tchaikovsky’s music to the play “The Snow Maiden” by A. Ostrovsky. Rostislav Genika (1859 – 1942?) focused on piano art, which can be considered the key basis of all his theoretical, historical and musical-critical generalizations and conclusions, as well as practical activities as a performer, teacher and composer. The education received by R. Genika in the class of N. Rubinstein at the Moscow Conservatory prompted the Kharkov musician to pay tribute to piano performance in the early stages of his career. The information about the pianist R. Genika, which came to us from publications in the press and the memoirs of his colleagues, gives an opportunity to reconstruct, although not in full, the style of his piano playing as a soloist, ensemble performer and accompanist. All this together constituted the subject of a comprehensive review and the relevance of this article. The research material includes reviews of R. Genika’s concerts and an example of his composer’s heritage in the field of piano music – a transcription “Concert Paraphrase” to the motive “Kupava’s Complaints” from P. Tchaikovsky’s music to the play “The Snow Maiden” by A. Ostrovsky. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the universalism of the composer’s talent, the scale of his work, which was mainly focused on piano performance, through the analysis of various aspects of Rostislav Genika’s creative work. It would be wrong to call R. Genika a concert pianist in the traditional sense of the word. He had few solo concerts in his practice and they refer to the very beginning of his work career in Kharkov. As a concertist, he mostly performed works mastered in the class of N. Rubinstein, as well as piano parts in various ensembles, learnt by him when playing with “K. Gorsky Quartet” and other ensemble performers. The piano repertoire of R. Genika included pieces by I. S. Bach, G. Handel, D. Scarlatti, L. van Beethoven, K. M. Weber, F. Liszt, F. Chopin, R. Schumann, M. Mussorgsky, P. Tchaikovsky and others. Raised on the best examples of piano music, R. Genika appreciated such an interpretation that would meet not only the criteria of "accuracy", but would also be spiritually filled, sublimely emotional, and not outwardly ostentatious. Since the first days of working in Kharkov R. Genika, was able to combine lecturing, performing and correspondent activities with piano pedagogy. The sphere of pedagogy was one of the prevailing and time-consuming in his life. There is quite little information about R. Genika as a teacher and it can be found mainly in the reviews of his students’ concerts, in the notes of the local press as well as in the reports on academic concerts and exams at Kharkov Music College and Conservatory. The personal pianistic experience of R. Genika and the pedagogical style of his teacher N. Rubinshtein affected the choice of virtuoso programs and concert programs for his students. R. Genika’s composing experiments are closely related to his concert-pianistic and pedagogical work, as well as to the study of piano music history. The circle of his genre interests in this area was quite symptomatic. As an ardent supporter of concert pianism traditions R. Genika considered the genre of transcriptions and arangementds in the Liszt-Talberg spirit to be a new wave in piano literature of that time, a promising direction. This is how his transcriptions to the motives from “Parsifal” by R. Wagner, a piano arrangement of the “Arabic Dance” from the “Nutcracker” by P. Tchaikovsky, a fantasy “Abyss” to the motive of E. Grieg appeared. R. Genika also wrote short pieces intended for his concerts, as well as for educational practice. Unfortunately, the score of these works are still either not found or not preserved. An exception is the “Concert Paraphrase” to the motive of “Kupava’s Complaints” from P. Tchaikovsky’s music to the play “Snow Maiden” by A. Ostrovsky (author’s handwritten text dedicated to the pianist V. Timanova). Being a pianist was very important for R. Genika. Understanding pianism as a musical aesthetic phenomenon resulted in a multifaceted and deep understanding of the essence of musical art, which was characteristic of R. Genika as a music educator. The musician thought of himself precisely as a “generalist” who could handle any music profession – a performer’s, teacher’s, or researcher’s one. Hence, further study of the creative and critical heritage of R. Genika will invariably affect the spheres of other areas of musical art (opera, chamber, etc.). Such universal personalities as R. Genika have always been an engine for the musical-historical process, idea generator of the era. Nowadays such universal musicians, who would be a kind of "litmus test" of their time and faithfully served the art, are still in need. One of such outstanding figures in Ukraine, a universal personality was Valerii Oleksandrovych Bohdanov (07/13/1939 㶹– 10/10/2017) – performer, teacher, scientific researcher, composer. His multifaceted activities encompassed a wide range of musical art and were reflected in many years of pedagogical work, a large number of research works, transcriptions, and composer’s experiments. We would like to hope that this anniversary collection dedicated to V. Bogdanov will serve as a prelude to a deep and comprehensive study of the life and work of this bright and extraordinary musician.

Clara Wieck Schumann in the European scientific discourse

Background. The article is devoted to studying of versatile aspects of life and work of the outstanding German pianist and composer Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann (1819–1896) on little-known in domestic musicology materials of the European scientific literature. The review of scientific sources also includes the rare works given personally to the author by the relative of Clara Schumann, Frau Hannelore Österschritt, which is the great-granddaughter of her step-brother on the mother’s side, W. Bargiel. The above large array of systematized chronological and literary sources gives an idea of the scale and aspects of studying such a scientific problem as the analysis of Clara Schumann’s creative heritage to date. It turns out that her phenomenon as a supernova on the German sky made Europeans see a woman in a different way – as a creator, a bright personality, a public figure, a successful performer. The purpose of the article is the description and systematization of European science sources, covering the figure of Clara Wieck Schumann. Research methodology are based on general scientific approaches necessary for the disclosure of the topic, including logical, historical, chronological, source-study methods needed to synthesize and systematize of scientific sources. Results. The figure of Сlara Wieck Schumann – an outstanding female composer, a successful concert pianist, a teacher, a wife, a mother and a Muse of two brilliant composers of Romanticism – was so bright that she was able to break the all previous ideas of that time about the role of a woman in society. This is evidenced by the impressive scale of the interest of researchers to her personality and creativity, the interest, which has not been extinguished in Europe for almost two centuries. Build on the literature of European scientists from different countries devoted to Clara Wieck Schumann, one can come to the conclusion that during her lifetime the work of this prominent woman was arousing the great interest of musicologists and critics (G. Schilling, F.-J. Fétis, H. Riemann), and her musical works were known and demanded. One of the most important issues that are considered in scholarly works is Clara’s personality as a representative of women who have broken the centuries-old ideas and foundations about the place of latter in society. Some of the authors (La Mara, Eva Weissweiler) tried to prove the secondary character of feminine creativity, based on cliché about that Clara Schumann herself was not always sure of the value of her musical compositions. Other researchers (F. Liszt, E. Wickop, C. Dahlhaus) argued that the work of Clara Schumann occupies a special, leading place among the history of well-known women-composers. After the death of the composer interest to her musical creativity began to fade away. Confirmation of this is almost complete absence of her works in concert programs of pianists, and even not a complete edition of the compositions of the musician. Despite this, during the twentieth century, Clara Schumann’s work continues to be carefully studied by the researchers of Germany (B. Litzmann, W. Kleefeld, K. Höcker, R. Hohenemser, A. Meurer, E. Wickop), France (R. Pitrou), England (P. Susskind, J. Chissell, N. Reich). During the last forty years, interest to Clara Wick Schumann’s creativity has grown substantially, possibly due to activation of the feminist movements in the world. Clara became one of the main objects of research about women who wrote and performed musical compositions. The culmination of this process can be called the emergence of the fundamental monograph by Janina Klassen “Clara Wieck-Schuman. Die Virtuosin als Komponistin” (1990), where the composer’s creative efforts are most fully analyzed, as well as valuable references to rare historical sources are given, including the letters from the Robert Schumann’s house in Zwickau, which have not yet been published. Conclusions. Thus, the presented large array of literary sources, being systematized by chronology and the subjects, gives an idea of the state of the studying and analysis of the cultural heritage of Clara Wieck Schumann today. The author hopes that the information collected will ease orientation in finding answers to questions arising to musicologists who explore her creativity. Summing up, we can present the generalized classification of the literature considered. So, Clara’s diaries including the records making by her father and relating to the early period of her creation, give the understanding of how the pianist’s outlook was formed. Estimative judgments about the value of composition as an important area of Clara’s creation should be sought in her epistolary heritage, in particular, in the correspondence with R. Schumann and J. Brahms. At the same place one should to look for the motives and emotional boundaries of her creativity. Answers the many questions that may arise to a performer who interprets of Clara Schumann’s music can be found in the fundamental biographical study by B. Litzmann and the articles by F. Liszt. A large layer of modern researches, which has been published since the 80s of the twentieth century, cannot be discounted as the authors rely on modern methods of analysis. Therefore, it is as if the resolved problems are being considered on a new level: from the research of forgotten pages of “XIX century women’s music” (J. Klassen), new data about Clara’s life outlook formation, and ending with issues of her music style. All these aspects give the opportunity to “collect” the creative and personal “portrait” of a genius woman of the nineteenth century.