This little book; written at the height of his career by Josef Lhevinne; the "inward poet of the piano;" is a clear statement of principles based on his lifelong experience in performance and teaching. Lhevinne was; with Rachmaninoff; Schnabel; and Hoffman; one of the great modern masters; and was the first artist invited to teach at the newly formed Julliard Graduate School of Music.Technique; through essential; must be subordinate to musical understanding. Complete knowledge of scales; apprehended not mechanically but musically; understanding of the uses of rests and silence; which Mozart considered the greatest effect in music; a feeling for rhythm and training of the ear; these are the basic elements of a thorough grounding in musicianship and are accordingly emphasized in the opening chapters.The heart of the book is devoted to the attainment of a beautiful tone. Anyone who has heard Lhevinne play or has listened to one of his recordings will know how great were his achievements in that area. The secret lay; at least in part; in the technique he called "the arm floating in air;" and in the use of the wrists as natural shock absorbers. The achievement of varieties of tone; of the singing; ringing tone; of brilliancy; of delicacy; and of power are all explained in terms of a careful analysis of the ways in which the fingers; hand; wrist; arm; and indeed the whole body function in striking the keys. There are further remarks about how to get a clear staccato and an unblurred legato; about the dangers of undue emphasis on memorization and the need for variety in practicing; and special comments on the use of the pedal; which should be employed with as much precision as the keys.Throughout; specific musical examples are presented as illustrations. The author draws not only upon his own experiences and methods; but upon the examples of Anton Rubenstein and of his teacher; Safonoff; for this remarkably lucid and concise formulation of basic principles.
#1441054 in eBooks 2012-03-15 2012-03-15File Name: B00CWR4YGA
Review
65 of 65 people found the following review helpful. inspiring ideasBy M. Poller25 scarf patterns on nautical themes. Most of the main patterns can be found in Barbara Walkers stitch pattern books. Some scarves can be made into shawls or stoles. Almost all of them are rectangular in design and have edgings which are mainly standard but some interesting variations. More expensive yarns used but all can be easily substituted as description and yarn standard number is always given. Besides gauge is not essential here. Each scarf has a schematic. Good large color photos and nice intro to each project. Credit must be given to authors husband who had final ok for each one!This is a good collection useful for presents or for knitting more expensive yarns without spending too much. None of the patterns are difficult so beginners can easily wade in. I find the collection inspiring as a basis for shawls or stoles or using other patterns from my stitch collections. Those of us who have been knitting sweaters for ages can now try other things even though this is probably geared more to the new knitter.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Lots of great patterns and inspiration.By dlhIve been looking at this book online for awhile; and finally decided to buy it after reading several good reviews. Im not disappointed! The book offers lots of good patterns; which then leads to even more ideas through inspiration that the authors patterns furnish. Im happy to see some good; solid designs; with very outlandish styles reined in. Dont get me wrong - I like fun; silly scarves as much as the next person. But on the whole; a classic design will take you much further; and will allow you to whip up your own whimsical designs with a good foundation. Good book for those wanting to step up from just plain garter and/or stockinette scarves; with the added bonus of learning new skills and techniques.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Ok to Look At The PicturesBy rose thymeHave owned this book twice; and never got off the ground with any of the scarves. Pretty to look at; but way too tedious for a scarf because I like plain scarves anyway. Only got it this time to look at the photos.