Keys to Artistic Performance, Book 2: Piano Book

This collection bridges the gap between learning repertoire and understanding how professionals shape meaningful performances. Rather than treating artistry as something that comes later, Clarfield and Alexander weave five essential performance elements (color, pedaling, rubato, characterization, and choreography) directly into your students' practice with accessible masterworks, making technique transparent and immediately applicable.

Opening this book feels like gaining access to a master class in the room. The selections range from delicate and introspective (Chaminade's Idylle, Schumann's Cradle Song) to spirited and playful (Bartók's Naughty Boy, Alexander's Whimsy), each piece chosen to illuminate one or more of the five keys. You'll discover how a simple waltz becomes transformed through thoughtful pedaling and rubato, and how characterization can turn a familiar form into something distinctly personal.

Intermediate and late-intermediate pianists ready to move beyond note-reading toward expressive interpretation. This book serves students preparing for competitions, recitals, or auditions, as well as those building a foundation in artistic performance practices that will serve them throughout their musical lives.

• Experiment with voicing and balance in pieces with multiple melodic lines (such as the Mendelssohn Gondola Song and Brahms Waltz). Listen critically to which voice emerges and adjust hand weight accordingly to reveal the composer's intentions.
• Study the pedal techniques explained in the text before tackling pieces that demand color shifts. Schubert's German Dances and Mompou's Impresiones intimas offer excellent opportunities to apply half-pedal and syncopated pedaling in context.
• Record yourself performing each piece twice: once following the score literally, and again incorporating the rubato and characterization concepts from the book. Compare the recordings to hear how interpretive choices reshape the emotional arc.
• Consider the physical choreography at the keyboard alongside the musical material. Works like Liszt's The Bell Tolls benefit from intentional hand positioning and gesture that reinforces the musical narrative you're developing.

Build a recital around three to five pieces from this collection to showcase your students' growth in artistry and interpretation. Pair selections with contrasting characters: perhaps Mendelssohn's Gondola Song (lyrical and flowing) followed by Granados' Valse brillante (virtuosic and brilliant). The variety of compositional styles and national traditions makes this book excellent for a semester-long focus on artistic performance, returning to individual pieces as students deepen their understanding of pedaling, balance, and expressive technique.

• Pedaling techniques including half-pedal, syncopated pedaling, and color changes through selective damper use
• Voicing and balance in multi-voice textures
• Rubato and rhythmic freedom within structural integrity
• Character interpretation and emotional characterization in classical forms
• Physical choreography and intentional gesture at the keyboard
• Expressive use of tempo variation and rubato in Romantic and contemporary works