Fall 2022 was a busy but fruitful semester. In addition to the modern piano that I routinely practice, I was delighted to have the chance to play different keyboard instruments that are rarely seen. These instruments each have distinctive qualities regarding touch, timbre, etc., and I found this experience extremely impressive. I took the keyboard literature class this semester, in which I studied early keyboard repertoires and composers from the Medieval to Classical periods, and —most memorably—played early keyboard compositions on historical instruments. There were two class performances throughout the semester: the first featured the harpsichord and consisted entirely of J. S. Bach’s works; the second featured the fortepiano and showcased exclusively classical compositions. As for the harpsichord, even though I played and had taken lessons before, I still felt a little rusty since it had been more than one year ago. The harpsichord’s keys are relatively short, narrow, and light, so playing with the muscles trained for modern pianos frequently resulted in my fingers being unintentionally stuck on other notes. It also took me some time to get used to the keys’ black and white colors, which are the opposite of those on modern pianos, and the slight resistance I felt when pressing the keys since it produces sounds by plucking strings. Moreover, there are differences in how to deal with music, particularly Baroque compositions, such as some indescribable musical expressions or ornament execution, which often sound better and more charming on the harpsichord than on contemporary pianos. This was my first time playing the fortepiano. Its keys are to some extent similar to those of the harpsichord, and its register is only about five octaves (it’s a Stein model). Since it has fewer octaves, when performing classical music, several notes that seem commonplace on modern pianos are actually almost at the highest or lowest of the instrument! Another unique fact is that its “pedal” is a “knee pedal” rather than a foot pedal. It is situated just beneath the keyboard, and the sustain effect is activated by pushing it up with the knee. How interesting! Overall, it has a gentler sound and truly emits a graceful “classical elegance.” In addition to these two historical instruments, I served as the celesta player in the UI Symphony Orchestra’s public performance at the end of October. Unlike the relatively new Yamaha celesta in the Harding Band Building that I played in the wind orchestra last academic year, this time was the Simone Celeste owned by Krannert Center. This instrument only has one sustaining pedal, and at first glance, it looks like a mottled huge old black box with worn-out fabric on the upper panel. I looked into the history of this specific brand “Simone” and learned that it had ceased production, making this instrument really an “antique”! Although the celesta section in the concert repertoires was not very demanding, because of its rather delicate timbre, I paid closer attention to the projection (especially the solo passage in Ravel’s Tzigane) to ensure a clear and “heavenly” sound was created. Playing three different historical keyboard instruments in one semester was a terrific experience, despite not having much time to devote to each one. I hope to further explore more instruments in the future to have a greater understanding of how various musical genres are performed and interpreted. Chin-Hsuan Sharon Cheng (written in Dec. 2022) 彈奏古鍵盤樂器 秋季學期雖然每天都忙碌得像被時間追著跑,但仍然過得很充實。除了平時練習的現代鋼琴,這個學期也很高興有機會能彈奏其他平常極少接觸到的鍵盤樂器。這些古色古香的樂器每個都很有特色,雖然觸感、音色等等都需要調整適應,但整個過程非常令我印象深刻。 這學期我上了一堂鍵盤音樂研究課,認識探索了許多中世紀到古典時期的鍵盤音樂作品和作曲家,更難忘的是實際彈奏了古鍵盤樂器。整學期有兩場課堂演出—第一場演奏的是大鍵琴(羽管鍵琴),是個整場Bach作品的表演;第二場則是演奏Fortepiano(暫譯為古鋼琴),整場都是古典時期的作品。 關於大鍵琴,雖然我有彈過、上過課,但畢竟是一年多前,手感還是有點生疏。大鍵琴的琴鍵比較輕、短、窄,用練現代鋼琴習慣了的肌肉去彈奏時手指常常一不小心就卡到其他音。而且它的琴鍵黑白跟現代鋼琴相反,還有因為它是採用撥弦的原理發聲,所以彈下去會隱隱約約覺得有個撥弦的阻力,這些都需要適應。除了樂器結構上的不同,音樂的處理上也是有許多不同的地方,尤其是巴洛克音樂,有一些無法輕易言喻的音樂表現或是裝飾音的添加運用,用大鍵琴彈出來總比現代鋼琴更有韻味。 古鋼琴我則是第一次接觸,非常新奇。它琴鍵也是比較輕比較短,且音域只有五個八度左右,所以彈奏古典作品時,一些在現代鋼琴上看起來稀鬆平常的音,到了古鋼琴上居然已經是快到音域上下限了!還有一個特別之處,就是它的「踏板」不是用腳踩,而是裝在琴鍵下緣,用膝蓋頂上去來發揮延音效果,非常有趣。整體彈奏起來音色較柔和,著實散發著優雅的「古典之美」。 除了這兩個古樂器,我還在管弦樂團10月底的公演演奏鋼片琴。不同於上學年我在管樂團彈過的Harding Band Building裡比較新的Yamaha鋼片琴,這次的樂器則是Krannert Center的Simone鋼片琴。這台琴只有一個延音功能的踏板,整個像是一個古老的黑色大箱子,上面有斑駁的紋路,音箱的布也有點破損,一看就很有歲月的痕跡。我稍微查了一下它的來歷,說是此牌鋼片琴已經停產了,所以這台果真是個「古董」!雖然公演的曲目中鋼片琴的份量不多,但因為這台鋼片琴本身的音色較為小聲輕柔,所以任何彈的時候(尤其拉威爾Tzigane中間的solo)我都很注意聲音的傳播投射,以確保有傳達出最清亮、「天堂般」的聲音。 即使和每個樂器接觸的時間不多,但在一個學期中接觸到三台不同的古鍵盤樂器真的是一個很棒的經驗,希望以後也能再有機會多認識和演奏不同的樂器,深入了解各種音樂的表現和風格。 Chin-Hsuan Sharon Cheng (2022年12月) |
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