DDUETD

By Dallas Weekley and Nancy Arganbright

Dallas Weekleyand NancyArganbright haveperformed as apiano duet teamfor more than 40years. Throughconcert perform-ances, workshopsand publications,they have focusedtheir lives on duetliterature. Theyhave performedmore one-piano,four-hands con-certs than any duettists in history.

The history of thepiano duet is as old asthat of the piano soloand almost as rich.That may be a star-tling idea, but let us begin to explain.The earliest composers of piano soloswere Mozart, Haydn and Clementi,and these were also the earliest duetcomposers. Many years ago we wereinvited by the late musicologistAlexander Weinmann to spend anafternoon in his Vienna apartment todiscuss some of his findings in thisregard. Earlier, he and his brotherIgnaz had studied the publishing platesof all of the music publishers inVienna between 1760 and 1860. Thecompositions were listed in chronolog-ical order, and they had compared thenumber of published piano solos withthe number of piano duets. Of course,one cannot equate a l6-measureLandler with a sonata, but it appearsthat there were almost as many piano

16

duets published as there were pianosolos during that period.

It could be said that the history ofthe four-hand recital began on May13, 1765 in Hickford's Great Room inLondon. That was when and where 9-year-old Wolfgang Mozart and his sis-ter, Maria Anna (affectionately knownas "Nannerl") played together on atwo-manual harpsichord built byTchudi for Frederick the Great.Mozart's first duet, a four-hand Sonatain C (K. 19d) was probably written forthis occasion. This was the first publicduet recital on record and precedes bythree years the first piano solo recital,which Johann Christian Bach present-ed in 1768.

Mozart loved piano duets; he com-posed, taught and performed themthroughout his life. His partnersincluded Johann Nepomuk Hummel,Marianne Martinez and Ignaz VonBeecke. It was with Beecke that heperformed one of his last public recitals

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in Frankfurt in 1790, a program com-prised primarily of duets. Shortly afterMozart's well-publicized duet perform-ances, four-hand music began to growin popularity throughout Europe andthe United States. According to histo-rian Charles Burney, composer GeorgWagenseil performed several duetswith one of his students in 1772.Mozart wrote to his father in 1777that he had heard Abbe Johann Sterkelplay duets at Mannheim, and by 1779Muzio Clementi had begun to involvehimself in recitals of four-hand music.In Vienna, Vanhall and Kozeluh wereprolific duet composers. All ofthis piano duet activity madeit easy for Johann Cramer andJohann Dussek, in 1791, topersuade piano builder JohnBroadwood to extend thepiano's range from five to sixoctaves. Since pianos werebuilt by hand, the range andother aspects of the instru-ments were not yet standard-ized. By 1794 six-octavepianos were common, and in1803, Broadwood madeslightly wider instruments(6)^ octaves), which wereknown as "duet range" key-boards. By 1850 they wereseven octaves and, finally, by1870 pianos had the now stan-dard 88 keys. There is a strong implica-tion here that piano duets played asignificant role in the early expansionof the piano's range. Duettists werestriving for a richer, fuller sound and,incidentally yet importantly, theyfound it much more practical andcomfortable for two people to play sideby side at the wider keyboard!

The first piano duets ever publishedwere those of Charles Burney, FourSonatas or Duets for Two Performers onOne Piano Forte or Harpsichord, inLondon in 1777. Even though thismusic is of minor importance,Burney's preface influenced the devel-opment of the piano duet. He wrotethat duets are more practical than two-

piano works because two pianos sel-dom stay in tune together and becauseone rarely finds a living room largeenough to accommodate two pianos.He also wrote of the numerous musi-cal benefits derived from playing fourhands: the joy of making music withanother person, the challenges of keep-ing together precisely while at thesame time working toward flexibility,and finding appropriate balanceamong the hands.

The changes in dress style duringthe 1780s had an indirect effect uponthe popularity of the piano duet.

Elaborate wigs faded from fashion andshorter, natural hair became the mode;corsets (which had held both men andwomen in rigid posture) began to beperceived as being unhealthy; and thehooped petticoat and "false hips" (pan-niers) gave way to the less restrictivebustle. Soon the stiff, rigid garmentswere replaced by simpler attire pat-terned after the ancient Greek andRoman styles. This new and simplerstyle of clothing made it much easierto perform side-by-side at the piano.

The first 15 years of the 19th centu-ry were dominated by the NapoleonicWars, and this misfortune indirectlycontributed to the growth of the pianoduet. The French soldiers invaded

Vienna in 1805 and again in 1809.The high taxes levied by Napoleonagainst the Austrians for the war effort(and related costs) caused the countryto go bankrupt in 1811. Wealthy fami-lies, which had enjoyed hiring anorchestra or chamber musicians fortheir homes, could no longer affordsuch luxury, so piano duets became asubstitute form of entertainment.Almost as soon as a symphony, cham-ber work or even an opera was intro-duced to the public, either thecomposer or his assistant would issue aduet version of it. By the 19th century,

duets were rivaling pianosolos in popularity.

It was inevitable that"how-to" books wouldappear to offer guidance forplaying piano duets. CarlCzerny's Practical PianoforteSchool for Four Hands, Op.239 was one of the earliestand most important ofthese. Czerny's EnsembleExercises: Studies for PianoDuet, Op. 751 was another.Later, Joseph Concone wrotetwo volumes of studies(Opp. 38 and 45) addressingvarious aspects of piano per-formance. Louis Kohler inhis School for Four HandPlaying, Op. 280 also wrote

etudes for pedal, balance, staccato,legato and other challenges for pianoduettists.

It has been assumed by some thatBeethoven had little interest in duetsbecause all of his works in this medi-um (except his Grosse Fuge, Op. 134)were composed rather early in hiscareer. Perhaps his interest declinedbecause his early hearing loss scram-bled his perception of the partner'spart? One anecdote survives: in 1804Beethoven was premiering his MarchOp. 45 with duet partner FerdinandRies when a young count spoke soloudly to a lady friend in the nextroom that Beethoven jumped up andshouted "I will not play for such

AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER 17

swine." So much for Beethoven's careeras a duettist!

The first great duet composer of theromantic period was Franz Schubert,who composed more than 70 worksfor this medium. It was to Beethoven,whom he revered above all others, thathe dedicated his piano duet Variationson a French Song, Op. 10, D 624. Hisduets became highly marketable; at

least two pubhshers, Probst andArtaria, asked Schubert to composeduets for them because of populardemand. It is a remarkable fact thatamong the opus numbers publishedduring Schubert's lifetime, his pianoduets were exceeded in number onlyby his songs.

The piano continued to undergomany technical improvements along

the way, which increased the populari-ty of the instrument not only forsoloists, but also for duettists.Composers were inspired to writeimpressive numbers of duets and theydid so in the following categories: 1)pieces for pedagogical use; 2) music forthe home, to adorn social occasions(often sentimental pieces, and easy toread at sight); 3) concert pieces; and 4)

Representative One-piano, Four-hand RepertoireNote: the longest and most difficult pieces from the repertoire have not been included in this listing. The pieces listed here range in level from intermediate to early

advanced. Some are available in more than one edition. For more comprehensive listings we highly recommend Intermediate Piano Repertoire: A Guide for Teaching byCathy Albergo and Reid Alexander, published by Fred Harris Music and Piano Duet Repertoire by Cameron McGraw, published by Indiana University Press.

Arensky, Anton (1861-1906)Six pieces enfantines, (Six Children's Pieces) Op. 34 (International; Leeds)Waltz, Op. 34 No. 4 (from Six Pieces...) (Kjos WP590)Fugue on a Russian Theme, Op. 34 No. 6 (Kjos WP596)

Bach, J.S. (1685-1750)Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, arr. Hess (Oxford)Sheep May Safely Graze, arr. Howe (Oxford)

Barber, Samuel (1910-1981)Souvenirs, Op. 28 (Schirmer)

Beach, Amy (1867-1944)Summer Dreams (Kjos)

Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827)Sonata in D, Op. 6Variations in C MajorVariations in D MajorThree Marches, Op. 45

Berkeley, Lennox (1903-1989)Palm Court WaltzSonatina

Bizet, Georges (1838-1875)Jeux d'enfants (Children's Games), Op. 22

(Universal; International)(Universal; International)(Universal; International)(Universal; International)

(Chester; Marks)(Chester; Marks)

(Editions Musicales duMarais includes all 12 pieces; some include only the7 pieces which Bizet orchestrated; Peters; International)

The Top (from Children's Games), Op. 22The Ball (from Children's Games), Op. 22

Brahms, Johannes (1833-1897)Waltzes, Op. 39Hungarian Dances

Casella, Alfred (1883-1947)Pupazzetti, Op. 27Pagine di Guerra, Op. 25

dementi, Muzio( 1752-1832)Six Sonatas, Op. 14 and 16Rondo, Op. 41 No. 2Three Rondos, Op. 41

Corigliano, John (1938- )Gazebo Dances

Czerny, Carl (1791-1857)Sonatina, Op. 156 No. 1Sonatina, Op. 156 No. 2Sonatina, Op. 156 No. 3Sonatina Brillante, Op. 56 No. 1

Debussy, Claude (1862-1918)Petite SuiteSix epigraphes antiques

(KJOSWP538)(KJOSWP539)

(Kjos)(Dover)

(Chester)(Ricordi)

(Schirmer)(KJOSWP596)(Schirmer)

(Schirmer)

(KJOSWP58)(Kjos WP189)(KJOSWP340)(Fox; Presser)

(Kjos)(Peters, Durand, Marks)

DelloJoio, Norman (1913- )Stage Parodies (Associated; Shirmer)Five Images (Hal Leonard; Marks)

Diabeili, Anton (1781-1858)Sonatinas, 0pp. 24, 54, 58, 60 (Peters)Three Sonatinas, 0pp. 32, 33, 37 (Peters; Schirmer)Sonatas, 0pp. 38, 73 (Peters)

Dohnanyi, Ernst von (1877-1960)Waltzes, Op. 3 (Doblinger)

Dussek, Jan Ladislav (1760-1812)Sonatas, Op. 67 Nos. 1-3 (Elkan-Vogel)Sonatas, Op. 43 (Mercury)

Dvorak, Antonin (1841-1904)Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 (Peters; Supraphon)Slavonic Dances, Op. 72 (Peters; Supraphon)Slavonic Dance, Op. 72 No. 2 (Kjos WP539)Slavonic Dance, Op. 72 No. 8 {Kjos WP538)Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8 (Kjos WP539)Legends, Op. 59 (2 vol.) (Supraphon; Mercury)From the Bohemian Forest, Op. 68 (Simrock; Supraphon)Polonaise in E flat (Peters)Bagatelle, Op. 47 No. 1 (Kjos WP 193)

Faure, Gabriel (1845-1924)Dolly (suite). Op. 56 (Hamelle; Cramer)Berceuse; Mi-a-ou Op. 56 No. 1 -2 (Kjos WP58)Doily's Garden, Kitty Waltz, Op. 56 No. 3-4 (Kjos WP538)

Field, John (1782-1837)Nocturne No. 5, arr. Liszt (Kjos WP193)

Foster, Stephen (1826-1864)Soiree Polka (KjosWP592)

Fuchs, Robert (1847-1927)Viennese Waltzes, Op. 42 (2 vol.) (Simrock)

Gillock, William (1917-1993)Jazz Prelude (Willis)

Gottschalk, Louis Moreau, arr. (1829-1869)Rossini's "William Tell Overture" (Kjos)

Grieg, Edvard (1843-1907)Norwegian Dances, Op. 35 (Peters)Symphonic Pieces, Op. 14 Nos. 1, 2 (Peters)Waltz Caprices, Op. 37 Nos. 1, 2 (Peters)

Haydn, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)II maestro e lo scoiare (Schott; Schirmer)

Hindemith, Paul (1895-1963)Eight Waltzes Op. 6 (Schott)

Husa, Karel(1921- )Eight Bohemian Duets (Schott)Chanson melancolique; Elegie (Kjos WP596)

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transcriptions of various works includ-ing symphonies, chamber music andoperas.

Felix Mendelssohn, a duet enthusi-ast, often performed with his sister,Fanny, his teacher Ignaz Moschelesand Clara Schumann. In addition tohis well-known concert pieces AllegroBrillante, Op. 92 and Andante andVariations, Op. 83 he wrote a Fantasia

(unpublished) and arranged severalorchestral works for four hands. Hisdear friends Prince Albert and QueenVictoria were devoted amateur per-formers of piano duets. It was forthem that he arranged seven of hisLieder ohne Wbrte, Op. 62, Nos. 1-6and Op. 67, No. 1. Mendelssohn'spublisher, Breitkopf and Hartel, issuedhis organ works Six Sonatas Op. 65

and Three Preludes and Fugues Op. 37for both organ solo and piano duet.His Six Preludes and Fugues Op. 35were published both as piano solos andpiano duets. A Mendelssohn scholarwho examined our scores believes thatMendelssohn himself made all of thesepiano duet arrangements. Our pupilshave played several of them with greatsuccess.

Ibert, Jacques (1890-1962)Histoires

Jensen, Adolf (1837-1879)Nocturne, Op. 45 No. 4

Kozeluh, Leopold (1747-1818)Sonata No. 1

Kuhlau, Friedrich (1786-1832)Sonatina in GSonatina Op. 17Sonatas

Kurka, Robert (1921-1957)Dance Suite

Liszt, Franz (1811-1886)PolonaiseHungarian Rhapsody No. 2, arr. Bendel

MacDowell, Edward (1860-1908)Moon Pictures, Op. 21Three Poems, Op. 20TheSwan, Op. 21 No. 4

Mehegan, John (1916-1984)Jazz Caper

Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-1847)Seven Songs Without WordsSong Without Words, Op. 62 No. 2Song Without Words, Op. 30, No. 1,

arr. CzernyMoszkowski, Moritz (1854-1925)

Kaleidoscope, Op. 74 No. 2Polish Dances, Op. 55Russian Dance, Op. 23 No. 4Spanish Dances, Opp. 12, 65Spanish Dances, Op. 12 Nos. 1, 2Spanish Dance, Op. 12 No. 3Tarantelle, Op. 96 No. 8

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (17 56-1791)Fantasy for Mechanical Organ, K. 608arr. Badura-SkodaOriginal CompositionsSonata in D, K. 381Sonata in B-flat, K. 358

Pachelbel, Johann (1653-1706)Canon in D, arr. Weekley & Arganbright

Poulenc, Francis (1899-1963)Sonata (1918)

Rachmaninoff, Serge (1873-1943)Italian PolkaSix Pieces, Op. 11

Romance, Op. 11 No. 5

(Alfred)

(KJOSWP538)

(KJOSWP590)

(Schirmer)(Kjos)(Peters)

(Weintraub)

(Ricordi)(Ricordi)

(Alfred)(Schirmer; Warner)(KJOSWP79)

(Fox)

(Barenreiter)(Kjos WP538)

(KJOSWP193)

(KJOSWP596)(Peters)(KJOSWP596)(Schirmer)(Kjos WP79)(Kjos WP538)(Kjos WP592)

(Schirmer)(Dover; Peters)(KJOSWP539)(KJOSWP539)

(Kjos)

(Kjos)

(Warner)(Boosey & Hawkes;Internat'l)(Kjos WP539)

Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937)Ma m^re I'OyeRhapsodie espagnole

Reger, Max (1873-1916)Waltzes, Op. 22Six Burlesques, Op. 58Waltz, Op. 22 No. 1

Respighi, Ottorino (1879-1936)Six Little PiecesThe Little Highlander

Rocherolle, Eugenie (1936- )Tierra del SolHeadin' SouthAmerican PanoramaThe Way We Danced1949-1999

Satie, Eric (1866-1925)Trois morceaux en forme de poireEn habit de chevalMusic for Piano Four Hands (coll.)En Plus; Lentement

Schubert, Franz (1797-1828)German Dances and Ecossaises, Op. 33Original Compositions (4 vol.)Franz Schubert Selected WorksPolonaise, Op. 75 No. 4Selected Piano Works for Four Hands

Schumann, Robert (1810-1856)Original CompositionsPolonaisesEvening Song, Op. 85 No. 12

Spindler, Fritz (1817-1905)Sonatina, Op. 136 No. 5Sonatina, Op. 136 No. 4

Vandall, Robert (1944- )Sonatina for TwoAccents for TwoCelebration OvertureToccata for Two; JubilationBk. 5

Weber, Carl Maria von (1786-1826)Original Compositions, Opp. 3, 10, 60Sonatina, Op. 3 No. 1

Weekley & Arganbright, arr.Morning Has Broken

(Kjos)(Kalmus, Ourand)

(Universal)(Schott)(KJOSWP538)

(Rahter; Associated)(KJOSWP596)

(Kjos)(Kjos)(Warner/Alfred)(Warner/Alfred)

(Salabert)(Salabert)(Associated)(KJOSWP592)

(Kjos)(Peters)(Kjos)(KJOSWP596)(Dover)

(Peters; International)(Schott)(KJOSWP592)

(KJOSWP592)(KJOSWP340)

(Alfred)(Alfred)(Alfred)(Alfred)

(International; Peters)(KJOSWP340)

(KJOSWP592)

AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER 19

Franz Liszt was an enthusiastic com-poser and performer of piano duets.He often wrote his pieces, such as theMephisto Waltz, in various ways: forpiano solo, for piano duet and fororchestra. Liszt employed two collabo-rators, Franz Doppler and JoachimRaff, to assist with making arrange-ments of his works. We own 11 of hisHungarian Rhapsodies, which werearranged from the orchestra versions,and have recorded Nos. 2 and 12. (Notall of the others, however, seem to havemerit, so we question whether Liszthad significant involvement in thesearrangements.) In recitals, Liszt ofteninvited a friend to join him in perform-ing a piano duet. In Paris, Chopinjoined Liszt in a performance of hisGrande valse de bravura. Liszt some-times ended his recitals with one piano,six hand works, or two pianos, eighthands. It is surprising that one can fmdmore than 80 piano duets listed asarrangements of his tone poems, rhap-sodies, marches and other works.

When one thinks of Brahms as aduet composer one generally recalls theWaltzes, Op. 39, Hungarian Dances,Liebeslieder Waltzes and perhaps theVariations on a Theme by RobertSchumann. However, there are alsoarrangements of at least 20 of his largerworks, done by the composer himselfHe arranged all four symphonies, bothpiano concertos and numerous cham-ber works for piano duet. Composersoften worked on their symphonieswhile at the keyboard, scoring themftrst as piano duets before orchestratingthem. Brahms, however, gave assurancethat his duet arrangements wereintended for performance, done withthe same care afforded his piano solos.As the 19th century drew to a closethere were several great duet composersat work: Max Reger, Maurice Ravel,Claude Debussy, Gabriel Faurd, EdvardGrieg, Amy Beach, and one of thefmest, Antonin Dvorak.

However, in the early-20th centurythe popularity of piano duets began towane. With the advent of recordings,radio, television, movies and easy

transportation to public concerts, themusical scene changed from active par-ticipants making "do it yourself"music, to a passively listening public.The piano recital began to satisfy theneed for music once provided by"Hausmusik." Simultaneously, duetsbegan to fade in popularity. By 1950there was so little interest that publish-ers were making only a limited num-ber of piano duets available. WilliApel, despite his reputation as histori-an of the keyboard, did not even makea distinction between piano duets andmusic for two pianos in his HarvardDictionary of Music (1955). In fact, hedismissed most of the duet repertoireby saying, "Besides Mozart, the onlygreat composer who was seriouslyinterested in four-hand music wasSchubert." In the past few years, how-ever, we have witnessed a reawakeningof interest in piano duets. Besides thejoy that duet playing brings and therecital potential of the medium, itdevelops musicianship.

Rewards and BenefitsGreat piano teachers of the past

encouraged the study of piano duets.We know from letters that Mozartwrote to his father in 1777 and 1781that he was including piano duets inhis teaching. Schubert taught the twoEsterhazy sisters in 1818 and 1824and kept them occupied for hoursplaying piano duets. Beethovenrequested that Czerny, who was theteacher of Beethoven's nephew Karl,include piano duets in their worktogether. Schumann, in his Eighty-eightRules for Young Beginners, wrote "Oneshould never miss the opportunity toplay piano duets."

Most of us like to play duetsbecause we are social creatures whoenjoy companionship in makingmusic. Both are challenged by thepresence of a partner; neither wants toappear as the weaker half, so alertnessis heightened and sustained.

Duet playing prepares participantsfor other kinds of ensemble playingmany music students will become

accompanists or ensemble directors.We have found that students who haveplayed duets (especially those printedin score form, both parts on the samepage) are better score readers and thatthey also have more confidence inplaying concertos.

The playing of piano duets increasessight-reading skills, not only becauseparticipants try very hard to "keep thebeat going," but also because errors innote reading are immediately apparentfrom the resulting dissonances in tonalmusic.

Duets lend variety to recitals. Theyare more practical than rwo-pianoworks since one piano is always avail-able. The repertoire includes a widerrange of difficulty than that for twopianos. Duets can be recital-savers inthat the fuller sound and partneringgive confidence to the less advancedstudent. Often, family members mayplay together.

Some by-products of duet playingare: cooperation, leadership, give-and-take (negotiation), dependability,organization of time, problem-solving,even marriage! (With the authors,however, the marriage came first.)

Most importantly, involvement inpiano duet playing enhances generalmusicianship because it necessitatesanalytical thought. One is forced toanalyze the musical score to answermusical and logistical questions("Where is the melody now?"), ratherthan to rely wholly on intuition.Players must discuss and agree uponthe quick release of certain notes(when another hand needs that note),balance among the four hands, agogicfreedom (rit., accei), dynamics, tempo,style, pedaling, articulation, exactrhythms and all other aspects thatcomprise beautiful music making.

Note: for a more detailed guide to thespecial needs and challenges of duet play-ing, see The Piano Duet: A LearningGuide by Weekley and Arganbright, NeilA. Kjos Music Co., San Diego, 1996.

AMT

20 APRl UMAY 2007