A Taxonomical Framework for Evaluating Piano Performances

In the age of online music, the repertoire and the number of recordings that we can listen to have enormously expanded. Modern-day ears are filled with a huge variety of performance styles, from Vladimir Horowitz’s expressive Mozart to Glenn Gould’s articulated Bach. Nevertheless, musicians and musicologists seem to find it difficult, if not impossible, to put what they hear into words. This book constructs a taxonomical framework through which six important aspects of tempo can be evaluated. To assess the extent to which performers embody these aspects in their performances, it analyses 30 recordings of three solo piano pieces in depth: two by Chopin and one by Liszt. Case studies of two pianists―Valentina Lisitsa and Lars Vogt―show that the framework can precisely describe and accurately evaluate a performer’s style of tempo and tempo variation. This book contributes to the reader’s understanding of the constituent features of tempo and will deepen their knowledge of individuality and commonality in piano performance styles.