Product Description
A 'conservative radical' is William Alexander Eddie's description of the French virtuoso composer-pianist Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888). Judaic culture, the French baroque and German classicism were the main influences on Alkan's musical style, with more radical musical tendencies found in many of the "Esquisses op63". This comprehensive survey takes as its focus a stylistic analysis of Alkan's compositions from the apprentice works to the later 'massed style' etudes; the latter are of considerable length and pianistic difficulty. There is also consideration of Alkan's achievements as pianist and teacher, and the sections on performance practice in Alkan will be of interest to pianists today. A full investigation of Alkan's reception history is also included and useful appendices provide a guide to further archival research. A list of works and basic discography complete this new study of an important French composer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Worth the money (opus number typos though)
This is a very expensive book, but I bought it (thanks to numerous gift cards for Christmas, hehe) and read it through. However, after reading it through, I went back and read about specific works to get a better understanding of them.

Furthermore, this is THE most scholarly source on Alkan I have ever read (and I an going to buy Ronald Smith's book next), and although it is very expensive, almost the entire book is available for "preview" (a.k.a. online reading) on Google books, and I recommend all Alkan lovers and music fans who have heard of this "mysterious" composer to read it.

If I could rate this higher than 5-stars, I would, because it is a truly amazing book about a sadly neglected but wonderful composer. The only problem is that there are some typos with opus numbers throughout the book, but if you know enough about Alkan's music already, you will quickly disregard them and know what is actually correct. ... Read more

Product Description
Selected and with Introductory Notes by Marc-André Hamelin. This unprecedented collection rescues extraordinary, challenging piano works from undeserved obscurity: Alkan’s Etudes in Minor Keys, Op. 39 (the complete Symphony for Solo Piano, Op. 39, Nos. 4–7; the complete Concerto for Solo Piano, Op. 39, Nos. 8–10; and "Le Festin d’Ésope" [Aesop’s Feast], Op. 39, No. 12); Saltarelle, Op. 23; Barcarolle, Op. 65, No. 6; and Toccatina, Op. 75. Introduction. Notes.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A fine reprint of the venerable Edition Billaudot
Ever had to track down the ever elusive Edition Billaudot copy of Alkan scores? Gasped at the extraordinary prices? Wait no more. This fine reprint corrects much of the printing quality (or lack thereof) in Billaudot. Finally, note stems are legible and you can mark the score with a ball point pen without ripping it.

The Concerto for Solo Piano is a formidable challenge for pianists who thought they have seen it all. From the repeated notes in the Candeza section to the exhilarating scales and chords throughout the piece, this sadistic oeuvre will leave all pianists but Marc-Andre Hamelin begging for mercy. Yet, the difficulty is not all for the sake of being difficult, in spite of being an etude. The unique composition written during the height of the romantic period is a pinnacle of innovative pianism, and casts a dark shadow on such well known concerti by Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Chopin and other composers of the time.

Other works included in this edition, Symphonie, and the infamous Le Festin d'Esope pose no less challenge, but are exquisitely satisfying, giving the most jaded pianists and audiences alike a new perspective on the romantic period repertoire. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Le Chemin de Fer, List of Compositions by Charles-Valentin Alkan, Concerto for Solo Piano, Trois Morceaux Dans le Genre Pathétique, le Festin D'esope. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 24. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Le chemin de fer (French for "the railway"), Op. 27, is a programmatic étude for piano composed by Charles-Valentin Alkan in 1844,, frequently cited as the first musical representation of a railway. It is a perpetuum mobile composition at an extremely fast tempo, in D minor, and performance at tempo lasts approximately five minutes. The "happy passengers" melody is not as thick as the main "locomotion" gauntlet.The composition is marked vivacissimamente (extremely brisk, from vivace), 112 half notes per minute. The first theme is sixteenth notes accompanied by a repetitive ostinato bass in eighth notes, illustrating the fleeting steam locomotive. The second is a more lightweight melody in the relative major, F major, still comprising just sixteenth notes, which depicts the happy journey of the passengers. The only respite from the torrent comes at the coda, in which the note durations lengthen and the piece comes to a close, portraying the train pulling into a station. The piece's length, in printing (506 measures), not performance (5 minutes), is humorously referred to as describing a very long trip. The musical climax, extremely intense and involved, is still played at the same astronomical speed.The most recurrent criticism of the étude is disparaging its banal programmatic nature, and it is rated very poorly compared with Alkan's other compositions. It is dismissed as "amusing", with no technical innovations. Although he demanded strict adherence to the metronome, one analysis of the extreme tempo showed that it is nearly impossible to play at the c...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=15128600 ... Read more

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Paris, Billaudot, 1844, recent reprint 4to 8.7 x 11.8 ins 49pp stapled wraps. ... Read more

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This sheet music was newly engraved from early and authoritative editions. ... Read more

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This sheet music was newly engraved from early and authoritative editions. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Charles-Valentin Alkan[a] (30 November 1813 - 29 March 1888) was a French composer and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. His attachment to his Jewish origins is displayed both in his life and his work. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of six, earning many awards, and as an adult became a famous virtuoso and teacher. Although early in his life he was socially active and good friends with prominent musicians and artists including Eugène Delacroix, Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin, he gradually withdrew from the concert platform after 1848, and he lived a reclusive life in Paris until his death. ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Pierre Abélard, Camille Pissarro, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Rachel Félix, Pierre Lazareff, James de Rothschild, Étienne Mantoux, Philip Astley, Samuel Cahen, David Sintzheim, Firmin Didot, Héloïse, Michel Drach, Adrien Decourcelle, Hélène Lazareff. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Pierre Abélard ou Pierre Abailard ou encore Pierre Abeilard (né en 1079 au Pallet près de Nantes - mort le 21 avril 1142 près de Chalon-sur-Saône) est un théologien, philosophe et compositeur français. Il a été un des principaux acteurs du renouveau des arts du langage au début du siècle. Après son entrée en religion, ses travaux de théologien ont suscité la critique des autorités ecclésiastiques (concile de Soissons, 1121 ; concile de Sens, 1141). Il est encore plus célèbre pour sa liaison avec Héloïse et les lettres échangées par le couple. Le 16 juin 1817, ses restes et ceux d'Héloïse ont été transférés au cimetière du Père-Lachaise Pierre Abélard est issu d'une famille noble ; sa mère se prénommait Lucie, son père, Béranger, lequel se chargea de l'éducation de ses enfants. Pierre eut trois frères et une sœur : Raoul, Porcaire, Dagobert et Denyse. Il ne souhaitait pas faire le métier des armes. Après l'éducation que lui apporta son père, il suivit l'enseignement de Roscelin de Compiègne à Loches, et sans doute celui d'autres maîtres dans la vallée de la Loire (notamment à Angers et Tours ), puis vint à Paris vers 1100. Il y suivit l'enseignement de Guillaume de Champeaux, archidiacre de Notre-Dame, mais il s'opposa vite à celui-ci dans la Querelle des Universaux en prenant parti contre le réalisme, ce qui fera des deux hommes des rivaux jusqu'à leur mort. , Abélard . . . ... « La foi, disait Abélard est l'opinion qu'on...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Undated Softcover sheet music folio of selected works by French composer Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888), child prodigy, and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. ... Read more

Product Description
Softcover sheet music book, with stapled binding. Selected works for the piano by French composer Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888), child prodigy, and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. ... Read more

Product Description
Softcover sheet music folio of selected works by French composer Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888), child prodigy, and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. ... Read more