Date of Award
1983
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Abstract
In the European musical world, one of the most significant personalities of recent years was Walter Georgii (1887-1967). He was respected not only as one of Germany's most prominent pianist-pedagogues, but also as one of the most authoritative writers in the areas of piano performance and literature. One of Georgii's most important writings was a large work entitled Klaviermusik, the third edition of which appeared in 1956. The book is divided into two parts. The first part involves a comprehensive examination of the literature for solo piano and the second part involves an examination of the literature for piano duet; both sections are written in an historical-descriptive fashion with critical evaluations of selected pieces. Following Part II is a short Appendix devoted to piano pieces written for one hand and for three, five, and six hands. The literature discussed in Part II of Klaviermusik ranges from the very earliest pieces for four hands at one keyboard (ca. mid-eighteenth century) to the mid-twentieth century. Georgii's comments, though sometimes brief, are authoritative and thorough. Klaviermusik is indeed a scholarly, highly-significant work which could be of great benefit to all students of the piano. However, the fact that it has remained untranslated has rendered it useless to many who cannot read the original German. Included in the present study is a translation from German to English of Part II of Klaviermusik, along with a section of Commentary amplifying certain features of Georgii's writing. The translation, in its entirety, follows the introductory chapter. The Commentary following the translation is divided into chapters corresponding to those in Georgii's writing. In the chapter following the Commentary, the translator reached several conclusions concerning the merits of studying piano duet repertoire as well as the value of Georgii's writing on the subject. Among his recommendations were that a more intense study of the literature for four hands at one piano be included in college piano repertoire classes and that the present translation of Klaviermusik be used toward that end.
Recommended Citation
Aultman, Howard Gerald, "Walter Georgii's Klaviermusik, Part II: a Translation and Commentary." (1983). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3829.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3829
Pages
312
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.3829