Lectures

The following treatise is based on the content of two separate lecture recitals that I presented at Florida State University. The first lecture recital was given on April 21, 2018, and addressed the connections between three Chinese piano works and their sources of inspiration, followed by a performance of each piece. The second lecture recital was delivered on March 27, 2019, and focused on the various applications of piano pedaling in different composers’ works and styles. Chapter One features the content of the second lecture, which explores the various uses of pedaling in different piano compositions and illuminates stylistic differences between the following composers: J. S. Bach, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang A. Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and Claude Debussy. It encourages pianists to consider more nuanced and historically informed pedaling. This chapter is organized in three parts: 1) a brief introduction to the pedal mechanism and its history, 2) a discussion of pedaling notation and techniques, and 3) a presentation of examples of these composers’ pedaling indications along with suggestions for practical application in performance. Chapter Two focuses on three Chinese composers who created distinctive musical styles inspired by Chinese painting, theater and literature. It provides a brief biography of each composer followed by a discussion of their musical style and a style analysis of a selected work for piano from their oeuvres. Through presenting interesting aspects of the traditional Chinese arts, I hope this chapter will generate more attention to these Chinese composers and works so that the music of Chinese composers can be discussed and performed more regularly.