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Born To Conquer: The Fortepiano’S Revolution Of Keyboard Technique And Style, Rachel A. Lowrance

Musical Offerings

The fortepiano had a rough beginning. In 1709 it entered a world that was not quite ready for it; a world that was very comfortable with the earlier keyboard instruments, especially the harpsichord. Pianists and composers were used to the harpsichord technique and style, which is drastically different from the piano. This is because the harpsichord was actually a very different instrument than the piano, as is explained in this paper. This paper traces the history of the piano's rise to dominance over the harpsichord, and how its unique hammer action began creating an idiomatic piano style. The piano also …

Learning To Play: Cognitive And Physical Development Of Children And Requirements Of Playing The Piano, Amy Carmichael

B.A. in Music Senior Capstone Projects

Musical learning and performance have traditionally been understood as the process of cognitive ability and physical action. If a musician lacks or is underdeveloped in one of these areas, it will either be harder or almost impossible to create music. In this paper, I will focus on the connection between them. Cognitive ability and knowledge increases with age as we gain more facts and experiences. Likewise, a child’s physical abilities expand and become more advanced with age. There is an increasing amount of evidence that links cognitive abilities and physical developments in children’s development.

I will present research on cognitive …