Sight-Reading Exercise - Piano Trios / Muczynski's Piano Music

Last weekend I checked out from the library Muczynski's and Haydn's Piano Trios to sight-read. It occurred to me to read the cello and the violin parts together before I got to the piano part. It turned out to be a wonderful exercise. As you know, the cello part is written on bass clef and the violin, on treble. Such exercise allowed me to read horizontally and it provided me with an overall idea of the work. Once I got to the piano section, the piece was familiar and a I had an easy time predicting the harmony as well as looking ahead.
I strongly suggest you try this exercise. It is very rewarding!

Muczynski's Third Piano Trio Op.46 (1987) is reasonably easy to try. This work was commissioned for the Western Arts Trio by the University of Wyoming Foundation in commemoration of the university's centennial celebration. It is an interesting piece with modal flavors and a variety of tempo changes that reflect different atmospheres and moods.
The entire trio is a theme and variations which is my favorite kind of piece to read. Sight- reading theme and variations often give you familiarity and fluency necessary to move your eyes forward.

Go to http://www.classical-composers.org/comp/muczynski for a complete list of Muczynki's works and biography.
My favorite Muczynski pieces to teach are Six Preludes Op.6 (levels 9,10). It is dedicated to Tcherepnin who taught him composition at DePaul University in Chicago.

Other good teaching material: Fables Op.21 (levels 5,6,7),
Toccata Op.25 (level 10),
Diversions Op.23 (level 7),
Sonatina (level 9),
Seven Op.30 (level 9),
A Summer Journal Op.19 (levels 8,9),
Collected Piano Pieces (late intermediary) published by Schirmer.

"Again and again, I am admiring the personal drama and lyricism in the piano writing of Muczynski - which gives the pianist every opportunity of displaying his musicianship and virtuosity" (Tcherepnin)

Go to http://www.cmnc.org/newsletters/tales_pn_sight_rd.htm and read Miriam Blatt's articles "Tales of Piano Sightreading" and "Piano Sightreading: Technical Tips" on the News letter of CHAMBER MUSICIANS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA



I will write more about Piano Trios in a future posting.