Thursday, October 22, 2009

What I've played so far

I've been meaning to sit down and figure out what I've played over the past 5 years. So here it is, to the best of my recollection:

Granados, Valses Poeticos
Bach, J. S., Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier (in the order I learned them):
D Minor (No. 6,  Book II)
B flat Major (No. 21, Book I)
A Minor (No. 20, Book II)
F Major (No. 11, Book I)
F minor (No. 12, Book II)
C Minor (No. 2, Book I)
C Major (No. 1, Book I)
C Sharp Major (No. 3, Book I)
Debussy, Children’s Corner
Mozart, Sonata K310 (A Minor)
Chopin:
Waltz (A Minor, Op. Post.)
Nocturnes 55/1 (F Minor); 27/1 (C Sharp Minor)
Preludes 28/1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15, 21, 22
Mazurka 6/1
Etude 25/7
Tiersen, Comptine d’un autre ete; Valse d’Amelie
Beethoven, Sonata (“Tempest”; incomplete)
Gershwin, Preludes (incomplete)
Brahms, Intermezzo Op. 118, No. 1 (C Major)

A real moment of truth here. When I wrote it all down, a couple of things struck me. One is how short this list is, and how short most of the pieces are! I felt like I've been practicing for many hours over these 5 years. But if I'm honest, I have to admit that many days I either didn't practice at all or practiced for a very short time. I do have a full-time job, and I have also been busy with a lot of other things.

Another is how lopsided it is toward Bach and Chopin. I've gotten into this -- well, it's a rut, I guess, where I'm thinking that I have to press on in my quest to learn all of the Well-Tempered Clavier and all of the Op. 28 Preludes. On the other hand, these pieces really are my exercises. Learning them has developed my technique and ability to memorize, and it has been interesting.

So I really don't know whether this is good, bad, or indifferent. Should I branch out and try to make this more well-rounded? I have had fits of doing this, when I worked on Bartok or Scarlatti or Rachmaninoff for a while, but because I've been focused on the Bach and Chopin projects, those other pieces fell by the wayside after a week or so.

I suppose if I get to the end of my life and I've only learned the entire WTC and the complete Chopin Op. 28, it won't be a total loss.

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