So, what does the 18th century fortepiano have to do with how classical music is played? A new book tries to answer that question for teachers and pianists.
Written by Lincoln pianist Donna Gunn and recently released by Oxford University Press, “Discoveries from the Fortepiano: A Manual for Beginning and Seasoned Performers” invites teachers and students to reconsider some classic 18th-century piano pieces. Due to changes both in the instrument and interpretation of musical language, the way modern pianists play music from composers like Mozart and Beethoven isn’t the composers’ original intention.
Gunn’s scholarly adventure, which would take eight years and include research in five countries, began in 2007 at a lecture on historically informed performance practice of classical music.
“The notation that we are all familiar with was interpreted differently in the 18th century,” she explained. “As an artist and an educator, I thought: ‘Why don’t people know about this?’ That’s where my journey started.”