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The word singing comes from the Latin "cantus", meaning a human's song, a bird's song, the sound of an instrument, or a poem. A multitude of forms and genres developed in the West around simple song (the hymn, the ode, the lai and others), gradually leading to true vocal artistry. Throughout its history, singing has taken many forms: the aria, the cantata, the oratorio, the mass, opera, the duet and others. In the Middle Ages, two types of music coexisted: sacred music (consisting mainly of Gregorian chant) and secular music. During the Renaissance, the genres were [...]

Some people hate playing scales, while others love it! Some believe it is a waste of time because they "simply want to play beautiful melodies and music". Why is so much importance attached to scales and to the need to know and practise them? The question is:   Is it really so important to know your scales and be able to play them all?   Some students often consider practising scales a waste of time, mainly because they do not understand their importance. Knowing your scales and being able to [...]

Every musical performance requires, above all, excellent technical mastery. This aspect of piano playing has become increasingly important, as can be seen from the repertoire performed at numerous international competitions and by their winners. Nor is it possible to think of any of the great pianists without referring to their command of technique. Indeed, the very term virtuoso derives from the fact that these musicians can make us forget about technical concerns, because technique presents no obstacle to them. But what are the fundamental reasons why it [...]

Maurice Ravel is considered one of the greatest French composers of his time. Born in 1875 to a Swiss father and a mother of Basque origin, he spent almost his entire life in Paris before retiring to Montfort-l’Amaury. He perfectly embodies all the contradictions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Indeed, his contemporaries considered his music too modern—as demonstrated, for example, by his numerous failures at the Prix de Rome between 1900 and 1905, which reflect his difficulty in conforming to the system (in 1920, he refused the Légion d’Honneur)—and yet, [...]

Did you dream of playing the piano as a child, only for your parents to sign you up for tennis? Or perhaps you inherited a grand piano and would like it to do more than serve as decoration? Whatever your reason for wanting to start learning the piano now, remember that it is never too late. In this article, we offer a few tips to make learning easier. First of all, forget the cliché that it is impossible to learn to play an instrument once you have reached adulthood. Admittedly, it is more difficult than in childhood, but it is [...]