Valse macabre in B minor

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Musical Terms (11)

• batik Javanese
  A traditional Javanese textile art using wax-resist dyeing to create intricate geometric and figurative patterns. Godowsky was deeply influenced by Javanese visual art, and the elaborate layered filigree of his Java Suite writing reflects the aesthetic of batik.
  The ornamental figuration in the Java Suite is not decorative but structural — as in batik, every detail is part of the larger pattern. Practise the filigree slowly to reveal the inner melodic contours before integrating them into the full texture.
• contrapuntal enrichment English
  Godowsky's technique of adding one or more new melodic lines to an existing composition, weaving original countersubjects into the texture of the source work without obscuring its original character.
  When playing Godowsky's studies on Chopin, the original Chopin melody should remain clearly audible as the primary voice — the added counterpoint is enrichment, not competition. Balance is the central challenge: the original must sing through the new texture.
• gamelan Javanese
  A traditional ensemble of pitched percussion instruments — gongs, metallophones, xylophones, and drums — from Java and Bali. Its tuning systems (pélog and sléndro) do not correspond to Western equal temperament, giving gamelan music a distinctive shimmering, non-tempered quality.
  In Godowsky's Gamelan from the Java Suite, the layered ostinato figures in the left hand imitate the sustained resonance of gong cycles. Keep these figures even and slightly blurred with pedal — the sound should shimmer and accumulate rather than articulate each note clearly.
• left-hand pianism English
  A body of solo piano literature written exclusively for the left hand, exploring the hand's complete technical and expressive range without assistance from the right. Godowsky's late left-hand pieces were among the most sophisticated works in the genre.
  The left hand must cover the full texture — bass, inner voices, and melody — simultaneously. Distribute the hand's weight from the fifth finger on the bass through to the first finger on the melody. The melody, typically in the thumb or index finger, should project clearly above the supporting voices below.
• malinconico Italian
  Melancholic — a character indication calling for a brooding, introspective quality, with slightly veiled tone and a tendency toward the minor mode even within major-key passages.
  In the Intermezzo malinconico, resist the temptation to over-romanticise. The melancholy should be restrained and inward — a quiet sadness rather than overt expression. Keep the tone slightly withdrawn.
• patetico Italian
  Pathetic in the original sense — deeply felt, expressive of suffering or pathos. Not theatrical self-pity but concentrated emotional intensity.
  In the Capriccio patetico, the emotional weight should come from harmonic tension and voice-leading rather than exaggerated dynamics. Let the harmony do the expressive work.
• polyphonic pianism English
  Godowsky's term for his approach to piano writing in which multiple independent melodic and harmonic voices are sustained simultaneously within a single hand, requiring each finger to function as an independent voice with its own dynamic and articulation.
  In the Chopin Studies and left-hand works, identify each voice layer before practising hands together. Each layer needs its own tone weight — melody, inner voices, and bass must all be audible independently. Practise each voice in isolation before attempting to blend them.
• sinister English
  A direction appearing in Godowsky's scores indicating left-hand playing, from the Italian sinistra. Also carries its secondary meaning — a dark or ominous expressive character, which Godowsky exploited deliberately in his left-hand works.
  In the left-hand pieces, the single hand must project the full expressive range of both hands. Organise the hand's weight from the wrist, not the arm, to allow rapid redistribution between bass support and melodic projection.
• tone colour English
  The differentiation of individual voices within a chord or texture through subtle variation of touch, weight, and finger depth rather than through dynamic extremes. Central to Godowsky's aesthetic of refined pianism.
  Godowsky described the piano as capable of enormous variety within a narrow dynamic range. Practise passages at a uniform piano, changing only the depth and speed of key depression from voice to voice, to develop independent tone colour before applying it at full dynamic range.
• transcendental difficulty English
  A term used by critics and scholars to describe a level of piano writing that exceeds conventional notions of advanced technique — requiring simultaneous independence of both hands at extreme tempos, or a single hand covering textures normally requiring two. Godowsky's Studies after Chopin are the canonical example.
  Approach these works in stages: first establish the original Chopin voice clearly at tempo; then learn the added counterpoint as an independent piece; finally blend the layers, prioritising clarity of the original over the added material at all times.
• wayang Javanese
  The traditional Javanese and Balinese art of shadow puppetry, accompanied by a gamelan ensemble. Stories are drawn from Hindu epics. The puppeteer (dalang) controls the puppets behind an illuminated screen, casting silhouettes for the audience.
  In Wayang-Puppet Shadowplay, the soft, veiled opening texture evokes the screen and the play of shadow. The sudden dramatic gestures correspond to the puppeteer's sharp movements. The texture should feel simultaneously ethereal and urgent.