The Anatomy of Musicality

"The Anatomy of Musicality" is a captivating title that aptly defines what Dr. Levant successfully attempts to describe in her book. Much like a physician who studies the structure of an organism, Dr. Levant examines the framework of musicality from a physical, mental, and emotional point of view. According to Dr. Levant, the three ingredients that compose musicality are an understanding of the score, a desire to express the music, and a good sense of taste. These three must all be present to result in musical playing. Throughout the book, Dr. Levant gives practical ways to achieve these components of musicality. She looks at the dynamics within dynamics ("micro-dynamics" as she calls them), and examines the various ways of executing a crescendo. She also describes various motions that aid the pianist to perform musically and achieve the desired sound. These instructions also help the pianist to relieve physical tension, reduce the risk of injury, and facilitate the performance of difficult passages. Dr. Levant realizes that performing musically requires more than just good technique and a range of dynamics - musical playing must be charged with energy. Energy is the sign of an object's life; without it, a performance will be dead. Dr. Levant advices the reader on how to harness this inner energy and inject into the performance. Dr. Levant's eloquent language and her charming pictures make it easy for the reader to grasp and remember these concepts. The little illustrations do a wonderful job at representing what would otherwise be difficult to understand. A piano teacher could effectively use them to instill the ideas of musicality even in the youngest student. And yet they are fresh enough to remind even the professional pianist. A word of congratulations to Dr. Levant for such a high-rate piece of literature; it will indelibly leave its mark in the world of piano pedagogy. By DJD, Dallas, Texas