Tutoring & Coaching

Teaching and Mission Statement

As a musician with a special interest in the music of the fortepiano (including the sons of J.S. Bach (CPE Bach, JC Bach and JCF Bach),  Haydn, Mozart and Schubert). I have tried to make it a part of my mission to explore and call attention to  the music of these as well as the so-called  lesser-known composers of the period, such as J.B. Vanhal, Ignaz Pleyel, Hyacinthe Jadin, among others. Most recently I have revived my long-standing interest in the music of the Empfindsamkeit (CPE Bach, EW Wolf, FW Rust, CD Türk) as well as those of Haydn's works  specific to this instrument.

The general thrust of the instructional work extends to the recognition and realization in performance of  Affekt and the language of rhetorical figures.  Emanuel Bach's own aesthetic and directives for the performance of his music have remained, even among eminent performers of his music up to the present day, too often unrecognized and therefore to a great extent unrealized in performance. This (mis-)reading of the musical language extends also to the works of Haydn, Mozart and others. In all fairness, it may well be said that we probably can never fully "understand" this music considering distance of time, place and cultures involved.  It is not that the performances we generally hear are not attractive or enjoyable or even convincing on some level, but rather that an awareness of the musical language, rhetoric, affects and gestures AND their realization in performance enrich and clarify for listeners the message of the music (what the music MEANS actually). There is considerable educational work to be done in this area, among both performers and  listeners.

To this end, I am pleased to share in depth with like-minded musicians, in small groups or in private instruction  such insights attained over the years of musical performance of this repertoire with what one colleague  has called an "adequate" Instrumentarium.

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