The Principles of Expression in Pianoforte Playing

The Principles Of Expression In Pianoforte Playing – is a work which was published in 1886 and written by Adolph Friedrich Christiani, American music teacher of German origin. In writing this work, the author not only had the goal of providing those interested in the subject with a reference book containing a systematic exposition of the principles of expression in piano playing, but he also wanted to dispel the mistaken popular belief that expression is only a manifestation of feeling, or that feeling is the only basis of expression. The author has tried to prove that mind, and not feeling, is the main requirement for expression. Twenty years before this book was written, when the idea first occurred to the author that this expression was based on principles, not just emotional impulse or individual taste, he asked himself and others: what are these principles? How to get knowledge, where to find their visual presentation? Over the years, Christiani has been collecting every scrap of information available, and in writing down his own conclusions, he has been careful, following only natural laws, completely avoiding (as every teacher should do) personal inclinations. Sifting through and classifying this material, he discovered logical connections between many obvious contradictions and, gradually, succeeded in systematizing for his own use in teaching the basic principles of pianistic expression.