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Eleven new contributing authors include Vanessa CornettMurtada, Jo Ellen De-Vilbiss, Lee Evans, Carol Flatau, StevenHesla, Pete Jutras, Karen Koch, Karen Krieger, GeorgeLitterst, Suzanne Schons, Paul Sheftel and Ruth Slencznska.Their discussion of current topics includes community musicschools, jazz, pedaling, adult students, performance anxiety,technology and brain research, among others.

The 48 chapters and 617 pages of the “new and expanded”Creative Piano Teaching encompass the broad overview ofteaching the young pianist, the advancing pianist and theadult pianist. The added sections on research and historicalperspectives, and specific topics such as teaching technique,fingering and memorizing allow the text to be an all-encom-passing resource for piano pedagogy teachers and students.Independent teachers will also find the text an invaluableresource for their teaching and performing. —Reviewed byBarbara Fast, NCTM, University of Oklahoma

8 English and German Diction for Singers: A ComparativeApproach, by Amanda Johnston. Scarecrow Press, 2011. www.rowman-littlefield.com; 295 pp., $49.95.

“It is through lyricdiction that singers areable to communicatethe wishes and desiresof the poet, as well asthe composer.” Withthis important openingstatement AmandaJohnston leads us on ajourney through a sig-nificant aspect ofsinging: lyric diction.Canadian collaborativepianist Johnston is onthe faculty of theUniversity ofMississippi and is avocal coach and spe-cialist in comparativediction. She is also onthe faculty at Lied Austria, an intensive international summerprogram for singers in Austria. This book shows Johnston’sextensive background in lyric or singing diction and also inthe German language.

An important aspect of English and German Diction forSingers is that it explains the Neue Rechtschreibung, the com-plete overhaul of the German language, completed in 2006,which modernizes the German language. Most texts are cen-turies old, yet singers must be familiar with the differentmanners of pronunciation to perform in German. As a singer,living and performing in Germany and teaching bothGerman and American students, I particularly appreciate thisexcellent source of diction.

The book is divided into two sections: English andGerman, comparing the two languages along with informa-tion on matters such as commonalities, syllabification, wordstress and linguistic history, and a glossary of terms. Each

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AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER 47

section provides an accessible guide tothe principles of English and Germandiction. There are various exercises inpronunciation. Clear and useful expla-nations are made of aspects of diction,such as vowel placement and execu-tion, emphasis on the characteristics ofvowel length, and the differencesbetween spoken and sung sounds. Thisis combined with IPA exercises, whichlogically progress through the compli-cated field of lyric diction. The IPAexamples and exercises help provide anexcellent reference source for IPA sym-bols and practice. A delightful sectionis also the tongue twisters in Englishand German, which are excellent prac-tice. A section on German opera dic-tion is also included which helps instrategies for projecting the voice overan orchestra and in a large hall.

This book can be used for variouscourses of study for singers and is alsoa good reference work to possess forany singer or coach as a valuable toolfor preparing a vocal performance. Inaddition it can be used by ESL stu-dents and also for undergraduate andgraduate studies either in separateEnglish and German diction courses or

as a combined course. —Reviewed byDonald George, The Crane School ofMusic

Memoirs of a Piano Pedagogue: TheExtraordinary Life and Times ofGeorge Kochevitsky, by AlbertSquillace. Albert Squillace-PrimaveraBooks for the George A. KochevitskyEstate, 2010; 495 pp., $35.00.

George Alexandrovich Kochevitskywas considered by many musicians tohave been one of the greatest pianopedagogues of the 20th century. Hislife story was truly remarkable. Thestory behind the creation of this bookis intriguing. Photographer AlbertSquillace was asked to take a series ofphotos of Kochevitsky, then age 83.After several sittings, Kochevitskybegan to talk about his life. Squillacefound his story so compelling that hebegan recording his life recollectionsonto 35 cassette tapes over the courseof seven years.

The book is a truly fascinating set ofremembrances of Kochevitsky’s life inRussia, Germany and America. Eachtape represents one chapter and is tran-

scribed verbatim; through the frequentgrammatical errors, the reader canimagine being in the room and hearingKochevitsky. The chapters are looselyarranged in chronological order; how-ever, Kochevitsky often changes fromone subject to another. The verbatimformat reveals many strengths as well asweaknesses. Very valuable are suchimportant historical and musical details

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Piano faculty:

The University of Oregon offers undergradu-ate and graduate degrees in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Collaborative Piano. We have a superb recital hall with both American and Ger-man Steinway concert pianos. Our internationally-acclaimed faculty provides advanced training in an ideal setting. Scholarships and graduate teaching fellowships are available.

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