10. Memorisation of Twentieth-Century Piano Music

Abstract

In this chapter, we investigate the process of a professional pianist learning and memorising the Fourth Study for Piano (Allegro Vivace) by the Croatian composer Boris Papandopulo. We examined the effects of its formal structure and technical complexity on the amount of practice undertaken. The results showed that the pianist relied on the formal structure and her own segmentation of the piece while preparing to perform it from memory. She deliberately developed a mental map of the piece to serve as a reliable retrieval structure. Additionally, learning the same music piece by two performers of different proficiency levels was compared. The implications are discussed for the teaching of efficient practice and memorisation.