Lessons with Soulima Stravinsky n 1968 the University of Illinois at Urbana celebrated its 100th an- niversary with festivities and con- certs, awarding honorary degrees to such artists as Josef Albers and Eugene Ormandy as well as guest pianists Vladimir Ashkenazy, Eugene List, and Nicolai Petrov. These were the Golden Years at Illinois, with the school of music ranked high among music schools in America. Amid all of this, Soulima Stravinsky brought a special European flavor to the piano. department. Joining the faculty in 1950 he was the only person in the music school offered tenure after one year and attracted some of the best stu- dents from throughout the country. Stravinsky's talents and experience were formidable. In Paris he had stud- ied piano with Isidor Philipp and played for Vladimir Horowitz. Study- ing composition with Nadia Bou- langer, dean of 20th-century composi- tion teachers, Stravinsky maintained a large portion of the standard repertoire and became an expert on the piano music of his father, Igor. Stravinsky's enormous hands - he could stretch to an eleventh instantly solved many technical problems. Yet such a reach was a problem because he could hardly get his large fingers between the black keys to play the white keys.. Stravinsky's photographic memory not only helped him to speak Russian, French, and English fluently, but he easily maneuvered through a wide range of keyboard literature, including Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier; the Beethoven piano sonatas; and the Chopin ballades, scherzos, nocturnes, and many mazurkas. When asked about being able to play the complete Well-Tempered Clavier, he confided that he sometimes reread the fugues to keep them fresh in his mind. At our first meeting Stravinsky ex- plained that I should memorize every piece before bringing it to the lesson. He would open his office door to ask, "What did you bring memorized this week?" It was wonderful training. After consulting with top psycholo- gists, he concluded that the only way to improve a musical memory was to exercise it. "Memory is like a muscle, 38 CLAVIER/JANUARY 1996 BY STEPHEN HUSARIK when you use it, it gets better; when you stop using it, it weakens," he said. Memorizing pieces speeded up the learning process because students did not focus on expression or unnecessary alterations until they could play the musical patterns, and it removed many technical problems. Though he never said so, Stravin- sky's method was similar to the one Carl Czerny used with Liszt. Czerny once announced that this was why Liszt developed such an incredible memory in later years. All of Stravin- sky's students were reliable pianists who didn't have memory problems in concert, which was a virtue compared to other pianists who played with emo- tion, but could not get through their pieces without stuttering or stopping. At the first lesson Stravinsky tested my sight-reading and memory skills by asking me to sight-read the first few measures of Beethoven's Sonata in F Minor, Op. 2, #1, then play these mea- sures from memory. When I played them correctly he moved on to the next few measures, asking me to add music, phrase by phrase. When 1 reached the end of my period of con- centration, he said it was time to do something else: "If you are at home, go get a glass of milk. Do anything to get your mind off the music." After rest- ing, I was to add more, continuing until I could no longer add anything without making mistakes. "The next day will bring back the music anew," he said, "and you will be ready to con- tinue in the same manner." This was his formula for success. Stravinsky said I had a relatively short period of concentration that could be lengthened, whereas some students could memorize without in- terruption for extremely long periods. I learned to organize my time, dedicat- ing a portion of it to memorizing. I played all notes exactly as written on the score, a route that led to a detailed understanding of musical structure, notes, expression marks, patterns, har- mony, and rhythm. Because Stravinsky's students had to learn each piece quickly, there was no time to practice incorrect fingerings or get caught up in musical expression. The method was revolutionary com- pared to the lessons of my previous teachers: in earlier years I would con- tinue playing wrong notes with sloppy technique for the sake of musical ex- pression. Stravinsky's approach saved hours of unnecessary drill and practice. One former Stravinsky student told me: "You never forget a piece of music when you learn it like that." At my second lesson I brought in the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata in F Minor, Op. 2, #1, a Czerny Etude in C Major, (Op. 740, #1), and the Bach Prelude and Fugue in B Major from Book I of The Well- Tempered Clavier, with everything memorized except the second half of the fugue. When I reminded Stravin- sky that he said I could sight-read un- learned pieces at the lesson, he said, "Oh, you can never train your memory enough," and took the score of the fugue away from the piano. I began to play, and got through the first two pages, but disaster broke loose at the third page. After stopping and dis- cussing the polyphonic contents of each measure, he asked me to explain the design. Then, without allowing me to look at the score, he asked that I play the parts separately and then put them together. This exercise lasted for 20 minutes until my lesson was over. I was drained but exhilarated at the ac- complishment. Stravinsky was the first person to make me aware of the polyphonic basis of 19th-century piano music, because, as with so many pianists, I was wrapped up in the sonorities of the music and ignored musical counter- point altogether. To clarify examples, he used colored pencils to separate the parts in a composition or circle a long- held note, which helped me to realize that striking long-held notes slightly louder than others would bring out the orchestral flavor of a passage. Stephen Husarik teaches humanities and music literature at Westark Community College in Fort Smith, Arkansas where he gives annual piano recitals and is head carillonneur. Husarik is the former editor of American Keyboard Artists. Ju exp oriz diffi At t of s Wh side stin ones cult whil hist how iden deta ofter hear were Whi

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Lessons with Soulima Stravinsky 
In 1968 the University of lllinois at Urbana celebrated its 100th an-niversary with festivities and con-
certs, awarding honorary degrees to 
such artists as Josef Albers and Eugene 
Ormandy as well as guest pianists 
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Eugene List, and 
Nicolai Petrov. These were the 
Golden Years at lllinois, with the 
school of music ranked high among 
music schools in America. Amid all of 
this, Soulima Stravinsky brought a 
special European flavor to the piano 
department. Joining the facu lty in 
1950 he was the only person in the 
music school offered tenure after one 
year and attracted some of the best stu-
dents from throughout the country. 
Stravinsky's talents and experience 
were formidable. In Paris he had stud-
ied piano with Isidor Philipp and 
played for Vladimir Horowitz. Study-
ing composition with Nadia Bou-
langer, dean of 20th-century composi-
tion teachers, Stravinsky maintained a 
large portion of the standard repertoire 
and became an expert on the piano 
music of his father, Igor. Stravinsky's 
enormous hands - he could stretch to 
an eleventh - instantly solved many 
technical problems. Yet such a reach 
was a problem because he could hardly 
get his large fingers between the black 
keys to play the white keys. 
Stravinsky's photographic memory 
not only helped him to speak Russian, 
French, and English fluently, but he 
easily maneuvered through a wide 
range of keyboard literature, including 
Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier; the 
Beethoven piano sonatas; and the 
Chopin ballades, scherzos, nocturnes, 
and many mazurkas. When asked 
about being able to play the complete 
Well-Tempered Clavier, he confided 
that he sometimes reread the fugues to 
keep them fresh in his mind. 
At our first meeting Stravinsky ex-
plained that I should memorize every 
piece before bringing it to the lesson. 
He would open his office door to ask, 
"What did you bring memorized this 
week?" It was wonderful training. 
After consulting with top psycholo-
gists, he concluded that the only way 
to improve a musical memory was to 
exercise it. "Memory is like a muscle, 
38 CLAVIER/JANUARY 1996 
BY STEPHEN HUSARIK 
when you use it, it gets better; when 
you stop using it, it weakens," he said. 
Memorizing pieces speeded up the 
learning process because students did 
not focus on expression or unnecessary 
alterations until they could play the 
musical patterns, and it removed many 
technical problems. 
Though he never said so, Stravin-
sky's method was similar to the one 
Carl Czerny used with Liszt. Czerny 
once announced that this was why 
Liszt developed such an incredible 
memory in later years. All of Stravin-
sky's students were reliable pianists 
who didn't have memory problems in 
concert, which was a virtue compared 
to other pianists who played with emo-
tion, but could not get through their 
pieces without stuttering or stopping. 
At the first lesson Stravinsky tested 
my sight-reading and memory skills by 
asking me to sight-read the first few 
measures of Beethoven's Sonata in F 
Minor, Op. 2, #I, then play these mea-
sures from memory. When I played 
them correctly he moved on to the 
next few measures, asking me to add 
music, phrase by phrase. When I 
reached the end of my period of con-
centration, he said it was time to do 
something else: "If you are at home, go 
get a glass of milk. Do anything to get 
your mind off the music." After rest-
ing, I was to add more, continuing 
until I could no longer add anything 
without making mistakes. "The next 
day will bring back the music anew," 
he said, "and you will be ready to con-
tinue in the same manner." This was 
his formula for success. 
Stravinsky said I had a relatively 
short period of concentration that 
could be lengthened, whereas some 
students could memorize without in-
terruption for extremely long periods. I 
learned to organize my time, dedicat-
ing a portion of it to memorizing. I 
played all notes exactly as written on 
the score, a route that led to a detailed 
understanding of musical structure, 
notes, expression marks, patterns, har-
mony, and rhythm. 
Because Stravinsky's students had to 
learn each piece quickly, there was no 
time to practice incorrect fingerings or 
get caught up in musical expression. 
The method was revolutionary com-
pared to the lessons of my previous 
teachers: in earlier years I would con-
tinue playing wrong notes with sloppy 
technique for the sake of musical ex-
pression. Stravinsky's approach saved 
hours of unnecessary drill and practice. 
One former Stravinsky student told 
me: "You never forget a piece of music 
when you learn it like that." 
At my second lesson I brought in 
the first movement of Beethoven's 
Sonata in F Minor, Op. 2, # 1, a Czerny 
Etude in C Major, (Op. 740, #1), and 
the Bach Prelude and Fugue in Bb 
Major from Book I of The Well-
Tempered Clavier, with everything 
memorized except the second half of 
the fugue. When I reminded Stravin-
sky that he said I could sight-read un-
learned pieces at the lesson, he said, 
"Oh, you can never train your memory 
enough," and took the score of the 
fugue away from the piano. I began to 
play, and got through the first two 
pages, but disaster broke loose at the 
third page. After stopping and dis-
cussing the polyphonic contents of 
each measure, he asked me to explain 
the design. Then, without allowing me 
to look at the score, he asked that I 
play the parts separately and then put 
them together. This exercise lasted for 
20 minutes until my lesson was over. I 
was drained but exhilarated at the ac-
complishment. 
Stravinsky was the first person to 
make me aware of the polyphonic basis 
of 19th-century piano music, because, 
as with so many pianists, I was 
wrapped up in the sonorities of the 
music and ignored musical counter-
point altogether. To clarify examples, 
he used colored pencils to separate the 
parts in a composition or circle a long-
held note, which helped me to realize 
that striking long-held notes slightly 
louder than others would bring out the 
orchestral flavor of a passage. 
Stephen Husarik teaches humanities and 
music literature at Westark Community 
College in Fort Smith, Arkansas where he 
gives annual piano recitals and is head 
carillonneur. Husarik is the former editor 
of American Keyboard Artists. 
sid 
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1- IS by ㄨˇˋ d e. c n ду g of 7- 2- y e 00 0 e n e t T s 18 e 5, e е € Just before their recitals, Stravinsky expected students to completely mem- orize their pieces and work out all the difficult technical passages with flair. At this point he talked about elements of style, taste, and details of artistry. When selecting music Stravinsky con- sidered students' talents, musical in- stincts, and dedication, giving certain ones only the grandest and most diffi- cult pieces of the piano literature, while others played more restrained historical repertoire. It is safe to say, however, that listeners could usually identify Stravinsky's students by their detailed performances. His students often surprised listeners who had never heard familiar pieces performed as they were actually notated in the score. While some musicians like this quality and others do not, it was Josef Hofmann who said that "details are the very steps which - one by one- lead to Parnassus." Unlike teachers who went to Smith Recital Hall with their students for pre-recital auditions, Stravinsky, to my knowledge, never listened to his students in the audito- rium except during final exams. He took care of all preparations in his stu- dio. Stravinsky had a composer's attitude toward music, always looking for a pro- fessional result by performing a piece in correct style and playing it with the proper taste. He copied his father's musical manuscripts at age 12 to learn their structure. This may explain his flair for his father's music. After Igor Stravinsky's death in 1971, Soulima Stravinsky performed a memorial recital to honor his father, playing the music of Igor and his own arrangement of The Firebird Ballet (Centaur). His performance was brilliant, precise, slightly percussive, and full of aban don; for a moment it seemed as if one of the great Russian pianists was miraculously reincarnated on stage. When I remarked that Stravinsky must be happy with such a successful performance, he modestly responded that "sometimes it goes well." In 1974 Soulima Stravinsky re- ceived the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres award from the French Ministry of Cultural Affairs, then four years later retired from the University of Illinois, moving to Sarasota, Florida with his wife where he continued com- posing until his death in 1994. From Stravinsky I retained a sense of historical style and developed an ap- preciation for a composer's attitude to- ward performance, firmly believing that my continued academic success and improved performances came from the discipline I gained from him. Stravinsky left a legacy of recorded performances and publications, in- cluding a solo piano album of his fa- ther's music with performances of Petrouchka, Firebird, Four Etudes Op. 7, Serenade in A, The Five Fingers, two valses, a polka, Piano Rag Music, Tango, two excerpts from Pulchinella, two ex- cerpts from L'Histoire du Soldat, and the Sonata. While preparing his Peters editions of the Mozart piano concertos, Stravinsky sent newly composed solo cadenzas to his father, who responded: "Mozart would be proud." Discography Soulima Stravinsky Plays Igor Stravinsky, 1960 and 1975, Centaur C.D. CRC 2188. Soulima Stravinsky, Ballet Encounters for Piano, 1992; Piano Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano, 1985; Three Pieces for Violin and Piano, 1983; Three Etudes for Violin and Piano, 1981; Elisha Gilgore, piano; Thomas Moore, violin; Christopher Pegis, cello; Centaur C.D. CRC 2176. Soulima Stravinsky: Three String Quar- tets, Cello Sonata, 1972; Florida String Quartet (Paul Wolke and Anita Brooker, violins; Yuri Vasilaki, viola; Christopher Pegis, cello); Elisha Gilgore, piano; Cen- taur C.D. CRC 2141. Y JANUARY 1996/CLAVIER 39

y 
d 
d 
C 
n 
's 
g 
f 
0 
e 
f 
e 
I 
s 
s 
e 
Just before their recitals, Stravinsky 
expected students to completely mem-
orize their pieces and work out all the 
difficult technical passages with flair. 
At this point he talked about elements 
of style, taste, and details of artistry. 
When selecting music Stravinsky con-
sidered students' talents, musical in-
stincts, and dedication, giving certain 
ones only the grandest and most diffi-
cult pieces of the piano literature, 
while others played more restrained 
historical repertoire. It is safe to say, 
however, that listeners could usually 
identify Stravinsky's students by their 
detailed performances. His students 
often surprised listeners who had never 
heard familiar pieces performed as they 
were actually notated in the score. 
While some musicians like this quality 
and others do not, it was Josef 
Hofmann who said that "details are 
the very steps which - one by one -
lead to Parnassus." Unlike teachers 
who went to Smith Recital Hall with 
their students for pre-recital auditions, 
Stravinsky, to my knowledge, never 
listened to his students in the audito-
rium except during final exams. He 
took care of all preparations in his stu-
dio. 
Stravinsky had a composer's attitude 
toward music, always looking for a pro-
fessional result by performing a piece 
in correct style and playing it with the 
proper taste. He copied his father's 
musical manuscripts at age 12 to learn 
their structure. This may explain his 
flair for his father's music. After Igor 
Stravinsky's death in 1971, Soulima 
Stravinsky performed a memorial 
recital to honor his father, playing the 
music oflgor a11d his own arrangement 
of The Firebird Ballet (Centaur). His 
performance was brilliant, precise, 
slightly percussive, and full of aban-
don; for a moment it seemed as if one 
of the great Russian pianists was 
miraculously reincarnated on stage. 
When I remarked that Stravinsky 
must be happy with such a successful 
performance, he modestly responded 
that "sometimes it goes well." 
In 1974 Soulima Stravinsky re-
ceived the Chevalier des Arts et des 
Lettres award from the French Ministry 
of Cultural Affairs, then four years 
later retired from the University of 
Illinois, moving to Sarasota, Florida 
with his wife where he continued com-
posing until his death in 1994. 
From Stravinsky I retained a sense of 
historical style and developed an ap-
preciation for a composer's attitude to-
ward performance, firmly believing 
that my continued academic success 
and improved performances came from 
the discipline I gained from him. 
Stravinsky left a legacy of recorded 
performances and publications, in-
cluding a solo piano album of his fa-
ther's music with performances of 
Petrouchka, Firebird, Four Etudes Op. 7, 
Serenade in A, The Five Fingers, two 
valses, a polka, Piano Rag Music, Tango, 
two excerpts from Pulchinella, two ex-
cerpts from L' His wire du Sok/at, and 
the Sonata. While preparing his Peters 
editions of the Mozart piano concertos, 
Stravinsky sent newly composed solo 
cadenzas to his father, who responded: 
"Mozart would be proud." D 
Discography 
Soulima Stravinsky Plays Igor Stravinsky, 
1960 and 1975, Centaur C.D. CRC 
2188. 
Soulima Stravinsky, Ballet Encounters for 
Piano, 1992; Piano Trio for Violin, 
Cello, and Piano, 1985; Three 
Pieces for Violin and Piano, 1983; 
Three Etudes for Violin and Piano, 
1981; Elisha Gilgore, piano; Thomas 
Moore, violin; Christopher Pegis, 
cello; Centaur C.D. CRC 2176. 
Soulima Stravinsky: Three String Quar-
tets, Cello Sonata, 1972; Florida 
String Quartet (Paul Wolke and 
Anita Brooker, violins; Yuri 
Vasilaki, viola; Christopher Pegis, 
cello); Elisha Gilgore, piano; Cen-
taur C.D. CRC 2141. 
JANUARY 1996/CLAVIER 39