The Unashamed Accompanist

by Gerald Moore

Long out-of-print and very hard to find, this beautiful little volume covers all aspects of accompanying singers on the piano. Covers preparation, practising, rehearsing with singers, preparing for a performance, overcoming bad habits, sight reading, transposition, orchestral accompanists, folk song accompanists, accompanying piano and violin sonatas, and accompanying strings.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

This is Gerald Moore, the piano accompanist. Gerald^Moore.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Persephone Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The popular conception of an adequate accompanist (that is, of a quiet, modest individual of undoubted sobriety, neat but not gaudy, seen but not heard, an affable automaton, obediently following the soloist and oozing with sympathy and discretion from every pore) was one that could not be reconciled with the nature of work I had to do.” Speaking from experience, it’s often very amusing to see the mundane and subtle battle of an accompanist and the diva teacher in voice lessons meant for operatic training. Pianist: mostly tactful and teasing protest of all present, Diva: armed with inbuilt bull horn, Student: persistent presentation of vocal gymnastics, hold no prisoners. But all that aside, a good accompanist to either a singer in training or an established singer is by all means an outstanding musician who understands the balance of enhancing and presenting the music in order to hopefully reach the summit of a mountain called “Parnassus,” in concert, as Mr. Moore puts it. Indeed the tools the accompanist requires to survive are very well, however perhaps sparsely, presented in this book. (Chapter 8 might be cheekily retitled, “Do not accompany singers if you have perfect pitch.”) Personally I’d like to hear more descriptions of active listening and examples on how to read a score which brings me to the following point: How much of this book is useful and to whom? I am not doubting that it is graciously useful, I just wonder who will read it and how they will make use of the information. Is it the novice conservatory student, is it mainly for pianists and is it, as the book largely went into lengths about accompanying singers, also useful for singers? In the ongoing musical discussions between singers and accompanists I believe that the terminology put forth would be rather pertinent on both sides. And this is, I feel, the crux of the book: the experienced teacher displaying his musical life and journeys so that the reader relates and sympathizes with the author who by all means has something relevant to relate. Question: Is the reader then the accompanist to Mr. Moore?

[Brent Woo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of old-school wit and wisdom about accompanying. Lots of comments on the social aspect of accompanying, dealing with egos, compromising, sticking up for yourself. After all that's probably the key (obvious?) difference between accompanying and soloing: having to sync with another person on musical vision and interpretation.

"If I were ever described as a “tactful, obedient, and sympathetic accompanist” I should feel that that was another and more polite way of calling me “worm”".

"[The accompanist] is by no means fulfilling his role adequately if he agrees with everything the singer does."

Nice food for thought on differences between solo and accompanying music, lists of things to focus on during practicing alone (touch, legato, tone, rhythm, dexterity), rehearsing with the collaborator (humility, breathing, phrasing, balance, encores), and performance (showmanship, partnership). Additional special notes on accompanying with orchestral reductions, folk songs, and string rep. Effective for a quick refresher on how to be a nice accompanist. Dated in many aspects, the repertoire is limited to worn classics (naturally, written in the 1940's), lots of "he" pronouns. No musical excerpts, but many pieces are mentioned as if you should know them already (which is probably instructive).

[John Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was published in 1944 - has the world changed much since then? In the working world of the accompanist, Gerald Moore's advice holds up very well over the years. This a very helpful read, and his occasional humorous quips had me chuckling almost eight decades after he wrote them. If you are participating in this little tiny job market, I highly recommend this if you can find it. (God bless my local library!)

[Reenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned so much👍🏼 I had no idea there were so many things to be aware of both in practice and performance... I'll have to spend some time reflecting on the author's advice and experimenting with unexplored concepts/techniques (I'd also like to try out some of Schubert's Lieder to familiarize myself with the preparation stage prior to rehearsing with a singer).

Gonna go listen to some Gerald Moore!!

[Mahni Booth]

Read for university... so not gonna rate. But, I wouldn't be surprised if Gerald Moore had led a double life as a comedian. This was genuinely funny, laugh out loud, at times.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moore writes clearly and explains the art accompaniment well. I read it for a school project, and I loved his attention detail and his interpretation of the relationship between accompanist and singer. His advice to aspiring or amateur accompanists is encouraging, and, if I have the opportunity, I would love to read any of his other works about accompaniment and accompanists.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I read about accompanying- and it cemented my desire to do it for the rest of my life!

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleased to recognize everything Moore talked about through personal experience. And I love his humor. It was also funny to turn the page and see Daniel Barenboim.

[Andrew Porteus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into what makes a good accompanist, along with details of some of the odd and quirky singers he worked with