The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner

by Martin Katz

Take more than forty years of partnering celebrated soloists in concerts all over the world, add nearly thirty years of teaching the art of accompanying, and you have the qualifications for such an audacious title as The Complete Collaborator. All the tools for understanding and executing first-class collaborative piano are here, paired with audio recordings of many of the musical examples performed by the author himself, along with two vocalists, on a companion website.

The obvious topics: breathing, languages, flexibility, and creating a collaborative atmosphere are discussed at length, articulated clearly for the curious novice and proving beneficial even for the experienced professional. In addition, two significant chapters deal with orchestral accompaniment, reflecting today's requirements for any professional accompanist. Oft-neglected details such as beginning a piece together, telling stories with piano solos, tuning, and balance between the players are also covered herein.

Dubbed the "Dean of Accompanists" by the Los Angeles Times, this teacher of sold-out masters' classes presents his material clearly and incisively, but always with the humor and wit for which he is known. Whether it be read by the curious novice, the amateur who wants to accompany as best he can, or the experienced professional seeking confirmation or a new look at the role of any partner, Martin Katz's The Complete Collaborator is all one needs.

Genres: Music

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jeffrey Ruesch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I read this book, I was very much unsure of my skills and abilities as a collaborator with other instruments. Having read through the book twice now, I feel much more at ease and prepared to be an improving collaborator for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Katz gives us tools and methods to apply and learn to better ourselves as pianists. Its not enough anymore to just come prepared knowing our part. We need to be better at reading breaths, cues, entrances, and more. As you read the tips and tricks of becoming a better collaborator, you will see within your playing and collaboration improvement. With the knowledge that is given in this book, it leads the pianist to a better sense of knowing their instrument and the instruments of others. If you don't like reading out of a textbook, you might pass on this one as it does feel like a textbook at times. More often than not, it felt like I was being taught as if in person.

[Robert Poortinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some issues with this book, and it is mainly because of the title.

The whole book is based on lied-accompaniment, and it's not complete in any sense as the title is suggesting.

There are some very useful tips, especially on orchestral scores reduction and marking which I really appreciated and the psychological aspects within collaboration on stage was absolutely thoughtful and beautiful but the title just doesn't make any sense....

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend not to enjoy reading "textbook" style writing. I'll admit that it took me a while to finish this book. However, I think Martin Katz wrote the book in an engaging way. I'll definitely keep his advice in my mental "toolbox".

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katz is one of the world's leading collaborative artists right now, well-known through his renowned performances with leading artists, many recordings, and countless students. This alone makes this book mandatory reading for all collaborative artists at all levels of accomplishment. It is just replete with good ideas and interesting suggestions and should not be missed.

The chapter on breathing and singing I find especially commendable, since much of the success of a vocalist-pianist team will depend on the collaborating partner's sensitivity to this physiological need of the soloist. Anyway, Katz has lots to say, all of it worthwhile, and all of it a good source of ideas for the practice room and stage.

This book contains chapters on the interpretation of poetic texts in art-song study and performance, on the balance between the soloist and the pianist, and on the playing of orchestral reductions. There are also individual sections on the effective rendering of piano introductions, interludes, and postludes, on whether one performer should imitate the other performer's reading of a phrase when it appears in his or her part, on the best way to approach the doubling of the solo line in the piano part, and many other questions of consuming interest to ensemble performers.

The focus of this book is on the vocal repertoire. Nevertheless, it does contain some examples drawn from the instrumental repertoire, and, in any case, the questions it raises and the answers it offers are equally applicable to the instrumental repertoire.

There is an online source that provides recorded versions of the musical citations contained in the text. This, as I discovered not only helps clarify Katz's ideas aurally -- it helps inspire the performer in the reader and, along the way, provides models of stylistic performance.

Katz's prose style is easy and engaging, additionally making this fine book one eminently worth reading. Highly recommended.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with chapter 12: "This is no longer a profession for pianists without significant technical facility....we must now be disciplinarians, now psychologists, now diplomats, now patient listeners, now mommy and daddy....the gift to ourselves is the elation, the pride we take in being indispensable to our partner's success....collaborators are certainly the most versatile of all musicians, and as a happy consequence, we will always be the last to starve."

If that isn't just the best job description in the world, and having all this isn't the greatest thing you could ever be allowed to do, I don't know what is. :) Good to know there are others in the world who love it all just like me.