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closet. But I kept at it all week and practiced hard and after several days began to notice that I was actually playing what was on the page. What I had been doing before was simply playing legato and pedaling through. I saw the slurs, but, of course, I didn't want to create hiccups, which can happen so easily on the modern piano. Suddenly I found that I really didn't need much pedal and that the articulative pauses actually made the music more expressive. At the concert at the end of that first week, which was absolutely filled to overflowing, there was great enthusiasm. Nobody had ever seen such a thing. I thought to myself that this was an opportunity to do something useful with my talents. This was in 1969, and I decided to buy one of these pianos and to seriously pursue playing it. For several years I took the instrument around and played it in colleges and small venues. It was, of course, viewed as a curiosity back then, and some people thought I was a bit crazy. I knew I was doing something fringe-y, but I also thought it was important and worth doing because there were aspects of this music that nobody could hear any more.
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339:, dropped around one of his first reproduction instruments to try, still provides great impetus to modern makers. His Fortepiano Summer Schools in the 1980s were an inspiration, and many of the musicians who attended those schools, along with his Doctoral graduates, have spread the word around the globe. Bilson's DG Archiv recordings of the complete Mozart Concerti were a milestone.
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I have to admit now that I really couldn't handle the thing at all. I must be the least gifted person for the job; my hands are too big, and I don't have the necessary technique such an instrument required. In trying to operate this light, precise mechanism, I really felt like an elephant in a china
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In 2011, Bilson brought the first fortepiano competition to the United States. Coordinated under the
Westfield Center, with a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the competition and academy were held at Cornell University; 31 young musicians from all over the world competed for prize money totaling $
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Bilson created a DVD, "Knowing the Score," which questions many of the basic concepts of musical performance taught in conservatories and music schools around the world, specifically, the lack of adherence to notated articulations and assumptions about the length of rhythmic values. He followed up
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Arguably the key event in Bilson's career was his first encounter with the fortepiano in 1969, which he narrated to Andrew Willis in a 2006 interview. Interested in historical pianos, he had bought a 19th-century instrument, described to him as a "Mozart piano," and was referred to
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In preparing for this concert, Bilson was startled by the challenges—and opportunities—that playing a fortepiano poses to a traditionally-trained pianist (fortepianos have a far more delicate touch, shallower key dip, lighter framing, and shorter sustain time than modern grands.)
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The career shift ultimately proved successful; Bilson developed a reputation as a fortepiano performer, gave concerts widely and was also invited to make recordings (see below). In 1974, he co-founded the Amadé Trio with violinist
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171:, c. 1785, and he wanted to take it around to show at colleges and music schools. So I said fine, bring it, and I'll play a concert on it. He brought it and left it for a week, and I played an all-Mozart concert ... with
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I wrote Belt and sent some pictures, and Belt wrote back that yes, he could do that, but wasn't at all a piano from Mozart's time. And as a matter of fact, he had just built such a piano, after
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1825 copies by Rodney Regier, Label: Claves. These recordings use a set of nine restored or replica pianos, each of a type contemporaneous with the sonata being performed.
34:(born October 24, 1935) is an American pianist and musicologist specializing in 18th- and 19th-century music. He is the Frederick J. Whiton Professor of Music in
75:, California. His family was and is successful in the entertainment world: his father, George Bilson (1902–1981), was a British producer/writer/director of
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Bilson has published several articles on the subject of interpreting late 18th- and early 19th-century compositions by
Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven in
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Quoted from Andrew Willis (2006) Jouez le
Fortepiano! An Interview with Malcolm Bilson", Early Music America, 12(3), 28-32. On line at
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Malcolm Bilson, Tom Beghin, David
Breitman, Ursula DĂĽtschler, Zvi Meniker, Bart van Oort, Andrew Willis. Ludwig van Beethoven.
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had a long and productive career as a film and television director; other relations (descendants of Bruce) are his nephew
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154:. The smaller size, smaller range, and lighter construction of the fortepiano, relative to the modern grand, can be seen.
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this DVD with two more: "Performing the Score," with violinist
Elizabeth Field, and "Knowing the Score, Vol. 2."
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Bilson demonstrates these stylistic differences in detail in his video "Knowing the Score", described below.
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Bilson was promoted to full professor in 1976 and was appointed to the
Frederick J. Whiton chair in 1990.
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Web page Prof. Bilson's "Knowing the Score," "Performing the Score," and "Knowing the Score Vol. 2" DVDs
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440 Hz. is standard modern concert pitch; concert pitch was lower in Mozart's time and one aspect of
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359:(acquired 1977) a copy by Philip Belt of Mozart's concert instrument. The original was built by
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Malcolm Bilson serves as
President of the Westfield Center Fortepiano Competition and Academy
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Bilson retired in 2006 as a professor, remaining active as a teacher and performer.
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300:. Played on a replica of Walter fortepiano by Philip Belt. Label: Titanic Records.
258:. Played on original fortepianos: Salvatore Lagrassa 1815, Gottlieb Hafner 1835,
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Articles on
Cornell's celebration of Bilson's 70th birthday on October 24, 2005
707:"Piano concerts and symposium will be music and words to Malcolm Bilson's ears"
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in 1968. At that time he was appointed as an assistant professor at
Cornell.
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581:"CBH Carey Beebe Harpsichords Australia — Global Harpsichord Technology"
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Piano
Concertos Nos. 20&21/ Concertos Pour Piano K. 466 & K.467.
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at the Akademie fĂĽr Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Berlin, later with
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Played on Conrad Graf ca.1835 fortepiano. Label: Hungaraton Classics.
163:, an expert on early pianos, about the possibility of restoring it:
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for his contribution to Hungarian intellectual and cultural life.
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318:. Played on Alois Graff 1825 fortepiano. Label: Elektra Nonesuch.
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463:"The Future of Schubert Interpretation: What Is Really Needed?"
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Malcolm Bilson, who began after 'the Father of the Fortepiano',
270:, Johann Schantz copy by Thomas and Barbara Wolf, a Walter and
474:(The Magazine of Early Music America) 21/3 (Fall 2015), 16-19.
349:(acquired 1969) a fortepiano by Philip Belt, based on a Louis
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456:"Execution and Expression in the Sonata in E-flat, K282,"
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Bilson is one of the foremost players and teachers of the
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Winter, Robert (no date) "Malcolm Bilson". Article in
215:; the trio performed works on historical instruments.
432:"Schubert's Piano Music and the Pianos of his Time,"
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ca. 1782 and is now kept in the Mozarteum in Salzburg
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Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
439:"The Viennese Fortepiano of the Late 18th Century,"
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Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
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Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
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266:fortepiano copy by Paul McNulty, Walter copies by
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596:Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (7387) Malbil
256:The complete Piano Sonatas on Period Instruments
694:Web page for the multi-piano Beethoven project
689:Prof. Bilson's Web page at Cornell University
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712:"Bilson to celebrate his 70th with students"
289:Played on a replica of Walter fortepiano by
598:. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 594.
594:Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(7387) Malbil".
409:In 1994 Bilson was elected a Fellow of the
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150:in imitation of a historical instrument by
89:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
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406:, discovered 1982, is named in his honor.
122:. He studied for a doctoral degree at the
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331:assesses Bilson's influence as follows:
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633:. American Academy of Arts and Sciences
628:"Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B"
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470:"Beyond the Musical Fringe, a Sequel,"
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187:with some modern string players at 440.
110:in 1957. He continued his studies with
23:Malcolm Bilson in a masterclass at the
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411:American Academy of Arts and Sciences
805:21st-century American male musicians
800:20th-century American male musicians
755:Jewish American classical musicians
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524:is to employ older pitch standards.
296:Malcolm Bilson. Franz Josef Haydn.
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522:historically informed performance
303:Malcolm Bilson. Franz Schubert —
138:His encounter with the fortepiano
120:École Normale de Musique de Paris
16:American pianist and musicologist
740:American male classical pianists
491:For details and references, see
428:Publications by Malcolm Bilson:
795:21st-century classical pianists
770:Eastman School of Music faculty
653:"Hungary thanks Malcolm Bilson"
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202:Career as fortepiano specialist
810:21st-century American pianists
790:20th-century American pianists
604:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_6462
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106:Malcolm Bilson graduated from
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418:Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit
366:1825 fortepiano by Alois Graf
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146:A modern fortepiano built by
316:Fortepiano and Cello Sonatas
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735:American classical pianists
416:In 2015 he was awarded the
305:Piano Sonatas D.850, D.568.
293:. Label: Archiv Production.
285:. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
79:extraction originally from
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815:21st-century American Jews
765:Cornell University faculty
677:. Accessed 11 March 2012.
382:(acquired 2020) a copy of
372:(acquired 2017) a copy of
126:with Stanley Fletcher and
750:Jewish classical pianists
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760:American piano educators
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453:(November 1984), 519-22.
314:. Ludwig van Beethoven.
283:English Baroque Soloists
229:Pedagogy and scholarship
91:, and his older brother
449:"Interpreting Mozart,"
355:Smithsonian Institution
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443:(April 1980), 158-62.
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124:University of Illinois
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25:University of Michigan
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185:G minor piano quartet
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67:Early life and career
27:, Ann Arbor, in 2009.
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384:Gottfried Silbermann
344:Bilson's instruments
655:. Cornell Chronicle
460:(May 1992), 237-43.
327:Fortepiano builder
279:John Eliot Gardiner
71:Bilson was born in
675:Grove Music Online
467:25 (1997), 715-722
436:22 (1980), 263-71.
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36:Cornell University
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613:978-3-540-00238-3
376:'s piano made by
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40:Ithaca, New York
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657:. Retrieved
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635:. Retrieved
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511:Winter, n.d.
493:Bruce Bilson
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424:Bibliography
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388:Paul McNulty
378:Paul McNulty
374:Johann Fritz
369:Leschen 1825
361:Anton Walter
334:
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312:Anner Bylsma
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260:Johann Fritz
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211:and cellist
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181:Kleine Gigue
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152:Anton Walter
148:Paul McNulty
108:Bard College
105:
97:Danny Bilson
93:Bruce Bilson
70:
31:
30:
780:1935 births
659:October 23,
465:Early Music
458:Early Music
451:Early Music
441:Early Music
404:7387 Malbil
329:Carey Beebe
291:Philip Belt
272:Conrad Graf
268:Chris Maene
239:Early Music
161:Philip Belt
73:Los Angeles
729:Categories
541:References
445:(abstract)
323:Assessment
249:Recordings
44:fortepiano
402:asteroid
400:main-belt
337:Phil Belt
58:'s time.
56:Beethoven
637:July 20,
225:13,500.
213:John Hsu
179:and the
175:and the
351:Dulcken
183:, the
118:at the
85:England
610:
394:Honors
281:, The
264:Walter
262:1825,
173:K. 330
54:, and
52:Mozart
631:(PDF)
479:Notes
81:Leeds
48:Haydn
661:2015
639:2011
608:ISBN
472:EMAg
398:The
241:and
62:Life
600:doi
569:See
132:DMA
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
