REVIEW
It is always a pleasure to encounter a book written by a genuine enthusiast for the subject they have chosen, no matter how specialist it may first appear, and that is most certainly the case here. The concept of investigating the sonata principle confined solely to the medium of the piano trio may seem a somewhat daunting prospect, but such is the author’s knowledge and enthusiasm that one is soon caught up in the subject and its varied ramifications.
Aimed at those ‘who say they love music “but don’t understand how it works”, as well as for performers and music students of all ages’ – as the publisher’s accompanying text states, Gillian Perrin’s professional knowledge, individual enthusiasm and broadly cast scope of her subject reveals a stratum of classical music that is too often unjustly overlooked
The piano trio is a medium that can offer difficult challenges to any composer, and did – from Haydn to the present-day – challenges which many music-lovers are not always disposed to meet and overcome, but Ms Perrin’s quite enthralling book is the perfect answer to those to whom the concept of the instrumental trio and the structural subtleties of the masterpieces which enhance this particular repertoire have often presented self-imposed difficulties. Cleverly aimed at a wide audience, with technical terms clearly and succinctly explained, allied to audio clips via simple website references, in terms of locale, historical authenticity, structure and the inspiration of genius across the centuries, no more suitable guide can be sought than in the pages of this well-produced book, and the informative text of its gifted author.
Robert Matthew-Walker, Editor, Musical Opinion
REVIEW
Past Sounds is a fantastic resource for music teachers and students. Gillian Perrin’s detailed exploration of the Sonata Idea within the context of the Piano Trio is a joy to read. Her writing is hugely engaging and informative, delving into fine examples of standard and lesser-known repertoire. She deconstructs key components of repertoire ranging from J. C. Bach and Haydn to Shostakovich and Martinů. The book is intended for a wide audience including students, performers and those who love music “but don’t understand how it works”. Perrin’s analyses are clear and accessible, explaining key musical concepts with detailed reference to structure, and the musical elements more widely. A helpful glossary of terms is also included – ideal for students working to develop their breadth of musical vocabulary and general skills of analysis.
Many of the concepts explored in Past Sounds are highly relevant to A Level music students and those looking to widen their reading beyond exam specifications. I would strongly recommended the book as an aid for developing general wider listening, application of musical vocabulary, and understanding of different historical contexts. Audio clips of selected musical examples are included and are easily accessible, allowing the reader to listen to key themes from selected works. This feature of Past Sounds is particularly helpful for readers who have a limited understanding of music notation.
Perrin’s sophisticated knowledge of the Piano Trio repertoire - and her passion for chamber music - are abundantly clear in her lively writing. Through her discussion of sonata form as a great archetype of western music, Perrin believes “Its tonal narrative carries as much intrinsic meaning as the novels and plays of the western literary canon, underpinned by the same traditions of western philosophy”. Students can find it challenging to develop a deep understanding of how such hugely important fundamental structures in music really work, and how to apply the key principles to other works and contexts – a skill very much required at advanced level.
Past Sounds is highly recommended as a rich new resource and teaching tool that will encourage young musicians to expand their understanding and appreciation of a wide range of music from the mid-18th-20th century.
Mark Ward
Director of Music, The London Oratory School
REVIEW
If music moves you, and you are intrigued to know more about its structure, as well as reasons behind your emotional response, then Past Sounds, written in a clear and stylish narrative, is for you.
This is an unusual book – unusual because it is just as relevant to a young music student as it is to any person with an interest in music, its architecture, its development and its juxtaposition to the arts generally in society over the centuries.
There are many text books and articles discussing and defining sonata form, but in Past Sounds, the author Gillian Perrin provides an engaging narrative. She begins with the composer JC Bach – known in 18th century London as John Bach – and sets the scene with the capital’s musical entertainment. She paints a lively city, and demonstrates her clear and detailed historical research. It makes enticing reading. We are then taken back centuries to look at the simplest of entertainment, that of dance, and how rhythmic structure and form were fundamental. This architecture was the basis of the evolving structure of music and the grounding for the development of the sonata idea.
Gillian Perrin chooses to pursue her story via the medium of the piano trio, a popular grouping in John Bach’s time. There is a relevant justification for this as the distinctive lines of the keyboard and upper and lower strings clearly demonstrate the maturing form. The gradual movement from the harpsichord to the fortepiano, used by Haydn and Mozart, to the new pianoforte used by Beethoven is well known, but we also are reminded of the string instruments’ refinements, such as by the bow maker Tourte who in the latter part of the 18th century developed bows allowing the strings to make a fuller sound, and this with further changes to string instruments allowed their sound to carry in larger halls.
The sonata structure was widely known and appreciated in the 18th century, with audiences familiar with its pattern and cadences and a sense of contentment when returning to the home key. The progress and interpretations by composers of this form in the piano trio repertoire are portrayed in the book through the ensuing periods of later classical tradition, the romantics, nationalists and through to the ‘shades of the tonal sonata tradition in the modern era’. It is welcome that some lesser known composers and trios are featured. Musical examples are shown clearly in the text, with full and detailed analyses. These are couched in terms that need not deter a general music lover. Easily-navigated audio clips enliven this experience.
The enjoyment of reading this book is enriched by the number of colourful contemporaneous images of art and architecture. These, with perceptive ideas, comments and hypotheses from writers and philosophers of the time add to the general holistic feel.
The final section, ‘Coda’, encapsulates the philosophy of the book, explaining our emotional reactions to the satisfaction of a degree of structure, modulations and final resolutions. The quote at the beginning from Eduard Hanslick in 1854 - ‘Unlike the architect who has to mould the coarse and unwieldy rock, the composer reckons with the ulterior effect of past sounds’ puts this beautifully into perspective.
This book is to be thoroughly recommended.
Jane Faulkner (Violinist of the English Piano Trio)
(Founder and Chairman of the Piano Trio Society)
Review for The Brown Book - the alumni journal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
