Tag: Faber Music

In Memory of Queen Elizabeth II ‘Lilibet’

THE PIANODAO MUSIC LIBRARY

During this time of sadness and reflection, I am heartened to share a beautiful free score courtesy of Faber Music, which they have kindly made available until the end of September.

Faber Music’s renowned educational composer Pam Wedgwood marks the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a solo piano piece, based on her adaptation of the National Anthem.

Introducing In Memory of Queen Elizabeth II ‘Lilibet’, Pam says,

“During this time of national mourning I want to help piano teachers and students mark the occasion. This arrangement of our National Anthem will hopefully serve not only as a tribute to The Queen, but also provide you with a little something to enjoy playing in lessons over the next few weeks.”

Pam’s arrangement is suitable for early intermediate pianists and above.

It is available to download for free during the period of mourning via the link:

DOWNLOAD FROM FABER MUSIC HERE

You can read Faber Music’s official announcement here.

I would like to thank Pam, and all at Faber Music, for this kind gesture of support as we all process our sense of loss.

The Symphony: From Mannheim to Mahler

THE PIANODAO BOOKSHELF

Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission without affecting the price you pay.

With impeccable timing at the start of a new academic year, Faber Music have just released The Symphony: From Mannheim to Mahler, an accessible new guide written by Christopher Tarrant and Natalie Wild, which hopes (and in my view deserves) to become a standard text for A’ level and undergraduate students.

While not a piano book, this publication certainly merits the attention of any advancing pianist or teacher with an interest in the core classical tradition; as the dominant instrumental form from the mid-eighteenth century onwards, the symphony’s parallel development and symbiotic relationship with the sonata undoubtedly make an understanding of the former helpful for a full appreciation of the latter.

With that in mind, let’s take a look…

Continue reading The Symphony: From Mannheim to Mahler

The Piano Player: Classical Favourites

THE PIANODAO MUSIC LIBRARY

  • Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
  • When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission, but this does not affect the price you pay.
  • Andrew offers playing advice online through his Video Feedback Service.

Less than three months after Faber Music launched ‘The Piano Player’ (a plush new series of intermediate piano solo collections) with British Classics (reviewed here) they are back with the second instalment.

The Piano Player: Classical Favourites features “20 of the most popular pieces of classical music”, some originals but mostly arrangements. And in line with the signature style of this new series, the publication is beautifully presented sporting the lush artwork of Edward Bawden (1905-1989)…

Continue reading The Piano Player: Classical Favourites

Paul Harris Webinar: A Piece a Week

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission without affecting the price you pay.

Paul Harris’s Piece a Week series has been among the triumphs of recent years. In my own teaching these books have become a staple with students of all ages, and the number one top sight reading resource that I recommend and use. I have reviewed the books for Grade 1-6 here and for Initial Grade here.

Now Faber Music bring us a combined book covering Grades 7 and 8, which completes the series. The book maintains the educational approach and musical engagement of its predecessors, so for more information please be sure to read those previous reviews.

The final book well and truly lives up to the sky-high standards of the rest in the series, and is in my view truly superb.

To give you a taste, Faber Music have generously provided this FREE piece from the book as an exclusive Pianodao download:

DOWNLOAD FREE PIECE HERE

And now for Paul Harris in person…

Faber Music kindly organised a special webinar for Pianodao Tea Room members, celebrating the new release and giving him the opportunity to outline the series in person, introduce the final book, play some of the pieces, and answer questions. For those who missed it, I am pleased to share the full webinar recording below.

To catch future events in the Tea Room, why not come and join us?

Here is the recording…

To use the special promotional code announced by Rachel Topham in the webinar, here is the Faber Music online purchase link.

The Piece a Week series is available now from music retailers everywhere.

EXPLORE THE SERIES • MUSICROOM

Also available • Andrew’s essential handbook:
How to Practise Music

To get 20% DISCOUNT on all sheet music from Musicroom:
Join the PIANODAO TEA ROOM community.

PIANODAO  includes more than 600 FREE articles and reviews. If you value this content and want the site to keep growing, please show your support by making a donation:

DONATe HERE TO SUPPORT THE SITE

The Piano Player: British Classics

THE PIANODAO MUSIC LIBRARY

  • Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
  • When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission, but this does not affect the price you pay.
  • Andrew offers playing advice online through his Video Feedback Service.

Faber Music have a well-earned reputation for producing outstanding series of music books. From their lush Faber Piano Anthology series to Paul Harris’s Improve Your Sight Reading and Pam Wedgwood’s Jazzin’ Around, their best series have become landmark publications.

With their latest publication, British Classics, Faber are launching a new series, with seven titles projected, simply called The Piano Player. So let’s take a look at the series debut…

Continue reading The Piano Player: British Classics

The Rusty Pianist: Playable Pieces

THE PIANODAO MUSIC LIBRARY

  • Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
  • When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission, but this does not affect the price you pay.
  • Andrew offers playing advice online through his Video Feedback Service.

Reviewing Pam Wedgwood’s The Rusty Pianist when it appeared around this time last year, I concluded:

“Some of the publications which come my way are absolutely perfect for their intended niche, while others go far beyond their remit to become enduring classics with huge appeal. I am happy to say that this is one of those publications, and it belongs not only on the shelves of the rusty, but of piano lovers everywhere.”

• READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Wedgwood’s latest publication, the cannily titled Rusty Pianist: Playable Pieces is a companion to that brilliant volume, and continues the ruse of appealing to the modesty of returning adult players.

The book delivers an enticing collection of 16 “easy-to-learn piano solos for the returning player”, pieces which can be enjoyed in their own right by piano returners at intermediate level, without any deadline or need to prove their progress in an exam room. Let’s once again lift the lid…

Continue reading The Rusty Pianist: Playable Pieces

“HerStory”: The Piano Collection

THE PIANODAO MUSIC LIBRARY

  • Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
  • When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission, but this does not affect the price you pay.
  • Andrew offers playing advice online through his Video Feedback Service.

Best-selling author Karen Marshall has been a driving force behind some of the most popular and useful piano education titles of recent years, including the Piano Star and Encore series (both ABRSM), Get Set! Piano method books (Collins Music) and Piano Trainer series (Faber Music).

To get the measure of this achievement, you can browse and read all of my previous reviews of Marshall’s work by clicking on this tag.

Marshall’s latest project is HerStory from Faber Music, and will appeal to a wider catchment of piano players beyond the education market, being a compilation of 30 works by female composers who thus far have not received the recognition they have deserved. But HerStory is so much more than simply another repertoire collection, as I will explain in this review.

Continue reading “HerStory”: The Piano Collection

Launching “HerStory”

Pianodao Tea Room members were this week treated to a very special online event, at which best-selling author Karen Marshall unveiled her new collection, HerStory.

Below, we are now pleased to share the full video of the presentation, with special thanks to Rachel Topham at Faber Music and Emily Alexander at Yorkshire Young Musicians for their generous support.

Continue reading Launching “HerStory”

Paul Harris: Unconditional Teaching

THE PIANODAO BOOKSHELF

Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission without affecting the price you pay.

Many readers will already have benefitted from Paul Harris’s numerous and superb teaching and learning resources, and perhaps also read one or more of his best-sellers written to support teachers. His seminal The Virtuoso Teacher, Improve Your Teaching! and Simultaneous Learning books have established themselves as essential modern classics.

New from Faber Music, and presented in a similar format to those previous books, Harris’s latest publication is called Unconditional Teaching. And it is undoubtedly one of his most provocative and thought-provoking yet…

Continue reading Paul Harris: Unconditional Teaching

Pianodao Music Library: Top Highlights of 2021

THE PIANODAO MUSIC LIBRARY

  • Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by Andrew Eales.
  • When you purchase using the site’s retail links, Pianodao may earn a small commission, but this does not affect the price you pay.
  • Andrew offers playing advice online through his Video Feedback Service.

By my tally, I have reviewed 152 sheet music and educational publications on Pianodao in 2021, including all those appearing individually or in sets. No wonder it’s time to sort out my music cupboard again!

But which were my absolute favourites? And which will I continue using in 2022 and beyond?

Here, without further ado, are my top three choices from each category within the ever-growing Pianodao Music Library.

To read my in-depth evaluations of each publication selected, simply click on the titles to open the full reviews.

Continue reading Pianodao Music Library: Top Highlights of 2021