Piano Transcriptions of Tatar Composers for the Timbre Ear Development

The timbre ear development as a component of musical ability is an important factor for the qualified students’ musical and performance advance in piano class. The timbre ear allows revealing the coloristic potential of the piano, perceiving and delivering timbre characteristics of vocal and various musical instruments, and practicing orchestral treatment of piano. The timbre ear development supposes not only making performer’s readiness to perceive, but also embodying the required timbre on the piano. Reconstruction of timbre characteristics refers to a supreme approach to the original sound, while using different ways of sound retrieval, articulation, dynamic shading, pedaling, etc. The role of academic repertoire cannot be overestimated in the timbre ear development of piano class students. The richest piano literature is represented by a great number of compositions that are essential for the timbre ear development. Among them, there is a special attention to piano transcriptions, representing vocal or instrumental compositions in a new reading-concert, and masterly adaptation for the piano. The present study aimed to reveal the potential of piano transcriptions of compositions by Tatar composers in developing the timbre ear of piano class students. Authors summed up the experience of piano teaching in educational institutions of the Republic of Tatarstan, performance and methodological analysis of the performance repertoire, and thus unveiled opportunities of the timbre ear development in the process of studying piano transcriptions of Tatar composers in piano classes and gave examples for piano reconstruction of instruments’ sounds of source compositions. Piano transcriptions of compositions written by Tatar composers vividly reflect national music traditions of Tatarstan, timbre peculiarities of solo and orchestral instruments emphasizing the beauty of Tatar vocal intoning.