​ Q&A

Catherine Kautsky, DMA

Of all the musical instruments in the western world, the piano can do far and away the most
things.
InstitutionLawrence University
Alma materStony Brook University
Learn More About This Professor
Course Overview
The piano—with its rich tonal resources, orchestral textures, and ability to convey both
melody and harmony—has attracted great composers throughout its history. The result
is a repertoire of keyboard works of astonishing size and scope, going far beyond that of
any other musical instrument.
This phenomenal repertoire, which spans more than 300 years of Western music,
includes many of classical music’s most beloved masterpieces. Treasures of this
tradition include:
● The Baroque-era genius of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose preludes and fugues,
toccatas, and suites set the standard for keyboard writing.
● Sonatas, variations, and related piano works by Classical giants Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, and the transitional
figure of Franz Schubert.
● Romantic masterworks ranging from Frederic Chopin’s mazurkas, nocturnes, and
ballades and Robert Schumann’s multi-form piano works to Johannes Brahms’s
variations and glorious small-scale pieces, and Franz Liszt’s virtuosic Hungarian
Rhapsodies.
● At the turn of the 20th century, the mystical piano works of Aleksandr Scriabin,
and the impressionistic textures of Claude Debussy’s and Maurice Ravel’s
keyboard writing.
● A dazzling spectrum of 20th- and 21st-century piano music, pioneering new
forms and new tonalities, from Arnold Schoenberg, Sergei Prokofiev, and Charles
Ives to George Crumb, Florence Price, and George Walker, all of whom extended
the expressive voice of the piano.
These works and many more form the piano literature that continues to move and
enchant us; it comprises one of the most powerful legacies in Western art.
In Great Piano Works Explained, you’ll dig deeply into this magnificent tradition, in a
far-reaching exploration of the art of listening, seen from the bench of a pianist. In these
24 musically rich lectures, taught with passion and deep insight by Professor Catherine
Kautsky of Lawrence University, you’ll encounter the composers named above and
more, finding your way to the heart of their extraordinary music for the piano.
Experience the Sublime Richness of the Piano Repertoire
In this illuminating course, Professor Kautsky coaches you in hearing and
understanding the great works for the piano, with a special feature: In addition to her
esteemed teaching, she is a celebrated pianist, and she demonstrates the works under
discussion in real-time, at the keyboard, illustrating both excerpts and entire works
through her own expressive and thoughtful playing.
With her inspired guidance, you’ll highlight key works of each composer, and unpack
their structure, the musical materials that drive them, and the specific features that affect
listeners so strongly, giving you a clear grounding in how to approach and hear this
great music.
Within the Baroque and Classical periods, you’ll look in depth at works such as:
● Bach’s Well Tempered Clavierand French Suite No. 5—Discover the radiant
beauty of Bach’s keyboard creations in the brilliant counterpoint of two fugues
from the “WTC,” and in the emotional range of this vibrant dance suite.
● Mozart’s Sonata in C Minor, K. 457—Hear the influence of opera in this intense
and tempestuous sonata, where Mozart uses dialogue between opposing themes
and magical key changes to transport the listener from joy to sorrow, and back
again, in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of emotions.
● Beethoven’s Sonata Opus 110—In this monumental late sonata, witness how
Beethoven constructs the work as an unforgettable musical journey; study the
majestic first movement, the dramatic Allegro molto, and the Arioso and great
fugue that ends the sonata in triumphant affirmation.
● Schubert’s Sonata in Bb, D. 960—This large-scale sonata, written in the last
year of Schubert’s life, features unforgettable themes and an intriguing dichotomy
between keys. Tour the first movement: You’ll love the melodies, and you’ll see
how one small trill gives rise to the harmonic plan of the entire work.
In exploring these extraordinary works, you’ll learn about the structural forms that
underlie the music. As a case in point, you’ll take a penetrating look at sonata form, a
core musical structure that has influenced Western classical music for 250 years. As
Professor Kautsky explains, “Sonata form demands conflict; above all, between keys.
We’ll have an exposition that “exposes” two keys, a developmentthat prolongs the
tension between them, and a recapitulation that provides reconciliation.” As a tool for
listening, this understanding of the structure of the music makes the unfolding musical
narrative clear and accessible.
Explore the Expressive Range of a Magnificent Instrument
Throughout the course, you’ll examine the remarkable ways that composers have used
the resources of the piano to create vastly different musical and expressive effects.
They range from Bach’s masterful, contrapuntal keyboard writing and Schubert’s
songlike lyricism to the dramatic textures of Brahms, the otherworldly tonalities of
Debussy, and the jagged dissonance of Alban Berg and other modernist masters.
As exemplars of grand Romantic keyboard writing, you’ll delve into:
● Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Papillons, and Carnaval—Delight in the
resplendent musical tapestries of Schumann’s piano “cycles,” anthology-like
works which give free rein to his wild, kaleidoscopic imagination, revealing
multiple musical “characters” and sonic landscapes.
● Chopin’s Ballade in F Minor—In one of the supreme Romantic masterpieces
for the piano, grasp how Chopin delivers a seemingly epic musical narrative
 within twelve minutes, moving from lyric tenderness and deep sentiment to a
passionate, thunderous denouement.
● Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnet No. 104—From the piano’s most swashbuckling
virtuoso, savor the contours of this ruminative, evocative pianistic poem. It’s
based on Petrarch’s ode to despairing, unrequited love, and its rich, chromatic
harmonies and impassioned thematic development do the poetry full justice.
Refine the Skills of Listening to Great Music
Parallel with these evolving musical creations came remarkable developments in the
instrument itself, mechanical innovations that extended the tonal resources of the piano,
as well as its carrying power, giving us the modern concert grand piano, an acoustic
instrument that can fill an opera house with sound.
In these lectures, you’ll learn how the developing features of the instrument itself
inspired composers, and how they employed them, from Mozart’s use of dynamics
(gradations of sound from very soft to very loud) and Chopin’s use of the pedal, bathing
the piano’s sonorities in overtones, to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s pyrotechnical keyboard
virtuosity and Béla Bartók’s use of the percussive possibilities of the modern piano.
And, through Professor Kautsky’s commentary and expert playing, you’ll learn about the
specific techniques of touch, articulation (notes that are sounded separately or linked
together), phrasing (the shaping of melodies), and expressive pedaling that realize the
composers’ directions to the pianist and bring the music to life in performance.
As the lectures enter the 20th and 21stcenturies, you’ll encounter:
● Debussy’s Claire de Lune and Preludes. Grasp the compositional means
behind one of the most beloved pieces in the repertoire—the ethereal, floating
Claire de Lune, and taste the exoticism, humor, and flights of fancy of Debussy’s
incandescent Preludes.
● Schoenberg’s Sechs kleine Klavierstücke and Berg’s Sonata for Piano.
From the man who coined the phrase, “the emancipation of dissonance,” you’ll
encounter a new harmonic language, and in the jarring tonalities and anguish of
the Klaviersonate by his student, Alban Berg, you’ll hear the tensions that
spawned much of the 20th century’s music.
● Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata. In this American innovator’s magnum opus,
inspired by the 19th-century transcendentalist writers, unconventional harmonies,
dense textures, and multiple musical quotations all coexist in a massive,
sprawling artistic statement.
In Great Piano Works Explained, you’ll study masterpieces from a wide selection of
the great composers, deepening your skill in hearing, understanding, and appreciating
these timeless creations of the human spirit.

Lectures
Average 33 minutes each
1J. S. Bach and The Well-Tempered Clavier
Begin the course with the sublime keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Learn
about the musical form of the fugue, based in the interplay of different musical lines or
“voices,” employing a basic musical idea or subject in successive variations. Study two
of Bach’s fugues and contemplate his genius in using their formal materials to create
music of astonishing beauty and dramatic power.

2Bach’s French Suites

Delve into the riches of Bach’s dance suites, multi-part works built on simple musical
elements. In his French Suite No. 5 in G major, study the individual movements, from
the peaceful Allemande and the lively Courante to the pensive Sarabande and the final,
joyous Gigue. Grasp how Bach creates endless variations of motion, rhythm, texture,
and tension/resolution in this magical keyboard piece.

3Joseph Haydn’s Early Classical Piano

Take a first look at sonata form, a key formal structure in classical music. In Haydn’s
brilliant Sonata in C Minor, see how the first movement leads from the opening
exposition through development and recapitulation, and how Haydn uses musical
detours, transitions, and tonal modulations to create an engrossing and often surprising
musical narrative, bearing his own unique expressive signature.

4- Mozart’s High Classical Piano

Enter the world of Mozart’s superlative writing for the piano. In excerpts from his piano
sonatas, observe how he creates perfectly balanced phrases, making exquisite use of
the musical conventions of the classical era. Find the essence of his musical voice in his
use of melodies, drawing on the lyricism of opera, and his ability to move seamlessly
from one emotional state to another.

5- Mozart’s Sonata in C Minor, K. 457

From the dramatic opening of the great C Minor Sonata, hear how the sonata functions
as a dynamic conversation between opposing ideas, expressed in the interaction of
different musical voices and themes. Learn about the uses of the pedals in piano music,
about Mozart’s markings in the score, and the slurs (the linking of notes), harmonies,
and modulations that give this passionate work its power

6- Beethoven’s Sonata in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1

Witness how the composer challenged expectations in this piece by enlarging the
structure of the sonata and infusing it with more drama and contrast than previous
composers had done. See how Beethoven ingeniously uses small musical ideas to
create huge structures, fusing logic and emotion with unforgettable expressive force,
and using longer forms, louder dynamics, and combustible energy to distinguish himself
from his classical predecessors

7- Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31, Op. 110, Movt. 1

In this late Beethoven masterpiece, travel into the architecture of the first movement, to
see how the composer creates a compelling musical narrative. Follow the unfolding
themes, their development through multiple modulations, and the uncanny return to the
original tonality that make the movement a remarkable journey. Then hear the complete
movement, in Professor Kautsky’s sensitive playing.

8- Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31, Op. 110, Movts. 2–3

In the majestic conclusion of the sonata, Professor Kautsky guides you through the
short and dramatic second movement, leading into the mournful melody which begins
the finale, and from there to the great concluding fugue. In Professor Kautsky’s playing,
hear how the earlier lament returns, before the fugue surges back to life, ending the
sonata on a glorious note of triumph and victory.

9-,The Songs of Franz Schubert

As a core element of Schubert’s keyboard writing, look at his use of modulations, the
changes of key and tonality that infuse his music. Grasp how he uses modulations for
expressive purposes, to evoke the boundaries between emotions. See this at work in
two of his famous songs, as they move between minor and major, and also in the
beautiful and haunting Impromptu Opus 90 No. 4.

10- Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

Find the expression of Schubert’s genius in the first movement of this beloved and
iconic sonata. From the luminous opening theme, hear how the music moves from
serenity to joy, passionate exultation, sorrow, and beyond—a journey through
unexpected keys, silences, unfinished thoughts, and unpredictable outcomes, raising
questions rather than offering answers