Saturday 15 February 2020

Book Review: Mozart's Requiem for the Beginning Pianist by David Dutkanicz (Sheet Music)

Title: Mozart's Requiem for the Beginning Pianist
Author: David Dutkanicz 
Publisher: Dover Publications
Publication Date: 12 February 2020
Pages:
48
Format:
eBook - PDF
Genre:
Sheet Music
Source:
ARC via NetGalley

 


According to legend, a mysterious stranger commissioned Mozart to create a requiem mass and the dying composer felt cursed by fate to write his own funeral hymn. Scholars, commentators, playwrights, and novelists have speculated for more than 200 years over the stranger-than-fiction reality behind Mozart's Requiem, and the work remains a favorite with performers and audiences around the world. Beginning pianists of all ages can play selections from Mozart's final masterpiece with these special arrangements. Editor David Dutkanicz has expertly simplified the work and provided brief notes and performance suggestions. MP3 files for each piece are available for download (see inside for details). 


Mozart's Requiem for the Beginning Pianist is a lovely concept well presented. I thought the simplification of the pieces worked well and kept things at a workable level for early-stage pianist. As a low-level, amateur pianist myself, it is wonderful to have an opportunity to play such famous works, as so often they are beyond my skill. The additional MP3 files are a nice touch, so you can hear how the pieces should sound. My only word of advice would be to buy a print copy of this, not an eBook. I received this book in eBook format for review purposes and you could never hope to play from the eBook as, for me at least, each page turn took 40-60 seconds to complete.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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