Piano accompanist: far more than a simple side-kick
by Lucie Renaud

Part two

Wanted: multiple skills
To become a good piano accompanist, playing well and exceptional sight-reading skills are simply not enough. The sound must be carefully thought out and crafted to meld with that of the soloist, be it a singer or instrumentalist. Nuances must be skilfully meted out, breathing controlled but not artificial, the direction of each phrase scrupulously studied. Marie Muller, a specialist in the accompaniment of singers, notes that "accompaniment demands an attentive ear, both to one's self and to the other, unfaltering vigilance, absolutely mastery over one's own part as well as that of the other, an understanding of the piece, its structure, its breathing, an analysis of the division of the roles, tonal plans and, above all, extreme flexibility in order to adapt to the unexpected."

One of the pianist's greatest challenges is to control the tonal balance. The intensity of a nuance is not something static, but must always be adjusted and fine-tuned to fit the piece. For example, the piano (soft tone) of a Brahms lied will never have the same intensity as a melody by Debussy. The pianist must consider the range of the voice or instrument, the strengths and weaknesses of the soloist, the acoustics of the hall and the quality of the instrument he or she will be playing. The accompanist must also strive to achieve the level of legato that most closely resembles the human voice or stringed instrument, while recognizing that the piano, as a percussion instrument, can never really produce a true legato.

Furthermore, when accompanying a singer, the pianist is almost exclusively responsible for the balance between voice and piano, a task made more difficult when, as in the case of this Competition, there are very few rehearsals. "My job is to make their experience as comfortable as possible," explains Michael McMahon. "I have to do my best so that the singer is able to shine."

An innate calling?
Being able to settle these technical matters is only one of the essential qualities of a good accompanist. More than anything else, he or she must have a healthy measure of self-sacrifice, considerable strength of character and well-honed diplomatic skills. Whatever else happens, once concert night rolls around the soloist will always be right and the accompanist's strength all comes down to his or her coolheadedness when, for example, a few bars have been missed, and quickfootedness at pulling everything back on track!
One becomes a piano accompanist in much the same way as one enters the clergy: by answering the calling. Accompaniment should never be a stopgap measure on the road to a career as a soloist. Michael McMahon has no regrets about the path he has chosen: "I had the choice to do what I wanted above all else. From the start, accompaniment has brought me tremendous joy. I was a teenager and the voice coach would tell the singers: 'You sing better when Michael plays.'"

Discovering another side of the musician's character – far deeper than mere words could ever reveal – is unquestionably one of the greatest satisfactions of the profession. Internationally-renowned accompanist Warren Jones, a faithful collaborator of Dame Kiri te Kanawa, among others, views the non-verbal communication between soloist and accompanist as a transfer of energy, even going so far as to akin it to a "mystical union". "Making music with others remains one of the most fulfilling pleasures life has to offer," he said in an interview.

Michael McMahon sees this ability to read other people as an "innate gift": "I am sensitive to what the other person is conveying musically. I listen to them and step into their world. As a pianist, you cannot simply sit at the bench and follow the singer; you have to have clear ideas from the outset. The interpretation becomes a conversation, a pursuit shared by two people." Individual thoughts thus converge into a higher entity, the subtlety of the pianist's playing replete with pleasant surprises to which the singer almost instinctively reacts, the two artists united as a single instrument, the whole far greater than the sum of its parts.

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