Da capo al fine

I returned, this morning, from my final piano lesson of the "school year," having now completed 1½ years in my latest reincarnation as a piano student. No more lessons until the end of August.

My reaction to my upcoming "vacation" is multi-faceted: First, there's my good, old fashioned "no more classes, no more books" sense of relief. Second, a determination to maintain some sort of regimen of practice throughout the summer, even though I'll be lacking the incentive of preparation for my next weekly lesson. And finally, a contemplation of the past year -- looking back at the progress I've made to date.

Yes, I'm still working primarily on the same Beethoven sonata. To my readers my progress must seem painfully slow. But learning a sonata is a bit like reading a serious novel: each re-reading reveals something new about the author, about his plot and characterization, about the complexities of life -- and about oneself.

No matter how many times I play a passage, my instructor -- while generous with compliments -- has suggestions for how I might play it better. Or observations: Note how the composer returns, over and over, to B-flat, until he finally resolves the extended phrase with a C-minor chord. Or questions: Why do you think Beethoven wrote this phrase as he did? Or analogies: Think of yourself as playing all four parts of a string quartet; give each instrument an adequate opportunity to show off its own performance.

In other words, while helping me to master a sonata, she is also subtly teaching me a tiny bit of musical theory.

"Master a sonata" -- believe me, I have a long way to go. If I were a kid, preparing for a recital, I'd feel that my situation was hopeless. But I'm doing this simply for my own gratification (although, I suppose that someday I'll force family members to sit quietly for 19 or 20 minutes, and listen to the whole shebang.)

Nineteen or 20 minutes. Such a short sonata, compared to the amount of practice and the number of lessons it's taken me to get just this far.

But is it worth it? You bet!