Interview with Jean Wentworth

Jean Wentworth is on the piano faculty here at Sarah Lawrence College. She was a successful concert pianist along with her husband, Kenneth Wentworth. They both attended Juilliard Music School in New York City. Jean teaches piano, music history, runs the music workshops and still performs. Her most recent performance was a few weeks ago at a church in New York City. She performed one of the Mozart piano concerti. I was interested in how she prepared for such a performance and if she had any advice to give to students who are interested in learning how to memorize.

Why do pianists, singers and string players all perform by memory while other instrumentalists don't? When did that start and why is this?

I think it started because of the virtuostic playing of Pagnani and Liszt. Music was never memorized before especially not in performance. So the beginning of memorization came about through expert musicians who thrilled and shocked audiences with their sensational playing. And also they were playing extremely virtuostic, difficult and fast music. Music that had so many notes, and was so difficult and fast that no one would have time to look at the music. Also I think musicians, when playing a solo, without music or memorized play better. They have more of a complete involvement with music.

How do you start learning a piece that you know that you have to memorize?

Well, I think it is very individual. I memorize very quickly. I can usually memorize something within my first week of practicing it. I have to admit that that has its nagatives. Sometimes I learn the music with some errors in it, which are extremely hard to correct. In practicing for my Mozart concerto, I put in conscious effort because I had to do it in a short amount of time. In general, I just tend to memorize as things go along. They just become memorized. I love the point at which I hear something in my head, that means that I have absorbed it at some significant level. When I wake up in the morning with the music in my head.

How do you make memory secure?

By studying the structure of the piece. I have to know what the harmonies are and fingering. I am aware that I pay almost as much attention to fingering for myself as I do for my students. There are different components for the mememorization of a piece. There is the visual, aural, intellectual and tactal. For visual, it is the musician looking at the actual page of music. For tactal, it is the way it feels, under your fingers on the keyboard.

Do you go about learning a piece differently if you know you have to memorize it?

No, probably not.

Do you have advice for musicians?

It is very important to practicing hands separately and with complete control. A student must know the structure and harmony of the piece, knowing the piece is key. My teacher made me memorize Bach etudes. I had to be able to start anywhere and play them in backward sections all out of my head. That was how well I knew them.

The way you memorize really depends on the piece. If I have a solo piece, I don't trust myself with the musical page in front of me. Some pieces, like an incredibly hard piece by Charles Ives, I memorize in tiny sections, measure by measure. In order to understand that piece, I needed to learn it like that. Interestingly right now, musicians who are playing new, contemporary music always use music. But nobody would play a Mozart concerto with music. There are a couple known exceptions. I don't trust myself to play with the score because my concentration and control wouldn't be as good. I just memorize automatically, to a degree.

What advice do you have for musicians who are having trouble memorizing?

Part of it is deciding that you will. It is a decision that you have to make. Harmony and phrase length or structure is important. Does it make sense? Where is the phrase going? Practice hands separately. Be careful and sure of fingering. Memorize in sections. Practice by learning pieces like Bach so well, that you can start anywhere and play them backwards. It takes a kind of committment on the part of the student. It is completely individual.

What did you mean that you play better without the score or musical page?

I play better without the score because I feel that I am more involved with what's going on and play better.

Have you ever had a memory slip?

Yes, I have had plenty of memory slips. I advise practicing a great deal and also dedicating yourself. Another great thing to do is play in workshops, experience, having auditions, are all good. One can do funny things under pressure of audience. Only soloists play from memory. You would never play without music if you are part of a group. It would seem pretencious to play without music with other people.

Anything else you want to say?

Be quite aware of sections; the exposition, recapitulation and what key it is in. Be aware if there are repeated passages in different keys. My ear is very tuned to the piano. My connection to the keyboard is visual and physical also. I see the score in my head but it is a combination of everything.

Thank you, Jean.