Characteristics of French German and Russian traditional piano schools and their place in today's performances

The harpsichord and clavichord, which were popular in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, were replaced by the piano (fortepiano) over time. This instrument, which started to become popular in the Classical period, became widespread by reaching the public in the Romantic period, and this instrument, which is one of the first choices of composers for their works, has been a part of continuous development. Different schools have emerged over time. Although the schools were initially known by the names of cities such as London, Vienna and Hamburg, they later took the names of countries. Today, it is assumed that there are 3 major piano schools. These are French, German and Russian schools. The aim of the study is to determine and reveal the characteristics of French, German and Russian piano schools. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted to determine the characteristics of these schools. The study group of the research consists of 3 foreign pianists/experts who have worked in France, Germany and Russia; 5 Turkish and 2 foreign pianists/experts who have studied in France, Germany and Russia, in total 10 pianists/experts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these experts. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive analysis and content analysis. As a result of the study, it can be said that the French Piano School attaches importance to sound colour, the German Piano School considers elements such as simple playing and adherence to the notation in performance, and the Russian Piano School is performed in a romantic style defined as 'making the piano sing'. Keywords: French Piano School, German Piano School, Russian Piano School, Musicality, Piano Technique