Bart Berman facts for kids
Bart Berman (born on December 29, 1938) is a talented pianist and composer from the Netherlands who later moved to Israel. He is especially known for playing the music of Franz Schubert and other music from the 20th century.
Contents
His Musical Journey
Bart Berman learned to play the piano from great teachers like Jaap Spaanderman and Theo Bruins. He also attended a special class with Alfred Brendel. In 1978, he moved to Israel.
As a solo performer, Bart won many important awards. These include the Dutch Prize of Excellence and the top prize in the Gaudeamus Competition for new music. He also won four first prizes in competitions for young soloists.
He has performed in many countries, including Israel, Europe, and the United States. He plays both by himself and with other musicians in small groups. Bart has played with many orchestras in the Netherlands and Israel. His music has also been featured on radio and television.
Bart has worked with many other musicians. He played with flautist Abbie de Quant for a long time. He was also part of Duo 4, the Tamar Piano Trio, and performed with singers. From 2004 to 2008, he played piano for a famous play called You, Me and the Next War. He was also the musical director for Schubert Plus in 2007. Later, from 2011 to 2015, he played with the Zamir Quartet. In 2014, he started a new show with four pianists playing on two pianos.
Bart also taught piano at music schools in Rotterdam and Arnhem. He helped edit music for the Israel Music Institute. Many of his students became successful musicians.
Besides playing, Bart also composes music. He studied composition with Bertus van Lier and Wouter van den Berg. He has written many original pieces. He even wrote special parts called "cadenzas" for piano concertos by famous composers like Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. He also wrote second piano parts to go with music by Muzio Clementi and Daniel Steibelt.
Some of his most famous works are his "completions." He finished parts of Schubert's piano sonatas and Johann Sebastian Bach's The Art of Fugue that were left unfinished.
Music Recordings
Bart Berman has recorded many albums, both as a solo artist and with other musicians.
| Participation | Albums | Collections |
|---|---|---|
| Piano solo |
|
|
| Piano duos |
|
|
| Various small ensembles |
|
|
| Various large ensembles |
|
|
Important Performances
Bart Berman has performed in many famous places and festivals around the world.
| 1960s and 1970s | 1980s and 1990s | 2000s and 2010s |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
His Compositions
Bart Berman has written many different kinds of music.
- Farce of the Cow (1956), music for a play from 1612
- Hans, the Bell Ringer (1956), music for a play from 1923
- Duo in Mediterranean Style for violin and viola (1957)
- Christmas Song for choir without instruments (1957)
- Allegro for Orchestra (1958)
- Israeli Sonatina for piano (1958)
- String Quartet (1958)
- Four Melodies for piano (1960, updated 1980)
- Three New Canons based on a theme by J. S. Bach (1978)
- Etude for the Fifths for piano (1992)
- Birthday Bunch for piano (1994)
- Film music for The Staircase for piano (1995)
- Variations and Fugue on a theme by Nikolai Medtner for piano (2009)
- Dayenu Fantasy for piano (2014)
Cadenzas
A cadenza is a special solo part in a concerto, often improvised by the performer. Bart wrote cadenzas for:
- Castiglioni: Arabeschi for flute, piano, and orchestra (1974)
- The Beethoven piano concertos (1966–1990)
- The Mozart piano concertos (1970–1990)
- The Haydn piano concertos (1970–1990)
Completions
Bart finished musical pieces that other composers left unfinished.
- J. S. Bach: The Art of Fugue (1970)
- Schubert: Unfinished Piano Sonatas (1976–1990)
- Mozart: Sonata for Keyboard Four-hands in G major, K. 357 (1991)
- Glinka: Sonata in D minor for viola and piano (1999)
- Beethoven: Romance in E minor for piano, flute, bassoon, and orchestra (2001)
Piano Parts
He also wrote extra piano parts to go along with existing music.
- Second Piano Part for Daniel Steibelt: Sonatina Opus 33 in C (1981)
- Right Hand Piano Part for J. S. Bach: Sonatas in E minor and E major (1988)
- Second Piano Part for Clementi: Six Sonatinas Opus 36 (1995)
See also
In Spanish: Bart Berman para niños
