美國作曲家麥克道爾(Edward MacDowell, 1860-1908)是十九世紀末重要的作曲家之一,他的鋼琴作品充滿了豐富的想像力及描繪性,擅長運用小品的創作方式將自然景色及意境表達出來。在麥克道爾的《十二首炫技練習曲》(Twelve Virtuoso Studies)Op.46當中,包括了十二首附有標題的練習曲,融合了上述特色及多元鋼琴技巧,是一本非常好的鋼琴教材。 本篇論文分成四個章節,第一章簡述麥克道爾與他的音樂創作,第二章探討鋼琴練習曲的發展與《十二首炫技練習曲》作品概述,第三章是《十二首炫技練習曲》的結構分析,第四章是《十二首炫技練習曲》中鋼琴技巧之使用。研究目標側重於每一首練習曲與其標題間的關聯、鋼琴技巧的交互運用和此作品在鋼琴教學上的貢獻,期望透過對此作品的探究,更加認識麥克道爾終其一生對教學及藝術夢想的熱愛與實現。
American composer Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) is one of the late 19th century's important composers, his piano works are filled with rich imagination and descriptive style, excelling in the art of composing small works to express natural scenery and artistic conceptions. MacDowell’s Twelve Virtuoso Studies Op.46, which includes twelve etudes each with its own title, implements the above characteristics and multi-dimensional piano skills, it is truly an excellent piano-teaching resource. This thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter one describes MacDowell and his music compositions, chapter two discusses the piano etude development and outline of Twelve Virtuoso Studies Op.46, chapter three analyzes the structure of Twelve Virtuoso Studies Op.46, and chapter four touches on the piano skills utilized in Twelve Virtuoso Studies Op.46. The aim of this research is to elucidate and stress the connection between each etude and its title, the piano skills used throughout the works, and the works’ contribution to piano teaching, all with the hope and expectation that through this research, MacDowell’s life-long passion for teaching and art will become more fully known and recognized.