Program

Lecture Recital Presented by Elizabeth Crecca

PROGRAM

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Examples of parlando-rubato
     3. Poco rubato from Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB 79
     "Lingering Melody" from Petite Suite, BB 113
     "Old Hungarian Melody" from For Children, Volume I, BB 53

Examples of tempo giusto
From Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB 79:
     8. Allegretto
     9. Allegretto
     10. L'istesso tempo
     12. Allegretto
     13. Poco più vivo-Allegretto

Additional tempo giusto considerations
     4. Andante from Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB 79

Eighth notes vs. quarter notes
     7. Allegro from Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB 79

Phrase structure
     6. “Ballad” from Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB 79

Selections from Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB 83:
     1. Molto moderato
     3. Lento, rubato
     4. Allegretto scherzando
     5. Allegro molto
     7. Sostenuto, rubato
     8. Allegro

Artist Profile

Elizabeth Crecca has been praised for her “distinctive voice” at the piano (The Chautauquan Daily). She has appeared as recitalist and masterclass clinician at universities across the country including the Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, University of Oklahoma, California State University Fresno, Utah State, and Hillsdale College. She has performed as soloist and collaborator at the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Chautauqua Piano Program, Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival, and American Bach Soloists Academy, and has won top prizes in competitions including Chautauqua and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Division. Her repertoire ranges from a recent premiere of David Temperley’s Piano Sonata No. 4 to Baroque and Classical works on period instruments. Dr. Crecca holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music in Piano Performance with a Baroque Emphasis from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Music Theory from the University of Michigan. She studied piano with Natalya Antonova, Yoshikazu Nagai, and Logan Skelton, as well as harpsichord and fortepiano with Corey Jamason and Lisa Crawford.

Dr. Crecca’s research explores the intersections of analysis, history, and performance, focusing largely on performance practice and its practical applications. She has been invited to perform and present at the World Piano Teachers Association World Piano Conference, MTNA National Conference, and Bilkent University Piano Festival. Her lecture recital, “Performance Practice in the Piano Music of Béla Bartók: Exploring Compositional Source Material and Historical Recordings,” was nominated for the Eastman Lecture Recital Prize.

Dr. Crecca is on faculty at Bucknell University, where she is Visiting Assistant Professor of Music in Piano, Theory, and Music History. Prior to teaching at Bucknell, she served on faculty at Bradley University and held an assistantship teaching piano at the Eastman School of Music and University of Rochester. At Eastman she launched a masterclass series and was nominated for the Teaching Assistant Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Her students have performed in the University of Rochester Concerto Competition, Bradley University Concerto and Aria Competition, and UR Performing Arts Conference. They have soloed with the UR Chamber Orchestra and Bradley Symphonic Winds.