Flavia de Souza ● Aug 19, 2021
I had my first piano lesson with Pierre Sancan at his private Studio at Salle Gaveau, which was actually a concert hall but had music Studios on the floors above in the same building. Sancan’s Studio was at the end of a corridor and there were a few chairs for students to sit while waiting outside the heavy double doors. These doors helped to soundproof the Studio to a certain extent. The piano could only be heard very faintly from outside.
I didn’t have long to wait. Professor Sancan ushered me into a fairly large square-shaped room with a grand piano near one of the two windows since this was a corner room. Bookcases lined the walls with piles of books stacked on their shelves which rose to the ceiling. There were a few tables also spilling over with books and more piles of books on the carpeted floor. The piano itself was covered with a thick protective material and had even more books on top! Beside the piano was a chair, presumably for Sancan, but he rarely sat down while he taught.
This was the place where I had all my private lessons with Sancan and his
repetitrice, his assistant teacher, since I wasn’t as yet a student at the Paris Conservatoire. However, whenever Sancan wanted me to attend one of his classes at the Conservatoire, they were held at the same Salle Pierné where I had auditioned for him. I think that it was a good idea to conduct lessons with small groups of students as listeners because this helped the performer to get used to playing before people. By listening to other students playing, one was exposed to a lot of different piano works by different composers and one could learn a great deal from watching those who performed.
I had a great deal to unlearn and to learn! My piano technique seriously needed a lot of correction, almost from scratch as it were, since I had been taught
à l’anglaise as Sancan described it. I gradually noticed the difference between the French, or Continental style of piano technique, and the British style, not easy to describe here in words. Basically I had to learn how to press my fingers more evenly into the piano keys and to control this finger pressure accordingly, that is, more, in the louder passages –
forte and
fortissimo - and less when I had to play quietly –
piano and
pianissimo. Arm weight was also necessary and flexibility of both the arms and wrists. I had to do certain physical arm exercises while at the piano and also when I wasn’t practising. I had to coordinate the arm weight and the finger weight when I played. Initially my arms became extremely tight as this technique was something completely new to me so I stiffened! It was quite challenging and also confusing but I perservered! I had a stubborn streak in me which refused to accept defeat!
If others can do it, so can I.
Besides, I remember thinking, somewhat indignantly,
how can Professor Sancan tell me that my piano technique is bad?
when I had created a stir in my country upon obtaining the Licentiate Piano Performer’s Diploma, the LRSM from the British Board of music exams! Fired up with these thoughts, I was determined to show Sancan that he was wrong! I was never a student who would voice my feelings out to my professors even if I felt resentful or dismayed. I remained silent while all my emotions tumbled and raged inside me. I suppose this was the driving force which motivated me to work hard!
The first month of lessons was spent in re-structuring my piano technique so I had to pratise a whole book of scales and arpeggios and another book of boring repetitive finger exercises! I was instructed to practise five hours a day! Five!! I had never done more than two at home so I wondered how I could survive five! Since I couldn’t practise at the finishing school except for an hour after dinner, and on Saturday afternoons and sometimes on Sundays provided my practicing wasn’t too disturbing, I had to find a studio, or a piano shop where I could practise during the week. I went to CROUS, the Scholarship Students’ Centre, where I spoke to the officer in charge of my portfolio. Madame Fortin wasn’t exactly a pleasant nor an easy person to approach, but I did, and by myself. I rehearsed in my head what I wished to tell her in French so I was able to face that female dragon! She never seemed to have any patience with foreign students, probably because many couldn’t speak French, so she was extremely curt and oftentimes, rude and abrupt! However, I stood my ground and explained my need for a studio to practise the piano inspite of all her objections and obvious ill-humour. Finally, Madame Fortin gave me list of piano shops which liaised with CROUS and once I had found a place, I was to let her know so that she could arrange for the payments. Naturally I consulted Mlle Chabaud for her advice and her assistance to make those phone calls.
For the next two years I went to a piano shop where I practised for four hours, from 9am to 1pm from Mondays to Fridays. I had to leave by 8am because there were two train changes in the Metro to reach the piano shop by 9. I had my breakfast alone in the dining room and used to take a large yellow banana with me from the kitchen for my snack, and a bottle of mineral water besides my bag of music books which gradually became heavier as I progressed from tedious finger exercises to more interesting piano pieces. The owner of the piano shop was a short and stocky middle-aged Frenchman who seemed very cold and distant at first. The tiny practice room was dismal and as the windows couldn’t be opened, it was like being imprisoned for four hours five days a week! I hated going there! The old upright piano sounded dreadful, its keys were yellowed and wobbled and its tone was harsh and jarring and very loud, but there was no other alternative since students were not allowed to practise in the piano showroom at the shop. I had no choice but to sit at that piano and practise! Whenever I felt like giving up I thought of my parents, that they would feel very disappointed if I quit. Besides, I was fuming with indignation that Professor Sancan thought that my English-style piano technique was bad! This is what spurred me on, that and the single yellow banana which the cook gave me each morning!
My lessons with Sancan were once a week at Salle Gaveau. I always made sure that I practised everything however much I detested that boring regime of finger exercises and scales. There was obviously progress because Sancan commended me on my diligence and started to discuss with me about choosing a repertory of piano pieces to learn. He also became more friendly and as I became more fluent in speaking French he asked me a lot about my background and about Malaysia. I noticed that most students addressed their professors as
Maître (Master) or
Madame when it was a lady. Sancan, on the other hand used to call me
ma petite Flavia because I was indeed quite small and thin. I knew that he liked me because my lessons were always quite long, gradually increasing from an hour to sometimes two-and-a-half hours! Sancan sometimes played for me as well after my lesson and I felt priviledged to sit in his chair by the piano and listen. He was a remarkable pianist like all the other professors I was fortunate to study with.
I was relieved when I was finally allowed to learn piano pieces once I had settled into a routine practice of piano technical exercises and scales which I had to religiously adhere to. I was given a program of several pieces starting with a Prelude and Fugue by Bach and an Etude by Chopin. The Chopin Etudes were also meant to be technical ‘exercises’ since Chopin had written them for his students, but they were melodious though technically challenging. These 24 Etudes were the sworn ‘Bible’ at the Conservatoire. All piano students had to study them!
Before I could start learning any piece of music, I had to get the right publication, one that my professors approved of, and, more importantly, I had to learn about fingering, something which I had no idea about! The Art of Fingering is actually very important because it’s how one uses one’s ten fingers to master the technical aspects of every piece of music, something akin to choreography in ballet. In the beginning I didn’t quite grasp the importance of using correct fingering and I had to copy out certain fingering from Sancan’s books which had to be strictly adhered to! If I was careless and didn’t practise using that fingering I was severely admonished! Mastering the Art of Fingering proved initally difficult to understand and get accustomed to, but gradually over time, I realised that once you grasped the correct intricacies of fingering, it helped you to practise the technical difficulties of any piece of music with greater ease.
Since I had never been told about the importance of using correct fingering and found it difficult to assimilate, Sancan decided that it was time for me to meet his
repetitrice or, assistant teacher, Madame Marie-Madeleine Petit. The word
repetitrice says it all - literally translated it means
someone who repeats, and that’s exactly what they did, they drilled the students in the basics of how to practise and ensured that the students corrected, or tried to correct, all their mistakes and wrong habits before they took a lesson with the Professor. Hence when I went for my next piano lesson, I was introduced by Professor Sancan to Madame Petit at his Studio, a petite and fiery character who wore her hair piled into a very tall pagoda-style bun atop her head which glinted with hairpins and she strutted about on extremely high stiletto-heeled shoes! She had a thin shrill voice and had a very thick accent, spoke rapid French and had an impatient disposition. I took an instant dislike to her and I guess this was mutual because my first lesson with her was completely disastrous!
Unfortunately Sancan had to leave. Scarcely had he left when Madame Petit found fault with everything I had practised, from the scales and the finger exercises to the Bach Prelude and Fugue! Thank goodness I wasn’t expected to play the Chopin Etude! The woman screeched and screamed and paced the room in maddening circles, waving her arms in the air and patting her pagoda bun which quivered and shook atop her head! I couldn’t understand a word she spoke because of her thick accent and her rapid way of talking. Although I knew that she was angry, I wanted to know why but couldn’t ask because each time I stopped playing, it made her even more angry! Worse, when she came closer to the piano keyboard she found my arms stiff so she pulled my upper arms outwards – like a bird flapping its wings - in an attempt to loosen me up! Naturally I had to stop playing when she did that. While I watched her twirling about, I tried my best to understand what she was saying! Finally when there was a lull in her whirlwind circling, she asked if I understood French! Now whenever I couldn’t understand anything I always said,
“Encore une fois, s’il vous plaît”? = Please
(repeat)one more time!
This obviously infuriated her even more!
As for the Bach Prelude and Fugue, I was left even more puzzled about the fingering bit! The woman had no patience trying to explain anything although by now I guess she must’ve felt tired at having to vent her temper on such a dumb student as myself. Her raucous sceeching stopped and she snapped exasperated comments while she marked my book with large untidy pencil markings, much to my dismay, but to have objected to her pencil marks would have only made things worse. I meandered dismally through the Bach piece in order to end the lesson as soon as possible! As I had expected, she launched into another angry tirade when I finished playing, which stopped short when the doors suddenly flung open when Professor Sancan returned!
While he removed his coat he exchanged words with an irate Madame Petit who lost no time in getting her things to leave. I waited, expecting to face another scolding from Sancan. He merely came and sat down in his chair beside the piano. He just looked at me. I guess that the look on my face sufficed as an answer and that I was also tired. He took a look at all the angry pencil markings on my book, then sat down at the piano and played the same Bach Prelude and Fugue while I stood and listened. It was beautiful and eloquent. It was like a blessing of peace, an apology of sorts for what I had faced with his
repetitrice. I felt much better by the time he finished playing. It was time to leave so Sancan gave me my coat and after patting me on my shoulder as he always did, he told me to come the following week for my lesson. I remember asking if it was with him or with his fiery
repetitrice. Sancan nodded and I knew that he understood how I felt about Madame Petit.
Most of my piano lessons were with Professor Sancan but from time to time when he was occupied elsewhere or had to leave Paris, I had to face his
repetitrice. By then I had improved in my piano technique and I’m sure that Sancan must have spoken with Madame Petit, because her lessons with me were less explosive.
To be continued
NB) For photographs please refer to the page on ‘My Studies Abroad’ on my website.
There are photographs of myself at some of my classes at the Paris Conservatoire and of some of my professors.
For the other reference relevant to this Chapter, please click on the internet link below.
Salle Gaveau.