"Jazz inventions" / Book 1 - for intermediate level

This collection is dedicated to the polyphonic genre of inventions which is interpreted as «creation» or «fiction». However, these inventions don’t imitate the inventions as much as «polyphonic inventions» of J. S. Bach, as they represent a stylistic fusion of the baroque and jazz traditions, a direction that gained momentum at the end of the last century (Jacques Lussier’s Trio, «Swinging Bach» concert, «Too hot to Handel» concert and others). A vivid example of this direction in the field of educational repertoire is the «25 Jazz Inventions» by the German composer and teacher Manfred Schmitz.

This collection is the first book of the author’s «Jazz Inventions» series and includes 10 inventions in keys up to 3 signs. The edition continues the idea of the «Polyphonic Adventures», which is an introduction to the topic of polyphony for beginners, while «Jazz Inventions» are already designed for the intermediate level students. The musical language of these polyphonic pieces is full of syncopated rhythmic patterns, tart harmonic sequences and the articulation inherent in jazz. At the same time, the clarity of the melodic figures and the light, humorous character of the inventions make them interesting for students of the intermediate level. All inventions (except the third and seventh) are marked for performance in swing, but it is also allowed to perform in equal eighths, which will bring this music closer to the ragtime stylistics. The author does not offer specific names, images or subtexts, but it would be interesting to do such work together with the student at the lesson. This would add brightness to the student’s perception of the material, as well as articulatory expressiveness, — a quality that Bach noted in the preface to his «Inventions and Symphonies». The music of jazz inventions should «talk» and «dance» , have live energy and a drop of improvisation — all that we love jazz for!

We hope that this publication will bring variety to your class repertoire and make piano lessons interesting and inspiring!