The book

The book consists of two main parts: (1) a musical and historical synthesis of Jongen’s artistic activity and (2) an analysis of the selected works with a performance and interpretive commentary made from the pianist’s standpoint. The analysis is not a musicological one. Due to the immensity of the material, it is synthetic and touches upon the issues instrumental for the performer, such as the general formal structure of the works and the organization of their melodic layer. The selection of the works recorded on the CD is not accidental. Consider them a potted history, as it were, of Jongen’s development as both an artist and a composer.

The formal and performance analysis included in the book makes it possible to single out a set of features characteristic of Jongen’s artistic activity in its various periods. It shows a unique logic and care for precision in the construction of a piece, as well as helping to systematize the weight of the musical material, evidencing the melodic creativity of the composer.