[Listening extract, audio available. See printed QP for questions.] You hear a technically demanding piano work with rapid octaves and wide leaps. (a) What ...

(a) One Romantic composer known for demanding piano music [1]

Any one of the following: Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, or Rachmaninoff. Franz Liszt is perhaps the most iconic example - he was the greatest piano virtuoso of the 19th century and composed works of extreme technical difficulty featuring rapid octaves, wide leaps, thunderous chords and cascading runs that pushed the instrument to its limits.

(b) How a pianist brings out a melody above dense accompaniment [1]

The pianist uses voicing technique, playing the melody notes with more weight and volume than the accompaniment notes. This means applying greater finger pressure and arm weight to the notes of the upper melodic line while keeping the surrounding accompaniment softer and lighter. The result is that the melody projects clearly above the texture, even when the accompaniment involves many notes played simultaneously. This skill is essential in Romantic piano music, where composers frequently write a singing melody in the upper register surrounded by thick chordal or arpeggiated accompaniment beneath.

(c) Term for connecting notes smoothly [1]

The answer is legato. Legato (Italian for 'tied' or 'bound') is the technique of playing notes in a smooth, connected manner with no audible gaps between them. On the piano, this is achieved by holding each key down until the next is pressed, creating an overlapping, seamless sound. Legato playing is fundamental to the singing melodic style that characterises Romantic piano music. It is the opposite of staccato, where notes are played short and detached.