 Speaking pianist: an exploration of representative works in the genre by Frederic Rzewski, André Ristic and Alec Hall 
The speaking pianist is a musical genre which interrogates the performer’s relationship to music itself, as well as the representation of the musician on stage and the projection of himself or herself and of the works to the audience. If, as Artur Schnabel wrote, music is a solitary art that can be practiced in one’s room, the same cannot be said of this hybrid artform which integrates spoken text and confronts the performer with new challenges even as it recalls the ancient tradition of the troubadour. This article invites us to explore a contemporary repertoire off the beaten path through the works of Frederic Rzewski, André Ristic and Alec Hall.