Why Accompanists are Amazing

Accompanists are the unsung stars of the music world. For vocalists, most accompanists are pianists. They provide a richly textured tapestry of sound underneath our single-note vocal line. A great accompanist can make a piece leap from the page and become three-dimensional. The way an accompanist plays influences how a singer takes her breaths, how much she feels the ground under her feet and aligns herself to sing, and how she feels and emotes the piece.

Bottom line: the accompanist makes all the difference in the performance.

A poor accompanist can cripple a great singer. It's up to the accompanist to follow the singer, to pause in places for the singer to breathe, to anticipate what the singer wants to do with expression and to complement that. If the accompanist plays woodenly or without regard to his/her singer partner, disaster or, at best, a stiff performance can ensue.

All this means that the accompanist has an incredibly difficult job. (S)he must be a terrific pianist in his/her own right, able to bring out colors and characters in a piece. (S)he must have a knowledge of singing technique to be able to understand what kinds of piano support are most helpful to a singer technically. (S)he needs to investigate the vocal line, translating any foreign language text to know what the poem says. (S)he must present ideas about expression but also be open to the singer's opinion. And (s)he must be a psychologist, anticipating what could go wrong, having a touch of ESP to leap ahead seamlessly if the singer skips a passage or a beat or just speeds up a bit.

All this comes into play, and yet the accompanist often remains unsung, unnoticed, sitting quietly by the piano while the singer in the flashy attire takes a bow. If you've been to a recital, think of how often you remember the singer's name vs. how often you can say who the pianist was. Whom do you watch at a recital? Chances are, it's the singer, who has the text and his/her face turned to you.

I find myself watching the accompanists more and more at recitals, even though I still watch the singers most. And, as a singer, I try to be really conscious of my pianist partner. The next time you attend a performance, take a look at the person on the piano bench. And think, just for a moment, about what it would be like if you were the one with your hands on the keys, trying to follow and support that singer.

Pretty impressive, no?

~Hope