Abstract: The relevance of the research lies in the urgent need for modern musicology to reconstruct the profession of a concert pianist. The subject of the study is the art of maestro al cembalo. The object of the research is the work of maestro al cembalo's and the features of his creative activity. The purpose of the research is to study the process of formation of the initial stage of the development of the profession of a concert pianist, which spanned the period from the late Renaissance to classicism. Research objectives: to highlight the main characteristics of joint performance using basso continuo; to provide information about the specific skills and knowledge that maestro al cembalo should have possessed; to show the importance of these musicians in the musical performances, as well as in the evolution of musical creativity; to present portraits of the most significant representatives of this profession. The author of the study focuses on the influence of maestro al cembalo's art on the formation of European concertmaster schools. In order to disclose the stated topic by the author, the following methods are used: anthropological, hermeneutic, comparative historical, theoretical and analytical methods. A special contribution of the author is the search, analysis and systematization of the archival funds of Italian theaters, as well as city archives, on the basis of which information about the life, work and specifics of maestro al cembalo's creative and pedagogical work has been introduced into scientific circulation. The main conclusions of the study show that the most important principles of professional activity of a modern pianist-concertmaster of a musical theater were formed several centuries ago. The results obtained can be applied both in conducting courses on the theory and history of performing arts, and in the practical activities of modern concert pianists. The conclusions of the study allow us to form a stable picture of the initial stage of the formation of concertmaster art, to trace its leading trends, which will be reflected in the subsequent development of this creative specialty.

Abstract: The relevance of the proposed research lies in the process of formation, development and specification of concertmaster schools in different countries, which has not yet been disclosed in Russian and foreign musicology. In the proposed article, the author refers to the initial stage of crystallization of German-Austrian concertmaster art. The object of research is the concertmaster school in Germany and Austria. The subject of the research is the practical forms of the existence of keyboard accompaniment ad libitum and General Bass. The objectives of the research are to reveal the specifics of keyboard accompaniment ad libitum and General Bache in connection with the formation of German-Austrian concertmaster art; to analyze the manuscripts of master clavists available in open sources who specifically studied this type of performance; to introduce new information from German-language treatises, tablatures and archival sources about the creative and pedagogical activities of keyboard players into Russian musicology. The main research methods were: anthropological, historical-archival, comparative-analytical, a set of methods of performing analysis in their interaction according to the objectives of the study. For the first time in Russian musicology, a number of names of German and Austrian musicians who made a significant contribution to the development of concertmaster art at the initial stage of its formation are being introduced into scientific circulation. The author has found and analyzed a number of treatises and tablatures that reveal the specifics of keyboard accompaniment ad libitum and General Bass. It is proved that ad libitum accompaniment, which is based on an improvisational character, imposed a number of additional "conditions" on the keyboard player for its successful implementation: such a musician had to be able to skillfully build a polyphonic texture in the process of making music together, master the means of dynamics, depending on which voices and/or instruments he was playing music with; be able to transpose and read fluently from a sheet. The specifics of General-Bass accompaniment and its differences from basso continuo and basso numerato are determined. The conclusions of the study make it possible to better understand the essence, content and national characteristics of the German-Austrian concertmaster school, the foundation of which was laid in the XV-XVII centuries.

Abstract: The aim of this research is to trace back director functions in a professional activity of a piano concertmaster. The subject of the research is the work of a piano concertmaster with an ensemble composition using the stage production techniques. The author of the article analyzes a director method of working with a text, stage movements, expressivity, acting areas, etc. Kalitsky pays special attention to the organisation function of a director and piano concertmaster that is necessary for creation of a single artistic style. The author also touches upon the duality of acting and directing in an activity of a piano concertmaster. The author uses the comparative analytical methodology to analyze the activity of a director and concertmaster. He demonstrates that the ensemble model used to organize the sound and stage space is one of the most important functions in a professional activity of a piano concertmaster which can be achieved only through understanding and perception of directing techniques used to produce a stage action. The author of the article emphasizes the need in a directing approach to stage production and work of a piano concertmaster not only with ensemble partners but also for individual studying a musical text in factor, dynamic and agogical terms. Kalitsky underlines the importance of the solo performance training of a pianist for success as a director of a musical ensemble. Application of the research results in a professional activity of a concertmaster will give a better understanding of not only artistic targets faced by him or her but also organisation functions of a pianist in a musical ensemble. The author concludes that there is a need in ajdustment of current programs of piano concertmaster training in order to teach them director principles of being a pianist in a musical ensemble as well as independently seeking his or her artistic ensemble solutions.