If you’ve done any searching around online for some original versions of Mrs. Curwen’s piano books, you quickly see there are two versions of each Step book.
For Step 1, you’ll find a book by John Kinross. You’ll also find a Step 1 book by Felix Swinstead.
Once again, you’ll find a Step 2 book by John Kinross, and you’ll find a Step 2 book by Felix Swinstead.
I did a quick comparison of both Step 3 pupil books by each composer. The books are entirely the same except the duets. The finger exercises, lesson materials, reading exercises, unbarred sentences, and simple rhythm exercises are all the same.
The duets in the Kinross edition are composed by John Kinross, and the duets in the Swinstead edition are composed by Felix Swinstead.
Mrs. Curwen briefly addresses her reasoning for multiple books at each step. She says,
“The alternative edition of the pupil’s books (Steps 1 to 4) with the Illustrative Duets by Mr. Felix Swinstead, will be useful to teachers who have many pupils in one school or family.”
She goes on later in the book to say that,
“An exchange of books can sometimes be effected between pupils of the same teacher, enabling a child who has gone through a Step with the Swinstead Duets to get further practice by reading the same pulse-divisions in the corresponding Step of the Kinross series, or vice versa. When once the necessary knowledge has been assimilated, skill in time-reading is purely a matter of practice, and if the practice can be done with a fresh set of material, all the better. Even “grown-ups” play these five-finger duets, and musicians listen to them, with pleasure.”
Below is a link to the full text of “The teacher’s guide (Curwen’s edition, 5048.) to Mrs. Curwen’s pianoforte method. (The child pianist.) Being a practical course of the elements of music”
https://archive.org/stream/teachersguidecur00curwuoft/teachersguidecur00curwuoft_djvu.txt
So, I’m curious if you have a personal favorite! I have 3 students in my home who are all about the same level. According to the information I read here, I get the impression it would be helpful for me to order both versions. But if I were to order just one, is there one your students have found to be more enjoyable? Thanks!
Hi Francine! If you ordered just one, I’d recommend Swinstead’s for 1st Step. I personally enjoy his more. My students have grown to thoroughly enjoy the duets together, and I’m so thankful Curwen presents them in a way that students can play them well!
I was brought up (~1935) on the Kinross version. They seem quite adequate as teaching material, as the white-key “five-finger exercises” for the student end are quite ingenious: not necessarily starting at the tonic, or in a major key. The teacher’s end (not always Primo), supplies all the harmonies and the fast finger-work. When the student has the Primo, (s)he gets the encouragement of playing the actual tune. When it’s the Secundo, it gives some sense of harmonic structure: I (as a baritone) attribute to the Method the ability to sing the bass line in part-songs almost by instinct.
Tim, I appreciate your insight. The more I utilize her method, the more I understand these hidden gems that you seem to have already experienced. 🙂