A piano accompanist is a pianist who is tasked with highlighting another musician’s abilities during a piece. While the pianist may be a skilled soloist in his or her own right, the person or group with whom the pianist is performing is always the focal point of the piece. The pianist’s music may simply be a skeleton of the piece as performed by an orchestra, or it may be designed to subtly complement the other musician. While a professional accompanist must be highly skilled, the level of skill required varies depending on the venue, so many people play piano accompaniment for others without considering themselves accompanists.
The most common musicians paired with piano accompanists are probably singers. Soloists almost always require some kind of background accompaniment, which is often provided by a piano accompanist in low-budget settings. Because it is impractical to use the entire orchestra for musical theater auditions and rehearsals, a piano accompanist is frequently used. During lessons, singing teachers frequently serve as the piano accompanist, allowing students to get a sense of how the song sounds by playing simple music.
Other instruments that don’t usually sound full, like violins or flutes, are occasionally accompanied by a singing voice. During recitals and other non-professional performances, this is a particularly common practice. One of the most important skills an accompanist can learn is how to accent rather than overpower a more delicate instrument.
Along with singing music, piano accompanist music is frequently provided. This is the type of music that is typically brought to an audition, and it is much simpler than a full score. Because he or she may not have much time to practice with the music, a piano accompanist must be able to sight read and anticipate in music. Audience-oriented performances are usually able to provide the music to the accompanist ahead of time.
Many people consider piano accompanists to be unsuccessful soloists. The idea is that if someone becomes a piano accompanist, he or she lacks the talent to succeed as a solo act and has therefore chosen a mechanical rather than musical music job. However, there is recognition of the art of accompaniment within the accompanist community, with awards given to exceptional accompanists. Musicians who rely on these musicians should be courteous, respectful, and considerate of their accompanists, because it takes real talent to bring out the best in another person’s talent.