Music and Time Annotation << Back Performance Characteristics of the Piano School Zhao Qilong, S.V. Kuznetsova The article discusses the formation and development of European piano schools. With the introduction of the piano into performing practice, a whole galaxy of outstanding virtuoso pianists appeared, significantly expanding the boundaries of the technical and expressive means of a musical instrument. Centers of musical and performing culture, the main piano schools have appeared in the largest cities: London, Vienna, French, Russian. The intensification of economic and cultural ties between the countries has had a benefi cial effect on the development of concert activities. The author pays special attention to the fact that the history of piano playing is based on a large network of piano «dynasties», comparing which reveals a wide range of approaches to technique and interpretation. The invaluable contribution of virtuoso performers to the creation of pedagogical and pianistic lines with pronounced national characteristics is also shown. In conclusion, the author comes to the conclusion that, unlike Western European performance, the Russian piano school more effectively performs the function of holistic training of the performer, forms his multifaceted creative appearance faster. Keywords: piano school, performance, virtuoso pianist, fingering, pedagogical traditions, M. Clementi, F.J. Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Karl Czerny, D. Field, A.G. Rubinstein, A.L. Hanselt. Pp. 16-20.