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Clementi - Vivace (3rd movt from Sonatina in C, Op. 36 No. 1)
ABRSM Grade 3 – A2
Elementary players are bound to encounter Muzio Clementi on their musical path. His music is always beautifully written for the instrument - educational and fun to play as well as an audience favourite. Full of life, this charming Vivace from his Sonatina in C (Op. 31 No. 6) calls for dexterity in the right hand as it moves across the keyboard, the left hand accompanying. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links This piece is available for digital download individually from the... Read >>
Beethoven (arr. Czerny) - Écossaise in G, WoO 23
ABRSM Grade 2 – A1
In this bouncy Écossaise by Beethoven the player needs to distinguish between two different types of staccato - the ordinary dot and the sharper, more accented dash (or wedge). We find several slurs, to be played using a down-up motion generated by the arm; release the final note of each slur, making it softer and slightly shorter than its written value. Bring out the humour of the piece by enjoying Beethoven’s cheeky dissonances and high-spirited syncopations. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>
Anon. - Minuet in G, BWV Anh. II 116
ABRSM Grade 3 - A1
This well-known minuet was once thought to be by JS Bach, but authorship is actually unknown. As was customary for music from this period, there are virtually no marks of articulation and no dynamic indications whatsoever. The player may want to play bars 3 and 4 as an echo of the opening two bars, but this is by no means compulsory. Other dynamics have been added by the editor and make complete musical sense. Feel free to change these around, though, and experiment with how you want to articulate the quavers and crotchets (some notes connected, others slightly separated, still... Read >>
Handel - Allegro in F, HWV 488
ABRSM Grade 4 - A3
This lively courante-style Allegro in F major opens with a descending scale in a rhythm that might form the basis for scale practice in other keys too. As is typical in Baroque music, the performer needs to supply their own dynamic colouring and articulation according to “good taste”. Some of the notes in the quaver patterns might be slurred (to create an accent), others played short. Crotchets may be played legato, or slightly separated. Experiment with adding a crescendo in the ascending sequence at the start of the second half and find a special colour for the arrival in the... Read >>
Cimarosa - Allegro (3rd movt from Sonata in C minor, C.68)
ABRSM Grade 5 - A1
Famous for his comic operas, Domenico Cimarosa wrote more than 80 keyboard sonatas. This Allegro is the final movement of his Sonata in C minor, C. 68. We find fast spinning patterns in almost every bar, often featuring right hand repeated notes that add to the piece’s challenges. Along with much music from the period, there are no dynamic or articulation markings in the original manuscript. To bring the music to life on the piano, we need to find as much colour as possible - using dynamic contrasts and varying our touch. Key colour is an important consideration here, with... Read >>
S. Heller - Prelude in C# Minor (No. 10 from 24 Preludes, Op. 81)
ABRSM Grade 6 - A1
Stephen Heller is best known for his piano studies. Even though this charming piece is a prelude (from a set of 24 preludes in all keys following the famous examples from Bach and Chopin), it serves as a study in leggiero playing. The required lightness is achieved by finger articulation supported by a weightless arm and feels akin to scratching the keyboard with the tips of the fingers. Most of the passagework is in the right hand, the left hand leading in bar 17. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full... Read >>
JS Bach - Prelude and Fugue in B-Flat Major, BWV 866
ABRSM Grade 8 - A1
This prelude and fugue from Book 1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier is one of the few entry level works from Bach’s timeless masterpiece, the lively fugue more approachable than many of the others because the notes lie relatively comfortably under the hands. In three voices, there are three motives (subject, countersubject and the motive that first appears in the soprano voice in bar 9). These themes then join together in different combinations (a compositional device known as triple counterpoint). The Prelude is in toccata style, made up of passages in broken chord figuration, solid chords, and scale-like passages. Depending on... Read >>
Pescetti - Presto (3rd mvt from Sonata No. 6 in C minor)
ABRSM Grade 4 – A1
Pescetti was an Italian composer of the Baroque era, known for his many operas and some keyboard pieces written for the harpsichord and early piano. The term “presto” tells us to play very fast; we find triplets almost throughout in the right hand that require considerable dexterity to bring off. To bring out the energy of this piece, make the suggested dynamic contrasts very clear, adding quick breathing places for punctuation. Enjoy the difference in character and resonance depending on which register of the keyboard we are playing in. Preview (please log-in... Read >>
Haydn - Minuet and Trio (2nd mvt from Sonata in D, Hob. XVI:4)
ABRSM Grade 5 – A2
In the Classical Period a minuet was a stylised dance in triple time, elegant in character. It was customary to follow a minuet with a trio, after which the minuet was repeated (creating an overall ABA structure); we find minuets and trios in symphonies as well as in other multi-movement forms, such as sonatas.This piece requires a strong rhythmic backbone as well as some articulation and delicacy with the ornamentation. Do we play the right hand in bar 7, for example, legato or detached? Perhaps the first beat might be detached, and a slur added between the second and third... Read >>