MusicOnline UK Teaching Notes - ABRSM Piano 2019/20 Grade 5 - A2

Andante in A  Hob. I:53/II

Joseph Haydn

ABRSM Grade 5 Piano 2019 - 2020.
Trinity Grade 5 Piano 2018 - 2020

Teaching Notes

As you will notice in the above video, the quavers are generally light and detached. Be aware also of the frequent rests in the LH, but in some cases they don't appear where you might expect according to previous patterns. For example, in bar 10, if Haydn had followed the same articulation pattern as earlier, the LH would not be as sustained as it is written hear. This denotes a different style of playing for this "piano" section.

Another characteristic, typical of Haydn and which runs thoughout this piece is the "feminine" phrase endings at the cadences. They are easily spotted where you see a crotchet slurred onto the next chord. Often, this first crotchet has an unresolved harmony (which gets resolved on the second beat). Don't be afraid to lean a little on these slurred crotchets, but always be careful that the second beat is lighter than the first.

When we get to the minor key middle section, the music becomes altogether more legato, to make a nice contrast to the outer sections. Watch out for the long crotchet in bar 31.

The demisemiquavers in bar 62, should always sound easy and flowing, more of a decoration than anything.

Finally, I found a touch of pedal right on the last bar, helps the legato for the last two chords.

The New ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2019/20 - CLICK HERE