Etude in Db; Op 41 No. 5
Louise Farrenc
The tempo of this piece is marked “Andante con moto”, by which the composer is indicating that although it should be at a walking pace, it should not be too sluggish, but rather have some forward momentum.
Voicing the melody will be especially important in order to get a good mark in an exam. This is usually the top of the RH and care should be taken that the thumb of this hand does not get too heavy in the alto notes that alternate with the melody.
As for pedalling, this should be done on every change of harmony, which invariably will be every quaver to avoid a blurry sound. However as always use your ear to make informed decisions about pedalling.
The turns in bars 10, 14 (and their corresponding bars in the reprise) could be securely executed by playing a triplet on the second semiquaver of the bar with the fourth note of the turn coinciding with the third LH semiquaver.
From bars 16 - 20, be aware of the rests in the LH, clearing both fingers and pedal on the second beat of each bar.
A touch of rubato would be a tasteful addition to your performance, especially at the ends of phrases such as bars 8 and 21.
In the middle section a change of mood is needed, to something more intense and more dramatic. This is hinted at, not only with the change to a minor key, but also the increase in tempo (from quaver = 108 to 120). Again the melody should not be drowned out by the busy LH accompaniment which I like to imagine as the distant rumbling of thunder.
Take care with the dotted rhythms, ensuring that demisemiquavers always follow AFTER the last note of the sextuplets.
In bar 34, note that the melody goes to the upper LH, so now the RH will need a reduction in tone in its new accompanimental role.
The end of the middle section ends on a fermata (pause) which should not be hurried as we need time to adjust into the initial mood of calmness when the reprise starts in bar 60.
Otherwise all comments above regarding the first section will apply to this final section also.
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