Sonatina in A Minor

Post Reply
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

piano Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

Sonatina in A Minor-page-001.jpg
Sonatina in A Minor-page-002.jpg

elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

Fantastic work this week!

Go through the beginning:
First line both hands
Second line RIGHT HAND
Third line both hands
Fourth line RIGHT HAND

Remember to COUNT - one e and a two e and a OR ticka ticka ticka ticka
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

Go through 25-32 with both hands

Then go through from the beginning to 32
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

AMAZING WORK!! It's sounding so good already, well done! :star: :star: :star: :star:


WORK ON the fluidity of these bars in sections:

13-16
28-32
25-32
17-32
1-32
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

Great job today!

This week add on 33-40, and also work on the beginning in sections until they're all really smooth and comfortable.
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

Background:
This sonatina is definitely Benda’s most popular from his 34 or so keyboard sonatas and sonatinas, according to Wikipedia’s count. Benda was mostly known for his operas and melodramas which influenced Mozart. His short and accessible one-mov’t sonatinas are mostly intermediate in level. This A minor one appears the most often in educational piano collections and is a real favorite among students because of its dramatic flair, tunefulness, and toccata character, all of which are typical of Benda’s keyboard style.

The Focus:
Arpeggiation between hands, cross-overs, part-writing, and rhythmic variation are all present in this short work which seems to always alternate moods. Wonderful drama is created from these contrasting elements which makes this piece exhilirating to play.

Interpretative Content:
The variety of textures and rhythmic motifs could cause one to alter the tempo from one theme to another. Students often rush the fast-moving material (16ths) and then slow the tempo on the longer tones. This tendency could cause the piece to lose its energy so counting aloud is really essential, especially counting in subdivisions as needed.

Study the form (ternary – ABA) and label each section to see where/if the sections share similar melodic or rhythmic material. Note also where Benda uses A minor or E Major (the dominant) or C Major (relative major) and the primary chords of these keys. Knowing what geography you’re going to encounter speeds the learning process.

Practice Ideas to Get You Started:
You may want to review the key of A minor a bit. Run a few scales in 16ths (all forms of the minor scales) and the primary chords and arpeggios. Look in the score to see where Benda includes the primary chords and how (broken? blocked?)

After a few slow readings, divide the piece into study sections first by form (A section vs. B section) and then into smaller sections within wherever you see contrast in rhythm or melody.

EX: Mm. 1 – 4 vs. mm. 5 -8 (16th-note flourishes vs. syncopated melody)

Perhaps study all the 16th-note areas first, solidfying the fingerings and working for evenness and steadiness in each instance. Then shift to the melodic ideas with longer tones such as the syncopated theme (mm. 5-8 and similar). The syncopated themes contain diverse material in each hand so be careful to acknowledge the slurs and the legato indications in the LH.

Once you have the continuity in the small sections mastered (and a consistent tempo), join sections to make 8mm. phrases and so forth. Keep a reliable “working” tempo and gradually increase it daily to an Allegro over the next 14 days. None of my present editions contains a metronome marking and Benda didn’t write one (since the metronome wasn’t invented yet). A good rule of thumb for an Allegro is to play 16ths just fast enough to sound like they are indeed 16ths when compared to eighths and quarters.
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

bar 29 - low c
bar 33 - check octave
bars 41-46
then whole thing
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

1-4/9-12: be careful of the phantom rests - NO HESITATION
23-24: smoother
32: crotchet length
elise
Site Admin
Posts: 1540
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 12:19 pm

Re: Sonatina in A Minor

Post by elise »

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy with this piece, well done. :trophy: :trophy: :trophy: :trophy: :trophy:

Start to think about the driving force behind the piece - what is the story? Why does it move the sections along, and move the dynamics?
Get the dynamics nice and strong.

Bar 44/45 rhythm - ti TA ti TA TA

Be careful with those phantom rests, they pop up occasionally.
Post Reply