Can someone explain to me how to do the trills in PIano sonata k545 by mozart?

[ilovemusik]

Particularly in measure 4 and measure 15.

thanks

[rc]

I pulled up the music from www.sheetmusicarchive.net, and I like how that edition has it written out for bar 4, also how they started the trill in bar 15 from the upper note (so it would be AGAG in 32nd notes).

I've found that for bar 15 that I'm able to get a cleaner trill by using fingers 1 and 3 (then hitting the f# with 2).

I like this way because it doesn't repeat the note before the trills, which I think gives a cleaner flow which suits the melody.

[ilovemusik]

thanks rc for the sheets. now i know where i get free classical music pieces.. :-) your're Awesome! 

[rc]

Your welcome, I'm glad to help

One thing to keep in mind is these scores are free because they're public domain, and they're public domain because they're old (over 75 years I believe).  Back then they weren't so picky with regards to research and editing of scores, like today where everything must be urtext.  So just keep in mind when you use a score from that site, that you can't be sure which markings came from Mozart and which were added in by some unknown editor.  Compare it with a modern edition and you will find a lot of differences in the details.

[ilovemusik]

about the trill, i play GFGF then EFE. is this a right trill? coz in my book it starts on FGF then EFE. but my professor keeps telling me to starts on G.

[rc]

I know JSBach wrote out explicit instructions on how to execute ornaments and in these directions he always started a trill with the upper note.

But conventions change, the authority on ornamentation from Mozarts time was JSB's son, CPE Bach.  He wrote a nice long chapter on embellishments in his 'Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments'.  I checked it out and CPE Bach also starts his trills on the upper note, but he also says we can play what he calls a half or short trill when the trill is approached stepwise from above (like in bar 4 of this Mozart sonata).

The short trill is like a normal trill (GFGF), but because the note before the trill is the same as the first note of the trill we can just hold the G rather than play it twice.

So instead of:

G GFGF

It can be played:

G-(G)FGF   <- the second G is tied to the first

The section in the book is paragraph 30 if you'd like to look it up, there are lots of written examples so it's easier to understand than what I'm trying to do here

[Essyne]

I started messing around w/ this piece a couple of days ago, and I had a "general trill" question regarding speed (that is - - - how do you get your trills UP to speed w/o sacrificing notes (my fingers tend to get tied up and then I slow down - - - it's quite annoying  ))? Is it just a practice thing?

[ilovemusik]

i think practice it very slowly at first then gradually play it faster until you get it. whenever i play a trill i just relax my fingers and don't press too much tension on the keys.