The verve and esprit of this study makes it very enjoyable to both players and listeners. The word arabesque means ornament. Can you make this piece sound like an ornament? What other words come to your mind when thinking of an ornament? You can think of beautiful, fancy, colorful and spirited, to name a few. These words can come to life in this piece if you follow the dynamic and articulation markings carefully (slurs, staccato, accents).
Practice & Performance Tips:
This is an interesting study on five-finger patterns. Strive for an even touch and make sure that the last note of each slur has a slight wrist lift. This lift may help play the second beat more lightly, giving more charm to this study. The tempo marking Allegro scherzando means “lively and jokingly”. The word “leggiero” means light. Do not force the sound, but play from your knuckles.
Analyze the harmony (left hand) for the A section and try to memorize its chord progression. Play each chord with a quick release for a crisp sound.
The B section has the five-finger pattern on the left hand now. Strive for a steady pulse without slowing down. Again, make sure you play the last note of each slur with a quick release/lift. This might become easier if you think of the first note in each downbeat as part of a line. Therefore, your bass line outlined in mm. 11-16 is G-sharp, A, G-sharp, A, C-sharp, D.
Give more excitement to the ending by keeping the beat steady (without speeding up or slowing down) and gradually crescendo until the end. The end is marked “risoluto” (firm and decided). The “sforzando” will help give a dramatic effect. Think of the last chord as the loudest... Sign up for a Gold membership to read the practice tips.
"All of my students are members of Pianostreet and many of my teacher colleagues have joined as well.
It is an excellent resource for students and teachers alike and there is very rarely any need to visit another website or music store in search of sheet music."
"As a frequent user of pianostreet.com I find it easy to navigate, great value for money and very professional. The pieces are all well-graded and the audio is really useful, especially for pieces not heard before. I have recommended the site to many of my friends who play the piano. Keep up the good work."
"Wonderful service! [...] I have no reservation in recommending it as a “must” to all pianists, both teachers
and students, amateur and professional." Read full review >>
Dr. Robert J Keane, pianist
Australia
"I was in Poland the past summer to give 2 concerts. At the last minute they requested some Chopin, which I had not brought with me. So, I google-searched for classical downloads and found your site. I was able to print out excellent editions of the pieces I needed within minutes. To find the scores locally would have been inpossible as it was a smaller town, the nearest music store 45 minutes away."
"Piano Street has been a wonderful tool to me as both a pianist and a piano teacher. I can browse the collection for pieces I want to play and/or have my students play. The difficulty rating system that Piano Street uses enables me to search by difficulty level for pieces at my students' various playing levels. It is helpful that many of the scores include an audio clip of the piece being played. I have recommended to my advanced students that they also join Piano Street since getting sheet music from there is a much less expensive alternative to ordering and paying for the music.
Steve D. Allen, Ph.D.
Owner/Piano Teacher, Allen Music Studio
Houston, Texas Read full letter >>