Short but Good? (from Thalberg's Brilliant Idea...)

[ptmidwest]

People are always asking us to "play a little something". 

      Thalberg has a great solution:

I'll just share with you my little trick for when people ask me to play for them.  I don't argue, I immediately say yes, and I play the first variation from the Goldberg Variations.  It's about thirty seconds long, it's cheerful and pretty, and it sounds good at most tempos, so you can take it slower when you're out of shape or faster when you're in shape.  Since it's what I *always* play for strangers, I know it well enough where I don't miss notes anymore at all.  It's very quick and painless, then they're satisfied and the whole situation is over.  

     That variation is just perfect, for the very reasons Thalberg mentioned!

     What are some other great little pieces for those times when a full-blown performance is too heavy?   

     Pieces that would be perfect to have always "at-hand",  to pull out of our hat without great prep effort?

[bernhard]

Here are a few:

J. S. Bach – Giga from Partita I – pretty spectacular due to the extensive hand crossings, but not as difficult as it sounds or looks.

Jacques Ibert – “The Sewing Machine” – Very easy but impressive to lay people. Av ery funny piece as well (it imitates the mechanical noise of a sewing machine)

Theodor Kirchner – “Allegretto Scherzando” (op. 55 no. 11). Possibly the easiest “virtuoso” piece in the literature (it is about grade 1) but you would not say it from listening. One of the attractions of playing this piece for parents is that in three months time the little Mozarts may well be playing it too! So they will be amazed at what a good teacher you are.

Ilinsky  - “TheTop” op. 19 no. 3. – Another easy piece (about grade 5) that sounds and looks far more difficult than it actually is. It reminds one of the “Flight of the bumblebee”.

Elgar – “Griffinesque” – Another delightful piece (just 24 bars long and around grade 4) that is sure to bring a smile to the listeners. The faster you play it, the more “virtuosic” it will appear.

Mozart: “Ah je vous dirais maman” variations. Play the theme (twinkle twinkle little star), and then go on to the first variation (only the first – otherwise you will be playing for the next 20 minutes!). If your audience is not familiar with it, they will be taken by surprise!

Shostakovitch – “Dance” (no. 7 from “Dances of the dolls”) Another delightful fast and short piece that will have everyone in good spirits.

Have a look at those and see if that is what you had in mind, then I will come back with more later.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[keys]

MacDowell's Shadow Dance is a nice little piece, it has some sparkle to it and is not long at all.

[thalberg]

Great thread!!  I like the idea about the Mozart variations--very appealing to lay people!

Bernhard, how do you articulate the melody notes in the Gigue from Partita I?  I've heard it staccato, and I've heard each pair of notes connected.  What do you like?

[bernhard]

Great thread!!  I like the idea about the Mozart variations--very appealing to lay people!

Bernhard, how do you articulate the melody notes in the Gigue from Partita I?  I've heard it staccato, and I've heard each pair of notes connected.  What do you like?

Actually I like both (and a mixture as well).

I think it depends what you want to bring out. If you want to emphasize the dance aspect (it is a giga after all), then I think it should be played fast and staccato (even Rosalyn Tureck who tends to play Bach sometimes excruciatingly slow – flies at supersonic speed on this giga).

However a few years ago I heard a regarding of Claudio Arrau (another “slow” pianist) for Phillips where he plays it really slow connecting everything – it almost sounds like a different piece altogether, very tranquil and reflective. So if that is what you want to emphasise, then of course, legato is the way to go.

Finally, you can mix it. Playing it as a Giga, mostly staccato, the plalce where I think connecting the melody notes can be quite effective (even – oh, shock, horror! adding a touch of pedal) are bars 24 – 30.

Also have a look here:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2384.msg20598.html#msg20598
(how to practise the Giga of Partita 1)



Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[ptmidwest]

           



                            Thank you!

               GREAT!   I am eager to pull up these pieces and  look at them again.  I think I already have most of them.             

                You know, these may be fun for US to carry around, but a lot of students would get a charge out of these short pieces.  What benefits!
                      --they learn the pieces more quickly (quicker gratification)
                      --they can get to a polished level sooner (quicker gratification)
                      -- maintenance is only minimal-to-moderate,  (finally, they can learn HOW to maintain a piece, too)                                                 
                      --there are many more opportunities to play these pieces than an entire movement of a sonata...

                       AND............

                                  (drum roll, here....)

                         They sound good to their audience! 
                 

               
           

[Torp]

***stupid question alert***

I'm looking at the music for the gigue and I'm at a loss as to how you can tell which hand plays which notes.  The version I'm looking at has no fingerings, and the note stems seem to be going in the opposite direction from what Bernhard's explanation in the other thread says.  i.e. the single notes have upward facing stems, which normally correspond to the right hand playing them, while the two-note patterns have downward facing stems.  I realize that the stem direction is not the end-all indicator of which hand plays which notes, but, absent any other indications, how would one know??

[bernhard]

***stupid question alert***

I'm looking at the music for the gigue and I'm at a loss as to how you can tell which hand plays which notes.  The version I'm looking at has no fingerings, and the note stems seem to be going in the opposite direction from what Bernhard's explanation in the other thread says.  i.e. the single notes have upward facing stems, which normally correspond to the right hand playing them, while the two-note patterns have downward facing stems.  I realize that the stem direction is not the end-all indicator of which hand plays which notes, but, absent any other indications, how would one know??

You play the triplets ( two 8th notes+rest) with the right hand and the melodic notes (quarter notes) with the left hand. (The left hand remains on top of the right throughout)

The direction of the stems does not indicate with which hand you should play, but to which voice the note belongs.

It is possible to reverse the hands so that the left hand plays the triplets underneath the right hand which then crosses over to play the melodic notes. I find it very uncomfortable though.

Finally, the famous Russian pianist Alexander Siloti, did not cross hands at all (but then he had huge hands).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Torp]

Thanks, Bernhard.  Though I'm still not sure how I would know if I didn't have you for a resource.  Guess I'll just have to keep posting on pianoforum.

Jef

[bernhard]

Thanks, Bernhard.  Though I'm still not sure how I would know if I didn't have you for a resource.  Guess I'll just have to keep posting on pianoforum.

Jef

How would you know? That is a good question.

Exoperience plays a part in it (onceyou have seen pieces with crossing hands you may be willing experiment with it).


Ultimately I think the answer is simply that it is the easiest way to play it. Try not crossing the ahnds and you will see what I mean.

Also crossing the hands defined virtuosity in the Baroque. It was a bit of a circus trick. If a keyboardist did not cross the hands, he was no good.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Torp]

Yeah, I can grasp pretty readily that hand crossing is occurring, I just wasn't sure how you could tell which hand should be doing the crossing.  Experience and ease are answers I can live with.  Thanks again...Jef

[bernhard]

Yeah, I can grasp pretty readily that hand crossing is occurring, I just wasn't sure how you could tell which hand should be doing the crossing.  Experience and ease are answers I can live with.  Thanks again...Jef

There is a discussion here about crossing hands:

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7310.msg72914.html#msg72914
(Fur elise : which hand to use – the score is a model – use whatever hand is comfortable – Scarlatti k 27 as another example)


Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Torp]

That thread went into much more detail behind what you had said.  It all makes sense.  Thank you...Jef

[bernhard]

Have a look here, where I have shown how to divide the notes between the two hands in Bach’s Sinfonia no. 1 (which is in three voices):

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,10835.0.html

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[ptmidwest]

Interesting posts.  Thank you, all. 

Yes, this is the type of rep I meant, and I'm still on the lookout for a couple of these.   We have a few teachers here that feel like adding a couple fresh pieces to their performing rep now, because such pieces are so accessible and also so usable with our students.  They are well worth the time to learn or relearn. 

It's an added bonus that a student loves hearing a piece that another, more advanced student may be playing.

A greater bonus is when it's a piece that the student may be able to play "in a few_____,"   if they keep up their practicing.

Best of all, we're having a bit of fun playing again.  Any bright spot helps, cuz attitude is everything...

Thanks.

[llamaman]

I love the second movement of a Sonatina in G by Diabelli. That's short, simple yet crowd-pleasing. My book doesn't give the opus # though........

[ted]

Ptmidwest:

Why not just improvise something and attribute it to a fictitious composer ? I used to have a couple at the ready for whom I even invented fascinating and elaborate biographies. Most people, even musicians and academics, wouldn't have a bloody clue whether you're having them on or not provided you keep a straight face, and the more they think they know the more frightened they are of appearing ignorant. My teacher used to be very good at it. He went further and told them things were by well known composers. I was never game to do that myself but nobody ever called his bluff and he moved in some very "high class" musical circles.

[ptmidwest]

Well, Ted, because I can't. 

Now, spinning a yarn with a straight face, you bet.  You would be shocked at what I can pull off... well, that's another thread...

But the prospect of practicing, learning, memorizing, and maintaining several "smaller-but-effective" pieces is so very much more attractive to me (and easier) than is (gasp) improvising something!  My improv days are over, I'm afraid.  I do stay on top of it enough to teach early improv skills to students, because it is SO important to me that my students get at least a start at this, and feel comfortable and welcome to create their own, no matter what level (and for theory & skills class it makes harmonization so much easier).

Wish I could do what you can do, but not enough to apply myself, I'm afraid.   Maybe I will recover from my laziness...