La Campanella

[chopiabin]

OK, I really like this piece, but I have a few questions. I have not found this piece to be as terribly difficult as it sounds (or looks), but I am mostly just doing right hand now.

1. Once you learn the right hand, is it hard to learn the bass with it?

2 How long does it take most people?

3 If I'm deciding between Rachmaninov preludes or La Campanella to have finished by the time of my senior recital (in May), which should I pick? I'm working on three other pieces as well, so I have somewhat limited time.

[Goldberg]

You will invariably hear different responces on this topic, but allow me to be the first to reply. I'll start by agreeing with you: it is not nearly as hard as it sounds! First I'd like to ask, how far along are you, even if it's just right hand alone? Also, it won't make too much difference but what is your general skill level? I'm sure others on the forum know you better than I do, but what are the other pieces you're working on?
1) The bass is actually REMARKABLY easy to learn after the right hand; in fact there was very little learning going on when I did the piece, the left hand just "made sense" and it wasn't long before it made the moves automatically.
2) It took me approxiamently three months to learn the piece (and I played it in a recital a month later), but I admittedly started when it was still beyond me technically. I'm sure any slightly more experienced pianist than myself could have it memorized (which is not difficult at all, given the simple theme-and-variation set up) and up to preformance level in a month or two.
3) Again, it would be helpful to know which other pieces you're working on not only to tell if it'll be too much to add Campanella but to see if Campanella would fit into the rest of the program better or worse than the Rach preludes.
Overall, though, I think it's realistic to have it done by May and in satisfying condition.

[chopiabin]

Right now I'm on the section with all of those runs, and I've only been working on it for a few days. I have also looked ahead and messed with those octave sections. Right now I'm working on Chopin's Revolutionary and Oceans etudes as well as his nocturne in Cminor op.48#1. I'm wonderiong if I couldn't do La Campanella and one Rach prelude. Ive been wanting to do a piece with some good finger work and delicacy, so La Campanella makes sense to me.

I think that this piece is difficult technically, but it is based off of the same repeating patterns, so it always "makes sense."

[e60m5]

La Campanella is not as difficult as it sounds or as its reputation may have one believe, as has been stated. The section with the runs is perhaps the funnest part to play .

Which Rachmaninoff Preludes would you be considering?

[chopiabin]

I was thinking of 2 of these: op.23 #2, op.32#10, op.32#12.

About Campanella, I agree, learning the right hand has actually been relatively easy so far, and I think that the hardest part will be the part with the trills in the melody. I have tried out those cool octave sections which were also not bad. But how long will it take approximately? Also, this m,ay sound very stupid, but on those first 2 or 3 runs (not the ones with the doubling back thing), are they straight chromatic? This was how I played them until I looked at then the other day and now it looks like the ends go from (I think) E natural to F double sharped. Am I just reading this wrong, or is that how they go?

[ilovemusic]

I think it is chromatic to F sharp, not F double sharp.

Damn, my chromatic scales are too slow.
As are my trills, but I am not there yet. Wonderfull piece though.

Joost.

[Goldberg]

I was thinking of 2 of these: op.23 #2, op.32#10, op.32#12.

About Campanella, I agree, learning the right hand has actually been relatively easy so far, and I think that the hardest part will be the part with the trills in the melody. I have tried out those cool octave sections which were also not bad. But how long will it take approximately? Also, this m,ay sound very stupid, but on those first 2 or 3 runs (not the ones with the doubling back thing), are they straight chromatic? This was how I played them until I looked at then the other day and now it looks like the ends go from (I think) E natural to F double sharped. Am I just reading this wrong, or is that how they go?

Chopiabin, if it were my recital, for the Rach preludes I'd do the op. 32 no. 10 and no. 12, I just like both of those. Would you consider the C minor one, though, with all the runs? I always thought that would be cool to have in a recital and not very difficult. But it's not my choice, and to be honest I'm not very experienced in Rachmaninoff, well, anything.
As for Campanella, well, ILoveMusic was correct, it's from E to F#. I also agree that the "trills" part of the piece is one of the most difficult places in the piece, and one that I spent a considerable deal of time over and never really perfected, but then most people don't. The hardest part, however, IMO is the very last page...it may not seem hard at a slow tempo, but when you get up to speed, those left hand octaves can get you pretty bad, so watch out! Still, it sounds like you're making fair progress, and I don't think you'll have to worry about anything as far as time goes.

[chopiabin]

Strangely, my teacher and I have decided that I definitely need some Baroque in my repertoire, so I'm going to play a Scarlatti sonata as one of the pieces. I'm going to continue to work on La Campanella for my college and Guild auditions, and then later, over the summer, I will do some Rachmaninov. Which prelude is it that you are thinking of?

[Bosendorfer_214]

I dont know, this piece is pretty difficult, especially if you have to play it on a piano with crappy repetition.  Just wait till you get about 3 pages in at full tempo, then tell me how easy it is.  

[chopiabin]

OK.

[ludwig]

hehe.... I agree Bosendorfer_214, I played it a few years ago and it was a difficult piece. And I don't think it does get easier after you've put in the left hand. Sure the right hand has most of the fancy stuff, but I thought the piece to be a difficult one becuase of the coordination and the musical side of it was pretty hard to bring out. Sure its Liszt but it is still one of his most musical pieces in my opinion. It has a simple melodic line but it is so hard to bring it out because of the complexity of textures of each of the sections, and how the melody is so intertwined within those textures.

I played the piece in my 2nd last year of High school for a recital and concert and it took me half a year to get it "okay"...hehe I found it difficult for sure

[chopiabin]

I'm playing it for guild and college auditions.