Glinka-Balakirev, "The Lark" sheets

[steve]

Does anyone know where I might be able to find sheets for this transcription online?  I've been searching for ages  

Thanks in advance.

[amanfang]

I looked for a long time online too and could not find it.  I ended up buying it in a Dover book - Islamey and other Great Russian Favorites - or something like that.  The book is pretty inexpensive - $13 or $14 US.  

[steve]

Thanks, I guess I'll do that then, next time I'm in town.

It is a sweet, sweet piece

[chopininoff]

I just bought this a coule of weeks ago actually. You get it as sheet music (just the 6 pages of it) on www.sheetmusicplus.com

The publisher is G.Schirmer and costs only US $3.95.

[steve]

Thanks chopinoff, I managed to hunt down the same edition here in the UK for £3.25.

How hard would you say this piece is, out of interest? (I'm currently learning liebestraum 3, great gate at kiev and rach prelude in c# minor, if that helps.)

[chopininoff]

Did you go to musicroom.com for it? I am from the UK too and ordered from there right after I saw it on sheetmusicplus. I initially thought I would cancel/return the sheetmusicplus one but the UK one didn't come for ages so I cancelled that order. Received the US one in a few days though. Maybe it was just an oversight for me. I would go for the UK if possible.

Given what you play you shouldn't find it too hard. It is one of the hardest pieces I have learnt so far (the other being a Chopin Waltz) but I am maybe just slightly below you in standard (doing ABSRSM Grade 8, but hoping to do the Lark for a diploma as an own choice piece). It is probably DipABRSM standard, maybe higher if you are comparing it with the LCM, TCL syllabuses.

The hardest bit notes-wise in the Lark is for me anyway, the middle section with all the scales elaboration of the main theme. To match the hands and have the right hand light as an accompainment when the melody is in the left hand. The first 2 1/2 pages are pretty easy note-wise. I plan to start on the last two pages during the next couple of weeks. I sight read them and it shouldn't be to hard to get the initial hang of.

I think what is hard about this is actually getting it polished musically once you get the notes (I haven't yet) and to get the "ad libitum/free time" stuff really fast and smooth. I don't know what you call them, those smaller sized notes without bar lines.

Another thing is I don't do piano as a career/degree, so what I may find difficult might be easy for some, certainly it would be easy for say Eddie.  

Good luck and enjoy it. It is a lot of fun to play and out of the 7 piecews I have on at the moment, its my favourite (though I love all 7).

BTW, since you are from the UK, you probably heard Benjamin Grosvenor play it? It was him who got me wanting to  play it actually. I have Kissin's rendition of it, which is beautiful. It's an mp3 if you would like me to send it to you? PM me if you do anyway.

[steve]

Hey thanks, I got the Kissin cd a few days ago and that was what made me want to play it so much  

Didn't know benjamin grosvenor played it.  It'd be nice if that guy made it the way Kissin has and didn't vanish like so many child prodigies do.

[chopininoff]

I hope Benjamin continues to be even better than he is now. He played the Lark in the semi finals (keyboard final really to decide who goes to the concerto final). I was completely blow away by him there. The touch he has is fantastic and much more evident in the semis than with the Ravel, partly because of the actual piece(s) but also because in the semis he was solo, you could hear it 100%.

[Clare]

I have a useful article about the piece from Etude magazine - I could send you a scan of it if you're interested.

[steve]

Well, I was all set to order the single sheets from musicroom, but luckily I popped into one of the music shops in town and got it in an Urtext book published by Könemann Music along with Reminiscences of "Life for the Tsar", Scherzo no. 1, Sonata, Polka, 2 Mazurkas and Islamey (all by Balakirev, of course)... for £8! It's a bargain compared to £3.50 for the single sheets

If any of you guys are still looking for The Lark, I'd recommend you get this book.  (ISBN 963 8303 76 X, if that helps you to find it in other countries).