change of speed in the same mouvement of sonatina

[rmbarbosa]

Hi, there´s a very easy sonatina of Diabelli, no 1, in G major, it`s a very easy one but I do like it and play it for my own amusement. We cant play only difficult pieces...
In the first mouvement, andantino dulce, there´s some bars in stacatto. If one play them a bit faster then the others sections, this section gives us a feel of joy like a little boy whistling and running along the street. But if we do so, the theme looses its sweetness.
I do know that we can change the tempo, along the same piece. But this change must be gradual and return to the tempo.
My question is: may I increase gradually the speed in those bars and return to the tempo when the theme returns? Or must I respect the tempo? Because it`s a classic sonatina, not a romantic piece.
Thanks a lot
rui

[michael_c]

First, it's OK to make a change in tempo for to underline a contrast in character between two passages in classical music. I know Mattheson had something to say about this in "Der Vollkommene Capellmeister" but I haven't been able to locate the passage in my facsimile copy. It was quite usual, for example, to slightly slow down for a lyrical second subject in a sonata movement.

This is quite different from rubato within a passage, where most musicians (Mozart and C.P.E. Bach, to name but two famous examples) agreed that the beat should stay in strict time while the melody played freely against it: "the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing".

I don't know the sonatina to which you are referring, but from your description your idea of interpretation sounds perfectly reasonable. You should be well aware of when you change tempo and when you don't (best check with a metronome). Some transitions are suited to a gradual change whereas in other places it may be more appropriate to make a more sudden change: you'll just have to rely on your artistic taste.

[rmbarbosa]

Thank you, Michael