Grade 3-4 impressionist repertoire

[andrea94]

Hello,

I'm wondering if there's any impressionist repertoire than a grade 3-4 student could play?

[lelle]

The only thing that comes to mind is Saties 3 Gymnopedies. I think most impressionist music is a bit more tricky to play?

[j_tour]

I think most impressionist music is a bit more tricky to play?

I wouldn't say that at all.  Well, "tricky," yeah, I'd agree with that, but not out of reach.  At the very least some (or perhaps all!) of the Children's Corner suite of Debussy can be handled with only modest technique.  Some are trickier than others, but definitely within reach.  Besides, everyone likes a little "Golliwog's Cakewalk," I'd think! 

Just to highlight, because it's called Children's Corner does not indicate these are "pieces for children":  if you played a short recital with that suite alone, no one would call that a little kid performance.  It's entirely within your reach as an intermediate player, but you will have to make many decisions, artistic and mechanically.  It's a collection of pieces entirely meant to be masterfully performed by a very good pianist.  Not a child.

There's a nice Debussy piece called "Feuille d'album" (I think that's the title) which is brief and can be played.

As well as all kinds of things from both books of the Préludes...the slower pieces, in general, are not really great technical affairs, although they require a good amount of artistry.  And there are some others, like "La sérénade interrompue" or "Minstrels" which two could probably be handled with a bit of effort (I'd say those are one step up above the very slow pieces, but not more than one step above in pure mechanics).

Yeah, Debussy wrote a great many works which require quite a bit of flashy technique, but there's much that can be handled, I would say, by an intermediate player, at least with some effort and likely an affinity for the music in the first place.  I don't want to mention the (infamous) Clair de lune:  that's not a difficult piece, and you could play that.  But the only reason I mention is that the Suite it's from, the Bergamesque, the other pieces are not at all simple.  I don't much care for singling out that one piece from the rest.

So, intermediate level, you can certainly play the whole Children's Corner suite, and many items from the préludes and some other bits here and there.  The préludes were not designed to be played necessarily from front to back, so I'm more comfortable recommending those in isolation.

I like his études quite a bit, but those are not easy, not played well:  at least a few steps up in difficulty, and I haven't put in the time to master them.  But something to keep in mind if you decide to specialize in music of that time period and rough style.

I really don't know anything about Ravel, so I couldn't identify other "impressionist" works as easily.  One could probably go so far as to call some of the later préludes of Scriabin a kind of impressionism, of sorts — maybe (!) — and many of those are by no means hyper-technical.  There's one from sort of middle-late opus....Op. 51 no. 2....that has the main performance indication "Lugubre."  That's pretty impressionist-ish, and not difficult.

You might even call the 1st prélude of Chopin in C, from Op. 28 a sort of proto-impressionist work.  It's not really super-difficult, but that might be a bit of a reach for you, in addition to it being tricky to sight read at full speed and energy.  I bet you could play it, though, if you want to stretch yourself a tiny bit.

If anything, in quite a bit of Debussy (not everything, but often enough) the one that might mess you up is using the sostenuto pedal.  But you can get around that as well, sort of, if you're playing an upright, for example, with a little trickery or legerdemain.  I use a digital stage piano for all my acoustic piano needs, and I've never got around to buying a sost. pedal, if this older Yamaha even supports it...it's fine, not something to stress over.

I don't recommend the Alfred published editions:  I find them hard to read for Debussy (well, the ones I've seen). 

I do use the Henle editions for Debussy.  I know the originals are Durand &cie, but since Debussy is a relatively recent composer, mostly, I don't think there's a question of editorial content.  Just whatever's easiest to read.

[aaron_banks]

I have used Christopher Norton's "Eastern Preludes" as an introduction to impressionistic soundscapes: https://www.boosey.com/teaching/sheet-music/Eastern-Preludes-Collection/100873

[dogperson]

I have used Christopher Norton's "Eastern Preludes" as an introduction to impressionistic soundscapes: https://www.boosey.com/teaching/sheet-music/Eastern-Preludes-Collection/100873

I listened to the first couple—- really nice!  Are any of these grade 3-4?  The first two are far from it

[chechig]

The first Debussy's piece I've studied is this page d'album

This is not very difficult either

[roncesvalles]

You might want to take a look at Mompou's "Impresiones Intimas."  I had the same question as you when I first had a teacher, and she recommended these.

[lelle]

Would anyone here say that the Debussy Arabesque no 1 is a grade 3-4 piece? I'm very unfamiliar with the grade system.

[dogperson]

Would anyone here say that the Debussy Arabesque no 1 is a grade 3-4 piece? I'm very unfamiliar with the grade system.

RCM ranks it as a 10, AMEB as 7 and Piano Street as 8
Pianosyllabus.com

Most of the recommendations here are ranked as 6 or above
The only one I would cinider for grade 3-4 student is Mompou.

[j_tour]

Would anyone here say that the Debussy Arabesque no 1 is a grade 3-4 piece? I'm very unfamiliar with the grade system.

Yeah, I would say about ABRSM grade 4.  Maybe 3.

The three against two rhythm is likely the most difficult part of the piece for the average student.

It has a nice appearance in the Hitchcock movie The Birds, played by Tippi Hedren.  I have no doubt that the sound was not live, nor do I know if Tippi could have performed the piece, but its a notable "classical music" moment in the movies.

Probably 3+ -> 4-, I would guess.

RCM ranks it as a 10, AMEB as 7 and Piano Street as 8
Pianosyllabus.com

Most of the recommendations here are ranked as 6 or above
The only one I would cinider for grade 3-4 student is Mompou.

Ninja'ed by the dogperson, but:  Yikes.  Well, apparently I'm way off as far as grading pieces. 

10?  8?  Geez! 

I mean, I'd compare it to, say the Brahms intermezzo in A from Op. 118, just for the rhythmic "challenge."  I had no idea that would be considered beyond the range of 3 or 4 years of full time study.

[dogperson]

Someone posted the piano music of Eugenie Rocherolle on another forum

Un Iowa Pedagogy Project ranks it as Grade 3

There are more but I particularly like Souvenirs du Quebec

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0cGwMM8nIyU

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t-M46oTYpys

[lelle]

Someone posted the piano music of Eugenie Rocherolle on another forum

Un Iowa Pedagogy Project ranks it as Grade 3

There are more but I particularly like Souvenirs du Quebec

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0cGwMM8nIyU

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t-M46oTYpys

Never heard of this composer before. Nice music! It seems like a now living composer? Does that really count as impressionist?

[dogperson]

Never heard of this composer before. Nice music! It seems like a now living composer? Does that really count as impressionist?

It wasn’t composed during the impressionistic period,  but I would still classify it as impressionist.  Souvenirs du Quebec is the impressions of Quebec, IMHO

[chomaninoff1]

Amy Beach - Eskimos op. 64 arctic night

https://ks4.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/c/c7/IMSLP05608-Beach_Eskimos_op.64.pdf very pretty and slow

Amy Beach - Op. 25 No. 2

https://imslp.hk/files/imglnks/euimg/f/f1/IMSLP291959-PMLP67745-Beach-ChildrensCarnival_4-6.pdf

Frank Bridge ‒ 3 Miniature Pastorales

https://ks.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/7/7a/IMSLP11005-Bridge_-_Miniature_pastorales.pdf[/url]
https://ks.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/5/5c/IMSLP647753-PMLP1039084-Bridge_Miniature_Pastorals,_Set_2,_H.149.pdf

Walter Carroll

He has lots of easier pieces that sound beautiful. Look at nos 6 & 8. https://ks.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/7/7c/IMSLP68351-PMLP137981-Walter_Carroll_-_Sea_Idylls.pdf

He has a bunch of other sets too. https://ks4.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/8/8c/IMSLP227716-SIBLEY1802.19415.8089-39087012664712score.pdf
https://petruccimusiclibrary.ca/files/imglnks/caimg/1/18/IMSLP396841-PMLP642089-Carroll,_Walter_-_River_and_Rainbow.pdf


Edward MacDowell op 39 nos. 1 & 3

https://imslp.eu/files/imglnks/euimg/7/70/IMSLP578572-PMLP15791-12etudesfordevel00macd.pdf