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Topic: Sinfonias or French Suites? (Read 2008 times)

faa2010

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Posts: 563

Hi,

I thought I was finally going to begin with WTC 1, after many years of Inventions and Sinfonias, but my teacher told me that first I have to play a French Suite (not all the dances, just some), you may guess my frustration.

However, I am going to give them a chance, specially after listening them, I felt that the no 2 suits my personality (for some reasons, the c minor key has been one of my favourites).

I just want to know if the French Suites are a more advance level than the Three Voice Inventions (Sinfoinas), some web pages said that they are lower, others equal, while others say they are above them.

What do you think?

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quantum

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Posts: 6260

Re: Sinfonias or French Suites?

Reply #1 on: February 14, 2021, 11:42:21 PM

Dance forms played a very important role in the music of the Baroque period. Learning about these by studying a French Suite will help you to understand better the Baroque aesthetic. Studying the dances will help you with the WTC.

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Made a Liszt. Need new Handel's for Soler panel & Alkan foil. Will Faure Stein on the way to pick up Mendels' sohn. Josquin get Wolfgangs Schu with Clara. Gone Chopin, I'll be Bach

brogers70

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Sr. Member
Posts: 1756

Re: Sinfonias or French Suites?

Reply #2 on: February 15, 2021, 12:41:47 AM

Quote from: faa2010 on February 14, 2021, 11:24:25 PM

Hi,

I thought I was finally going to begin with WTC 1, after many years of Inventions and Sinfonias, but my teacher told me that first I have to play a French Suite (not all the dances, just some), you may guess my frustration.

However, I am going to give them a chance, specially after listening them, I felt that the no 2 suits my personality (for some reasons, the c minor key has been one of my favourites).

I just want to know if the French Suites are a more advance level than the Three Voice Inventions (Sinfoinas), some web pages said that they are lower, others equal, while others say they are above them.

What do you think?

Some of the French Suite movements are harder than some of the Preludes and Fugues in WTC and some are easier. Many of the French Suite dances are easier than many of the Sinfonias. If I had to pick just one French Suite, I'd go with the Eb Major, but the C minor is also great - I'm just not that crazy about the Gigue, whereas the Gigue in the Eb Suite is lots of fun to play.

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faa2010

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 563

Re: Sinfonias or French Suites?

Reply #3 on: February 17, 2021, 12:00:09 AM

Quote from: brogers70 on February 15, 2021, 12:41:47 AM

Some of the French Suite movements are harder than some of the Preludes and Fugues in WTC and some are easier. Many of the French Suite dances are easier than many of the Sinfonias. If I had to pick just one French Suite, I'd go with the Eb Major, but the C minor is also great - I'm just not that crazy about the Gigue, whereas the Gigue in the Eb Suite is lots of fun to play.

And the French Suite no 2 dances are easier than the Sinfonias?, yeah, the French Suites are more difficult than the Sinfonias, but if I see them as a whole, if I see them separated, are easier then?

My discourage is that I feel that I won't finish them this semester unless I put aside part of my repertoire and focus totally on them during the semester. The repetoire I have worked until now is the next (and some of them need to be improved)

I can graduate from the next pieces:
- Sinfonia 8 - Bach (completed and recovered)
- Golliwogg's Cakewalk - Debussy (completed and recovered)

The next ones need more work (but my teacher can tell me to left them even though they still need to improve)
- Nocturne op 48 no 1 - Chopin (still need to be improved)
- Sonata op 2 no 1, 1st mov - Beethoven (still need to be improved and memorized)
- Study op 299 no 10 - Czerny (still need to be improved and memorized)

And I still need to work in the other movements of the Beethoven's Sonata, and continue with Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Defunte, which is still in sketch.

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brogers70

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 1756

Re: Sinfonias or French Suites?

Reply #4 on: February 17, 2021, 01:16:28 AM

Quote from: faa2010 on February 17, 2021, 12:00:09 AM

And the French Suite no 2 dances are easier than the Sinfonias?, yeah, the French Suites are more difficult than the Sinfonias, but if I see them as a whole, if I see them separated, are easier then?

My discourage is that I feel that I won't finish them this semester unless I put aside part of my repertoire and focus totally on them during the semester. The repetoire I have worked until now is the next (and some of them need to be improved)

I can graduate from the next pieces:
- Sinfonia 8 - Bach (completed and recovered)
- Golliwogg's Cakewalk - Debussy (completed and recovered)

The next ones need more work (but my teacher can tell me to left them even though they still need to improve)
- Nocturne op 48 no 1 - Chopin (still need to be improved)
- Sonata op 2 no 1, 1st mov - Beethoven (still need to be improved and memorized)
- Study op 299 no 10 - Czerny (still need to be improved and memorized)

And I still need to work in the other movements of the Beethoven's Sonata, and continue with Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Defunte, which is still in sketch.

For what it's worth, I'd say that Beethoven Opus 2 #1, even the first movement, but especially the last, is more difficult than most of the French Suite movements or the Sinfonias, and so if the Ravel Pavane.

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quantum

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Sr. Member
Posts: 6260

Re: Sinfonias or French Suites?

Reply #5 on: February 17, 2021, 01:39:39 PM

Quote from: faa2010 on February 17, 2021, 12:00:09 AM

My discourage is that I feel that I won't finish them this semester unless I put aside part of my repertoire and focus totally on them during the semester.

Work on structuring your available practice time to the music you need to study. You don't need to spend hours on a single piece, day after day. Carefully choose the sections of the music that are in most need of attention and work on that.

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Made a Liszt. Need new Handel's for Soler panel & Alkan foil. Will Faure Stein on the way to pick up Mendels' sohn. Josquin get Wolfgangs Schu with Clara. Gone Chopin, I'll be Bach

faa2010

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 563

Re: Sinfonias or French Suites?

Reply #6 on: February 17, 2021, 04:38:11 PM

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and advice.

I will administrate my time in piano. Normally I want to dedicate 2 hours per day, and there is only one day in the week which I take as a rest (in part because I do house chores).

Also, I need to program myself that learning piano is not just be in front of the piano necessarily, I need also to read and analyze the scores so I can discover some quirks and quips. Eg. Some parts can be similar or even the same like in Chopin Nocturnes and Valses, Beethoven's Sonata op 2 no 1 or the Ravel's Pavane; in Bach the sections can be similar but the tonalities change or another voice sings the same melody.

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