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A movement with beauty, shape and a sense of space. The imitation principle is understandably very strong in this work composed, the music editor unde Read More...
A movement with beauty, shape and a sense of space. The imitation principle is understandably very strong in this work composed, the music editor understands, when Schumann was intent on restoring rigour and confidence to his own compositional process. For the players there is surprisingly intensity and discipline needed to play this relatively short movement. Whilst this music references the past there is a romantic twist or two in the harmonic language. A tempo of 84 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is used in the realisation. Trills begin on the note and have been written out in the first section of the score in the ossia staves. Understand that the melodic and rhythmic shapes of the ornaments are constant throughout the whole movement. The French word for study is Etude and those who develop or have developed a keen interest in music will be very aware of the many musical challenges associated with this word! Schumann’s Canonic Studies were composed in 1845 for pedal piano and subsequently arranged for piano duet / piano four hands by Georges Bizet. There are also other versions for organ, two pianos and string quartet. The accompaniment downloads available enable players to enjoy an ensemble music experience playing either the Primo or Secondo parts. The Primo part sounds on the one channel of the stereo signal and the Secondo part sounds on the other. Accompaniment 1 plays at 80 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute, Accompaniment 2 at 76 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and Accompaniment 3 at 72 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute and Accompaniment 4 at 68 quarter note beats to the minute.. There is a two bar count in with the sound of a woodblock. When performing printing two pages of music onto one side of A4 offers a very practical solution for players. Close
Composed in the key In the key A minor this movement in ABA ternary form has a haunting quality. The realisation plays back at 66 dotted quarter notes Read More...
Composed in the key In the key A minor this movement in ABA ternary form has a haunting quality. The realisation plays back at 66 dotted quarter notes to the minute. The voice leading particularly in the two top lines of the organ solo is often quite difficult to follow and that is why the piano duet version arranged by Bizet and the two piano version arranged by Debussy are well worth exploring. The music editor suggests slow practice in the first instance to ensure that the reading of the notes and accidentals is accurate. Chromaticism is a strong feature of this movement. There is opportunity to explore tempo rubato in a performance. In romantic music this refers to the give and as far (speeding up and slowing down) as far as tempo is concerned. There is a substantial amount of score detail in the sheet music scores particularly in respect to the articulation of notes. Players may well wish to make use of the piano sustaining pedal although its use has not been indicated in the sheet music score. In temperament, Schumann was quite insecure and the Studies in Canon perhaps reflect the need for a himto reacquaint himself with the discipline of counterpoint. The accompaniment downloads available enable players to enjoy an ensemble music experience playing either the Primo or Secondo parts. The Primo part sounds on the one channel of the stereo signal and the Secondo part sounds on the other. Accompaniment 1 plays at 72 dotted quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute, Accompaniment 2 at 69 dotted quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute, Accompaniment 3 at 66 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute and Accompaniment 4 at 63 quarter note beats to the minute. There is a two bar count in with the sound of a woodblock. When performing printing two pages of music onto one side of A4 offers a very practical solution for players. Close
The Studies in Canon Opus 56 of Schumann are perfect pieces for the music student because they refer to the past with the chromatic language of the ro Read More...
The Studies in Canon Opus 56 of Schumann are perfect pieces for the music student because they refer to the past with the chromatic language of the romantic period and are ordered and appealing music to play. The Opus 56 collection can be appreciated on so many levels and the pieces exist in a number of different arrangements. This is music that re-invents J.S.Bach style than direct imitating or copying. The realisation in the video score is clearly not as nuanced as a live performance. Pianists should approach playing thee Opus 56 pieces with a lightness in the hands ensuring that there is clarity in their understanding of the musical texture. The texture is transparent in that there are two melodies exploring the canonic and imitative aspects of the music, a chordal accompaniment and a bass line. The realisation plays at 72 eighth (quaver) notes to the minute in the first section from bar 1 to 19 and then 80 eighth notes for the remainder of the movement with the occasional slowing down or rit. The performance practice associated with the Study in Canon No. 4 also varies adding further interest to the music’s study. The score detail in place in the sheet music score is particularly relevant to the tonal qualities of modern instruments. Managing the tempo through the playing of the whole piece is one of the challenges of a performance and more than one approach can be employed. The dynamic range is an additional aspect of the performance that can be explored. It is necessary to have an understanding of the strong chromatic element in the music which is particularly evident in the bass line and the chordal accompaniment. There is value in pianists playing through the lines to understand the imitation processes that are incorporated in the score. The music included in Robert Schumann’s Opus 56 collection has been arranged by Georges Bizet for piano duet and Claude Debussy for two pianos and in these arrangements the composing principles of canon and imitation aspects are much easier to explore. Players need to pay attention to the rhythmic detail and the chromatic detail. The mordents have been written out in the video score although the music editor suggests omitting the small decorative/ornamental notes in the early stages of learning the movement. The uses of the sustaining pedal whilst recommended has not been indicated in the sheet music score. The small decorative notes in the turns in bars 17, 19 and 65 do not sound in the video score or realisation. In the video score each line of music is associated with a stave and so the music is presented slightly differently to how it appears in the sheet music score. The video score plays at 72 quaver beats from bar 1 – 18 and and then in the piu mosso section at 80 eighth notes (quaver) to the minute. Pianists will need to ensure that the reading of the notes and accidentals is accurate as the chromatic element in the movement is strong . There is opportunity to explore tempo rubato in a performance. In romantic music this refers to the give and take (speeding up and slowing down) as far as tempo is concerned. Players may well wish to make use of the piano sustaining pedal although its use has not been indicated in the sheet music score. The accompaniment downloads available enable players to enjoy an ensemble music experience playing either the primo or secondo part. The primo part sounds on the one side of the stereo channel channel and the secondo on the other. Accompaniment 1 plays at 68 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute in the first section and then 72 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute. Accompaniment 2 plays at 72 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute in the first section and then 80 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute. Accompaniment 3 plays at 76 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute in the first section and then 88 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute. Accompaniment 4 plays at 80 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute in the first section and then 90 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute.Accompaniment 5 plays at 82 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute in the first section and then 92 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute. There is a two bar eighth note (quaver) count in to the sound of a woodblock. In a performance situation printing two pages of music onto one side of A4 offers a practical solution for players. Close
The music opens and closes with an Andantino section that plays back at 72 quarter note beats to the minute while the section marked poco più mosso p Read More...
The music opens and closes with an Andantino section that plays back at 72 quarter note beats to the minute while the section marked poco più mosso plays at 84 quarter note or crotchet beats to the minute. The longer middle section of the Canon is in ABA (ternary) form. Both appoggiaturas (leaning notes) and acciaccaturas (crushed notes) feature as ornaments in the score. There are also some additional ornaments and for those that require clarity on how they should be played refer to the video score on our YouTube channel. The performance practice with this movement the music editor would suggest is at times ambiguous and at best inconsistent. The music editor has avoided suggesting a rit at the end of the movement although in performance this is an option. The texture can be described as a melody played as a canon and creating two voices, combined with an accompaniment figuration very typical of much of the composer’s keyboard music and a bass line. The Studies in Canon Opus 45 date from 1845 and were composed when the composer was focused on developing contrapuntal discipline in his writing. Pianists can also explore the piano duet version of Georges Bizet and the two piano version by Claude Debussy whilst the piano trio arrangements of Kirchner provide additional repertoire and ensemble opportunities. There is opportunity to explore tempo rubato in a performance. In romantic music this refers to the give and take (speeding up and slowing down) within a phrase as far as tempo is concerned. Some use of the sustaining pedal is suggested but it has not been indicated in the sheet music score. The accompaniment downloads available enable players to enjoy an ensemble music experience playing either the Primo or Secondo parts. The Primo part sounds on the one channel of the stereo signal and the Secondo part sounds on the other. Accompaniment 1 plays at 80|100|80 quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute, Accompaniment 2 plays at 76|90|76 quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute, Accompaniment 3 at 72|84|72 quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute dotted quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute, and Accompaniment 4 at 68|80|68 quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute. The two bar count in features the sound of a woodblock. When performing printing two pages of music onto one side of A4 offers a very practical solution for players. Close
The piano duet arrangement of Schumann’s Studies in Canon by Bizet are hidden treasures in the repertoire. Bizet’s exploration of Schumann’s mus Read More...
The piano duet arrangement of Schumann’s Studies in Canon by Bizet are hidden treasures in the repertoire. Bizet’s exploration of Schumann’s music adds to the composer’s original intention by exploring the musical texture in a broader musical space. This is a quiet slow movement in reflective mood with a compositional approach that is vocal in its style and certainly in the first instance reminiscent of Bach’s 4 part chorale writing although with romantic chromatic harmony. The melody is not always in the top line and as in 4 part chorale writing it is the tenor line that often needs to be prominent. The second middle section is presented as a fugal exposition. The final section is introduced by a dotted rhythm as an upbeat in bar 32 and returns to the mood and style of the first section although this final section has more contrast and is more dramatic. Schumann’s original intention is to combine beauty of sound with a legato touch and it is important for pianists to aim for the best legato possible in their playing. The realisation plays back at 60 quarter note beats to the minute with the tempo is marked adagio in the score. This is a challenging movement from the music reading point of view because of the chromaticism and tied notes. For those wishing to see how the ornaments in the realisation are played refer to the video score on the PlentyMusicCo YouTube channel. Simply click the link on the PlentyMusic home page and search for the score. Trills begin on the note. The final chord should be spread evenly from the lowest to the highest sound. There are many arrangements of this particular movement and the music editor suggests that along with Schumann’s other Studies in Canon they are ideal works to introduce intermediate level players to chamber music playing. Do explore the solo piano, piano duet, two piano and trio versions available on the PlentyMusic website. Accompaniments are also available enabling pianists to explore and develop their ensemble skills. The primo part sounds on one side of the stereo channel and the secondo part on the other. There are four accompaniments available in the tempo range from 58 to 64 quarter beats to the minute. Close
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