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Composed in the key In the key A minor this movement in ABA ternary form has a haunting beautiful quality. Debussy has created an arrangement which h Show More...
Composed in the key In the key A minor this movement in ABA ternary form has a haunting beautiful quality. Debussy has created an arrangement which has beauty, shape and a sense of space. Debussy probably better than any other communicates the elements of the canonic study in his two piano arrangement of this movement creating the space and texture to communicate the details of the canon. Some of the detail of the scoring is different to Schumann’s original version for pedal piano. It is very interesting that other composers have re-visited Schumann’s Studies in Canon Opus 56 namely Bizet and Debussy. Tempo rubato is a musical element that could be explored in a performance although it has not been used in the realisation. The accompaniment downloads available enable players to enjoy an ensemble music experience playing either the Piano I or Piano II parts. The Piano I part sounds on the one channel of the stereo signal and Piano II on the other. Accompaniment 1 plays at 69 dotted quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute, Accompaniment 2 at 66 dotted quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute, Accompaniment 3 at 63 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute and Accompaniment 4 at 60 quarter note beats to the minute. There is a two bar count in with the sound of a woodblock. As the music is in 12/8 time the music editor suggests that players should familiarise themeselves with this. In a performance situation printing two pages of music onto one side of A4 offers a practical solution for players. Close
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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 Show 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 both 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 directly imitating or copying it. The realisation in the video score is clearly not as nuanced as a live performance. Pianists should approach playing the Study in Canon No.4 with a lightness in the hands ensuring that there is clarity in their understanding of the musical texture. The texture is straightforward 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 each of 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. 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 Piano 1 or Piano 2 part. The Piano 1 sounds on the one side of the stereo channel channel and the Piano 2 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 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 90 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute. Accompaniment 5 plays at 84 eighth (quaver) note beats to the minute in the first section and 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
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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 Show 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 the violin parts. 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
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The Debussy arrangements of Schumann’s Studies in Canon for Two Pianos are an exploration of Schumann’s original music from both the spatial and Show More...
The Debussy arrangements of Schumann’s Studies in Canon for Two Pianos are an exploration of Schumann’s original music from both the spatial and textural point of view. This is a quiet slow movement in reflective mood with a compositional approach that is vocal in its style and reminiscent of Bach’s 4 part chorale writing although with chromatic harmony of Schumann’s own time. 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 returns to the mood and style of the first section although this section has both more contrast and drama. Schumann’s 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 marked as 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 out PlentyMusicCo YouTube channel. Simply click the link on the PlentyMusic home page and search for the score. Trills in this time 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. Accompaniments are available enabling pianists to explore and develop their ensemble skills. The piano 1 part sounds on one side of the stereo channel and piano 2 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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A movement with beauty, shape and a sense of space. The imitation principle is understandably strong in this work composed at a time that Schumann was Show More...
A movement with beauty, shape and a sense of space. The imitation principle is understandably strong in this work composed at a time that Schumann was intent on restoring rigour and contrapuntal discipline in his compositional approach. Whilst this music references the past there is a romantic twist or two in the harmonic language. A tempo of 76 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is used in the realisation. Trills begin on the note and have been written out in the video score. Understand that the melodic and rhythmic shapes of the ornaments are constant throughout the whole movement. Schumann’s Canonic Studies were composed in 1845 for pedal piano and subsequently many other arrangements have been created. The two piano parts piano 1 and piano 2 can be also be downloaded as an mp3 accompaniment enabling players to enjoy an ensemble music experience playing either the piano 1 or piano 2. Piano 1 sounds on one side of the stereo channel and piano 2 part on the other. The accompaniments play at 64, 68, 72,76 and 80 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. There is a 2 bar click beat before the music starts playing. When performing printing two pages of music onto one side of A4 offers a practical solution for players. Close
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Debussy’s two piano arrangement of Schumann’s original version for pedal piano. The pedal piano was an instrument used by organists as a practice Show More...
Debussy’s two piano arrangement of Schumann’s original version for pedal piano. The pedal piano was an instrument used by organists as a practice instrument. A quite vivid movement although one isn’t sure what Schumann’s original intention is endeavouring to describe although from the music view a march pattern is suggested both by the time signature and the musical ideas. The two piano version has a playback tempo of 104 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. The tempo direction in the score is to play the movement “Not too fast.” A canon arises in the description of a musical piece simply because musical ideas are imitated by another voice or instrument. It doesn’t necessarily describe the overall form or structure of a piece. The Study in Canon No.5 is in three sections ABA’ with Section B beginning at bar 37 and the varied repeat of A at bar 83. Understand that the canonic element in Schumann’s time references all the musical elements and not just pitch: dynamics, articulation, ornamentation are all part of the canonic process. The crushed notes or acciaccaturas are a prominent musical feature. This is essentially a study in the articulation of short notes and occasional longer notes. Compositional process is evident from bar 49 where the canonic element involves inversion. This is a challenging music setting to engrave and prepare for print mainly because the score has so much detail which is not easy to represent with clarity on the sheet music page. Accompaniments are available featuring the Piano 1 sounding on one side of the stereo channel and Piano 2 on the other. They play at 92, 96, 100 and 104 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute enabling the pianists to incorporate ensemble practice as part of their routine. Close
