The Children’s March is an intermediate level piano duet. The repeats are played in the realization and the formal pattern can be summarized as follows. March: A A B B Trio: A A B B March Da Capo (No repeats) AB. This is a template that appears in much classical and romantic music. As is the convention the repeats are not played in the Da Capo repeat of the March. There is a great range of tempo explored in the many performances available of this march. The realization playback at 96 quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute. This is a characterful and appealing piece with enough contrast and charm to make it an interesting performance piece for both performers and audiences. No sustaining pedal is indicated in the sheet music score although its (minimal) use is suggested. Musical ideas are shared between the parts and players need to be sensitive with regard to the dynamics that they use. Many of Schubert’s greatest works are composed for piano duet and he made a substantial contribution to the repertoire. The composing context often related to his circle of friends for whom he would often write music. Whilst the Children’s March is a short work there are some substantial and large scale works also waiting to be explored. In the Trio section the triplets require a lightness in of touch in the way they are played. It is also important to understand that the Primo and Secondo parts are rhythmically independent. The accompaniment downloads that are 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 96 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute, Accompaniment 2 at 90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and Accompaniment 3 at 84 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute. If players are using a metronome in their preparation then it might be sensible to play to a half note or minim beat. When performing printing two pages of music onto one side of A4 offers a very practical solution for players.
