Schubert’s Minuet in A D.334 is a hidden gem of the music repertoire and needs to played to become better known by instrument players and audiences. An ideal concert even encore movement. There are also many arrangements to be discovered on the PlentyMusic website for different combinations of instruments. The Minuet is performed without the written repeats sounding in the realisation. This is a quite enchanting movement demonstrating how much Franz Schubert related to chamber music playing. The arrangements keep close to Schubert’s original score whilst the falling melodic shape / motif at the end of the Minuet is a lovely challenge for performers to deliver with delicacy and musicality. Originally a solo work for piano it is an excellent movement for developing an understanding of musical texture from the historical period around 1820. The music editor suggests a one to the bar feel in performance. A tempo of 56 dotted half notes (minim) beats to the bar is used in the realisation. One of the most challenging aspect of performing this Minuet is distinguishing the notes that are tied from the ones that are slurred. Players should be aiming for a legato in their playing and the avoidance of any exaggerated playing. The playing challenge is to communicate the simplicity of the movement as musically as possible. Composers are often in their “best to understand” mode in what many might consider are relatively easy pieces of music to play. Simplicity is often when they are at their clearest and this can be revealing in understanding and making sense of how to play more challenging works. This work was originally composed for piano with the suggested date for the composition being 1816 establishing it as the work of a teenager. No piano pedalling is indicated in the music score although its use is appropriate. The pedalling should not be too heavy and pedal points should relate to changes in the harmony. The tempo of the minuet and the trio section is the same in the realisation. This is not always the case in Minuet and Trio playing.
