Composed in 1849, this movement could be described as a song without words having a restless haunting quality which needs to be communicated in a perf Show More...
Composed in 1849, this movement could be described as a song without words having a restless haunting quality which needs to be communicated in a performance. The score is marked “Zart und mit Ausdruck” which translates as “Tender with expression.” What is challenging is that the piece can be satisfactorily performed at quite a number of different tempi from 80 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute to ones in excess 100+. Tempo matters however always need to be always under control - slight speeding ups and slowing downs (tempo rubato) are quite appropriate for the style of the movement but players need to prevent the music from running away with itself which can so easily happen encouraged particularly by the triplet figuration. In this realisation the tempo is 90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. It is an excellent ensemble piece and particular good one for a player to learn about how to perform music. There are many performances available to listen to in the media featuring a variety of different instruments. There is a considerable amount of score detail to absorb, including the triplet figuration and not all the piano pedal markings are indicated in the score. The accompanist should also avoid playing too loudly. Like many pieces from the romantic period in the music is in ABA (ternary) form and is quite chromatic. An oboe d’amore part is appended to the full score. Three piano accompaniments are available for this score. Accompaniment 1 plays at 80 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute, Accompaniment 2 at 84 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and Accompaniment 3 at 88 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute. Close
