One of Tchaikovsky’s most popular piano pieces composed in 1878 and in the key of G minor. It is a ternary form ABA movement in a reflective melancholy mood. It has a regular phrase structure and the melodic line needs to be played with a singing legato. Pianists need to make appropriate use of the sustaining pedal although it is not indicated in the sheet music pdf. When performing the music be aware that tempo changes particularly at the end of phrases are appropriate. The music needs to be delivered with expression and a range of dynamics. Tchaikovsky tends to make use of the full range of the piano in his writing. There is a chromatic element in the harmonic writing particularly in the A section. Playing the G minor scale in both the harmonic and melodic forms would be excellent preparation for playing this intermediate level work. Listen to Sviatoslav Richter’s and others playing of this piece to gain an insight in how it is should be performed. There is much detail in the writing There are 12 piano pieces in the Opus 40 collection.

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