Welcome to the Play-Along for For Children, Vol. 1, by Bela Bartok. For more information on this play-along, check out the entire schedule HERE.
Our venture into the piano music of Bartok once again explores the influence of folk music in piano literature, and in this case, material that was intended for teaching purpose. Throughout his life, Bartok dedicated himself to composing piano pieces for students at all levels, elementary to advanced. His For Children, a two-volume set for elementary to intermediate pianists, is based on folk songs and dances he collected from Hungary and Slovakia. We will be focusing on the Vol. 1 which is based on Hungarian folk melodies.
The entire set was composed in 1908-09 and later revised by Bartok in 1945 when he decided to reduce the number of pieces and provide titles for them. Bartok marked fingering, articulation, phrasing, dynamics and metronome indications quite meticulously and is known to have worked closely with Boosey and Hawkes on the revised edition, pictured here:
We will compare it with the 1998 revised and re-engraved edition by his son, Peter, here.
Apparently there are a few changes of notes and more dynamics added in this later edition. The foreword by Peter Bartok might reveal some new information (at this writing, I don’t have a copy in hand, but I’ll remark on this later).
The For Children has been a piano teaching classic for generations and I hope you enjoy our exploration into what makes it so engaging and delightful for all ages to play. During the Play-Along, please let us all know if you have played or taught a particular selection before and share your thoughts about your favorites and why.
Feel free to use any edition you may already have on hand. You may certainly grab a Boosey and Hawkes copy HERE if you like, but try to support your local music store if you can.
Remember to post your reactions for the selected pieces each week through Dec. 7. I look forward to what you have to say regardless of whether you have played or taught the pieces. It’s always great to hear fresh thoughts and reactions to new music.
Post your comments and certainly ask questions in the Reply section below or on the FB group page HERE. I’ll answer questions as quickly as I can. And please chime in on questions, too!
Fingers ready??? Go!
Nos. 1 -5 first. See you on the blog next Monday!
Ivan’s adventures are becoming much more involved. I found myself playing Nos. 5 and 6 many times this past week and with each playing I enjoyed new discoveries in sound color, rhythm, and texture. How could anyone tire of these pieces? They’re so captivating!
Quick scan thoughts:
No. 5 “Ivan is Very Busy” is filled with finger antics as it explores a multitude of staccato touches with repeated notes and repeated patterns, especially in the LH. It’s constantly moving without a single rest until the penultimate measure. Since it’s rapid and lightly textured, it should result in light, nimble sounds. Interesting to notice that the hands are positioned closely together throughout
No. 6 “Ivan and Natasha” is a lush, Romantic texture especially compared to the previous movements. The LH provides a good deal of rhythmic movement to propel the phrases. Of course Khachaturian’s trademark chromaticism is evident with accidentals all over this score. It seems he couldn’t confine himself to any one key area for too long.
Thoughts while playing….
No. 5 – “Ivan is Very Busy” (also seen as “Ivan is Busy” and “Etude” in other collections)
An excellent piece for repeated staccato-note playing and alternation between the hands. I played this for a student this week to get his impression. His reaction: “I like that!” It’s easy to hear why this piece would be motivating to a young student. It’s energetic and truly adventuresome in sound, rhythm, and range.
First impressions:
Stay alert about the accidentals. They change rapidly.
Your LH will get a staccato workout and a quick forearm staccato would probably add a lighter effect than just a finger staccato. Here’s a demo of the idea:
Fingering: Measures18 & 19 – I found Mirovitch’s LH 4-2-3-2 pattern difficult to coordinate with the RH, so see my suggestion below. It was much easier to process when playing both hands together at the fast tempo.
And this re-distribution for the top of p. 3 was also much easier to grab onto:
For the repeated notes in the LH of m. 39, I preferred the standard 3-2-1 repetition. It felt lighter and it naturally sorted itself out in the latter measures as well.
Pedaling: I would keep it light and dry where indicated, except for the C Major build-up at the end.
Such an invigorating piece! Here’s a sample YouTube video. There were several. but I had difficulty locating one where a performer truly played staccato in the LH.
Words that came to mind as I played: dreamy, exotic, luscious, mysterious….. And just who is this Natasha? Sister, friend, girlfriend? This piece should be better known. It would be excellent preparation for Impressionistic repertoire. So much of the harmonic color and texture reminded me of Debussy.
How many times do you see a falling augmented 5th like this one as the basis of a melody (soprano line)? Khachaturian makes it sound like a good fit.
Khachaturian creates many beautifully-exotic harmonies in such a short piece and his use of chromaticism quite naturally provides the push-and-pull for the phrasing and climaxes. Both hands are filled with melodic figuration. I especially enjoyed this exquisite subito P color change after the climax in m. 17.
At this moment (top of second page), the harmonies descend quietly and melt into the return of the main theme in m. 22 (lovely!). I often have students block the harmonies in sections like this one in order to hear how the harmonic progression guides the phrase to its destination. Here’s an example in this video.
Have you heard Nos. 5 or 6 before? Taught them previously? I would love to know about students’ reactions. I’m keeping “Ivan and Natasha” on file for future use with late intermediate students.
These next two in the set were less familiar to me upon my reading. How about you?
Quick scan thoughts:
Khachaturian seemed to like the idea of not including a keysignature and just filling a piece with accidentals. Perhaps this is due to his frequent use of chromatic harmonies. It does keep you on your toes during the reading process.
No. 3 looked quite s-l-o-w moving…
Thoughts while playing….
No. 3 – Ivan is Ill (sometimes seen in other collections as “Ivan is Sick”)
Listening to all the unexpected dissonances made me think Ivan must have been quite queasy. Nothing felt settled in this work, at least not until the end of the piece.
Three things went through my mind as I played (tempo at quarter = 58, which I thought offered a convincing “lento.”):
Would any of my students find this piece too dissonant for their predictable ears?
How could I convince a student to play a piece that moves this slowly?
What about the control needed to spin out this slow-moving melodic line in the RH? including the voicing of the soprano?
This piece wouldn’t be an instant “sell” to a typical student. This doesn’t mean that I don’t care for the piece. I actually like it for all its quirkiness and find that it lends itself to the imagination quite well. I would have to paint a real sound picture, through my own vivid performance, to entice a student to give it a try. You never know. Some students like pieces that are different from all the rest.
I would sell this piece on the fact that it sounds “queasy” and that Ivan may be feeling a stomach issue in progress, so to speak. Young students can relate to that, right? As I demonstrate the piece I would ask the student: “What do you think could be happening here?” and continue with this type of questioning all the way to the end in order to create a story or scene. With a picture in mind and the imagination activated, I think students then become far more interested and maybe inclined to illustrate an interesting picture like this one with colorful sounds.
A few details to keep in mind:
1. Notice the shift in the LH articulation from legato to tenuto (detached) in mm. 1-2 and 5-6. The resulting effect is quite different.
Measures 1 and 2
Measures 5 and 6
2. Measure 11 – I’m convinced the the C-natural in the soprano is a typo. I couldn’t embrace it. C-flat sounds like the intention. Your thoughts?
Measure 11
3. The dynamics, especially the swells (hairpin cresc. and dim. marks – see Measures 1 and 2 above), help shape the long melodic phrases and give them direction. I would ask the student to insert this type of “swell shaping” in all of the phrases, even where it’s not indicated, to prevent the piece from sounding flat and vertical. Most of the phrases here are either 2 or 4 measures in length.
And what finally happened at the end? — I would ask the student to describe the scene. It gradually calms down. Perhaps Ivan was finally able to fall into some restful sleep after a tortured spell of nausea. Poor guy.
No. 4 – Ivan Goes to a Party (subtitled “Waltz” and sometimes referred to as “The Birthday” or “The Birthday Party” in other collections)
This piece falls into the category of “sounds harder than it plays” especially once you sort through all the accidentals and get it your fingers wrapped around it. Both the MCA and Schirmer scores indicate the tempo of quarter note = 72, but surely they meant the dotted-half-note. This waltz requires some lilt! I enjoyed this bouncy, colorful waltz the more I played it.
How many pieces do you know in the standard piano repertoire that start on the leading tone and resolve downward (see RH below)?
Measure 4 – D# leading tone
Notice above how the editor is quite clear about the LH’s lightness (PP, staccato, and senza ped.) with beat 1 to receive some length and emphasis.
Unique features: I especially enjoyed Khachaturian’s tasty harmonies throughout, but especially during places like the rit. in mm. 33-35. Play these measures quite slowly a few times to notice how the chords change color and resolve to B-flat minor. I would ask a student to “listen for” these color shifts while creating a smooth meltdown.
This “party” is full of interesting twists and turns (or “characters” or “events”) which is why I think students would really enjoy it. The unexpected hemiola in mm. 61 – 64 is refreshing (indicated through the use of accents).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyXZmrMZQ9A
I also enjoyed the back-and-forth from E Major to D-flat Major in the Coda (last 15 mm. of the piece.). Party’s over.
What are some of the features you enjoyed?
I leave you with a YouTube video I found of a young pianist who has captured a good spirit for this piece.
Here’s the first reaction post for the Khachaturian Piano Play-Along! Don’t worry if you haven’t played through these first two pieces yet. You have all of August to read through the set.
Have you seen the entire Play-Along plan for August yet? You can read it HERE. Please be sure to express your own reactions here on the blog at the different posts or on the Facebook page. I really do want to know your thoughts about these very intriguing pieces.
Quick scan thoughts:
In the preface of the MCA edition, the editor, Alfred Mirovitch, describes the set as such: “The refreshing originality of mood, harmonization and pianistic invention in these easy, amusing, but provocative compositions will act as a stimulus and challenge to alert all students and teachers.” Well said. I couldn’t agree more. I found myself playing both No. 1 and especially No. 2 several times in order to fully absorb Khachaturian’s craftsmanship. For me it was his harmonic choices and interesting chord progressions that immediately tickled my ear. No. 1 is more predictable in its construction, but No. 2 was less so and I dug into that one more deeply for better understanding.
Thoughts while playing….
No. 1 – Ivan Sings (subtitled “Andantino” in the MCA edition, but not in the Schirmer)
This piece’s popularity is understandable. Khachaturian created a beautiful song without words by simple means. The lovely, plaintive melody captures you from the beginning and compells you to continue. The simple 3rds in the LH support the sweetness of character (I can’t imagine thick 3-note chords in the LH at all!), and the descending bass line and chromatic harmonic movement evoke even more melancholy.
Khachaturian made a masterful move in m. 18 for the variation of the main theme. He merely inverted the LH 3rds into 6ths, adjusted the range a bit, and added a simple touch of rhythmic syncopation for lilt. Brilliant. Now the theme sounds even more tender. Note how he also inverted the RH in m. 18, compared to m.2. The grace notes add playfulness. I’ve had to remind students to play the grace notes quickly and quite lightly, before the beat.
The other aspect I address often with students is the LH repeated notes. I tell them that they should play the repeated notes as sustained as possible to maintain a very smooth, unarticulated texture. I ask that they use a gliding motion on the keys in order to accomplish this and to watch carefully to prevent the key from coming all the way up. Here’s a student giving it a whirl:
Opening measures of LH (“gliding” somewhat exaggerated here due to slow tempo):
M. 18 LH (aiming to sustain the thumb and play it more lightly than the lower note):
Two other issues I often address:
Tempo – students are often compelled to play this piece too fast and they have a tendency to rush the tempo during the variation of the theme in m. 18.
Pedaling – they must be attentive to the syncopated pedaling and other changes as indicated (Mirovitch says that the pedaling is his, not Khachaturian’s.)
*I like the tempo indication of quarter note = 88. It’s reasonable for the mood.
No. 2 – Ivan Can’t Go Out Today
At first glance this piece looks rather fleeting so I checked the metronome indication first. Personally I feel that 66 to each measure seems too slow for an Allegro moderato, so I bumped it up a little (around 74-76 per measure) and it provided more direction to the phrases. It also hastened the harmonic movement so I could hear the chord progressions and cadences more clearly.
Speaking of harmony, this piece was an unusual adventure in that respect. The key center was hard to pin down at first due to all the chromaticism, but I settled on C natural minor, due to the frequent use of C minor triads, use of G leading to C, and then of course, the Picardy third at the end resulting in C Major. Interesting how Khachaturian uses only accidentals and no keysignature.
Does the music reflect the title?
With title in mind, I played this adventure at the slightly faster tempo of 76 a few times. I imagined a child’s complaint or outcry in Measures 5 thru 12:
Mounting frustration in m. 37:
Flip-flopping moods in mm. 63 thru 77:
And finally the child’s resignation with the rit. and dim. at the end. Lots of nervous energy throughout. What do you hear?
Reading Schedule:
Introduction Post: Monday, August 11
Khachaturian, Adventures of Ivan, Nos. 1 and 2 reaction: Thursday, August 14
Welcome to the Play-Along for Adventures of Ivan, by Aram Khachaturian. For more information on this play-along, check out the entire schedule HERE.
Khachaturian’s eight intermediate-level pieces, Adventures of Ivan, offer a good glimpse into the beauty of his writing and the talents that confirmed his standing as one of the greatest Russian composers of the 20th century. If you’ve heard his piano music before, you may have encountered the all-too-frequently-played Toccata and perhaps the brilliant Sonatina in A minor (1959), both of which still appear on competition lists from time to time and are popular with advancing students.
Khachaturian relied heavily on the folk music of his native Armenia to influence his approach. He adored the songs and dances of his homeland and his compositions are filled with tuneful melodies that range from colorful and cheerful to quite plaintive or melancholic. His pieces are brimming with strong character and humor portrayed often with propulsive and exciting rhythms. Though he wrote only two volumes of intermediate-level piano pieces (Adventures of Ivan and Ten Pieces for the Young Pianist), his small output at this level has a great deal to offer the piano student, and the piano teacher as well!
Some Background
The one adventure with which you may be familiar is the first adventure in the set of 8 entitled “Ivan Sings” (or referred to as Andantino in some publications). This particular piece appears in a few older piano anthologies (to be listed later) but not in the more current piano collections due to copyright restrictions.
Khachaturian composed the Ivan pieces over a period of years prior to their publication in 1948 by Leeds Music Corporation in the U.S. “Ivan Sings” was composed in 1926. Though it seems that Ivan’s Adventures should contain a narrative of some sort, they are simply snapshots of the life of a young boy. The titles assist the player in finding a character, mood, or expression in the music (and thus the reference to the set as “character pieces.”)
My Copy
I’ll be playing from the Schirmer Edition for this Play-Along, shown here. It contains the complete set of 8 pieces.
I’ll compare it to the older MCA edition pictured here, which I found in my local library:
Please use any edition you may have on hand. You may certainly grab a copy HERE if necessary, but try to support your local music store if you can. NOTE: After a Google search I found that a digital download is available on Scribd, but I encourage you to purchase a hard copy to have available for your students or just for yourself.
Remember to post your reactions for the selected pieces each week of August. I look forward to what you have to say, whether or not you’ve taught or played the pieces before.
Along the way I’ll comment on some of the specifics I notice in both the Schirmer and MCA editions and offer some insights for teaching.
Post your comments and certainly ask questions in the Reply section below or on the FB group page HERE. I’ll answer questions as quickly as I can. And others may chime in on questions, too!
So what are your favorite pieces from Kabalevsky’s Op. 39 24 Pieces for Children. List them here and you’ll earn an entry to the August 1 prize drawing! Explain why you like a particular piece (or two), and earn a second entry! What about a new fave? Ready, set, go!
TITLES: 1. Melody 2. Polka 3. Rambling 4. Cradle Song 5. Playing 6. A Little Joke 7. Funny Event 8. Song 9. Song 10. A Little Dance 11. Song of Autumn 12. Scherzo 13. Waltz 14. A Fable 15. Jumping 16. A Sad Story 17. Folk Dance 18. Galop 19. Prelude 20. Clowns 21. Improvisation 22. A Short Story 23. Slow Waltz 24. A Happy Outing
Please don’t stress if you’re a little behind on the Play Along (like this post) or if you’ve just discovered the Play Along. You can start now with the first Reaction post here and catch up a little each day. You have plenty of time to read through the pieces and post comments until July 31. The prize drawing for those who have read and posted at least 3 comments (either here or on the Facebook group page) will be held on August 1.
If you missed last week’s reaction post (the 5th one) on Nos. 13 thru 16, you can read it HERE.
Quick-scan thoughts for Nos. 17 thru 20:
The pieces are now solidly at the early intermediate level and the hands are really moving about. LH is more technically demanding than seen before.
More pieces with 16th notes, and there are a multitude of rhythmic patterns present.
More complexity in the HT playing with opposing rhythms and articulations.
Kabalevsky seems to favor 2/4 time at this stage and earlier as well. It promotes a more lively character in the faster pieces.
In these four selections, the hands are approx. one octave apart most of the time.
Thoughts while playing….
No. 17 – Folk Dance (I see “Dance” indicated in a different edition)
When presented with the option of this piece, or No. 18, 19, or 20, one of my summer students selected this one in an instant. She said she liked how the hands matched each other (we’ve seen Kabalevsky’s parallel movement of the hands in several pieces before).
My student is at the intermediate level and she learned this piece hands together in one week! (medium tempo) but….I must admit that she was highly motivated. She said she really enjoyed how the hands jumped around and imitated each other, first the RH in m. 5 and then the LH in m. 21. This student was familiar with D major (the scale, chords, and basic cadences) so the keysignature wasn’t a major stumbling block.
She and I worked on using forearm staccato similar to what is demonstrated here:
Ok. A day late, but I just couldn’t resist an extra day of 4th of July vacay when the opportunity presented itself. Hope your summer is going well. Are you managing to play along?
If you missed last week’s reaction post (the 3rd one) on Nos. 9 thru 12, you can read it HERE.
Quick scan thoughts for Nos. 13 thru 16:
We’ve ventured into more pieces in triple time.
The melodies have become more expansive (larger intervals contained within)
Kabalevsky has continued his inclination towards parallel movement between the hands (nos. 14 and 15)
A keysignature of more than 2 sharps or flats has appeared (no. 14)
A piece in the Dorian mode has now appeared (no. 16)
Thoughts while playing….
No. 13 – Waltz (I see “Dance” indicated in a different edition)
I gave this to a student this summer as a special project and I must say that she is “in love” with this piece. She just can’t say enough good things about it such as:
“I like the beginning” – (at the first lesson)
“I just love the RH” – (at the second lesson)
I think this broad and evocative RH melody offers instant appeal, especially when combined with the sad key of D minor. I’ve had several students in the past decide to learn this piece upon hearing it just once. And if you want to teach both distinctive phrase shaping and the waltz style, then this is a great go-to.
When first introducing this, my summer student didn’t notice that the LH was in the treble clef (that’s one thing I like about Kabalevsky; he mixes those clefs). We navigated the LH at the first lesson by playing only the lowest note of each stacked interval. We named each low note as she played continuously from measure to measure (EX: “D – D- rest, D – D – rest, etc.”). Once done, she better understood how the LH moved along . Later she played the LH as written watching the lower notes move horizontally while detecting the harmonic interval above (3rd vs. 4th vs. 5th).
Here she demonstrates the detached LH with a forward wrist motion for lightness:
Here, with her RH, she is showing the arching of the hand as it rocks from one side the other while playing the broken intervals (mm. 16 to the end).
She mentioned afterwards that she forgot the diminuendo in this excerpt above. Good catch.
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No. 14 – A Fable (seen before as “A Gay Little Story” in a much older edition.)
Similar to No. 20 in this set, “Clowns,” students love the major-minor shifts in this piece. They discover that the dynamics follow the harmonies and then they spot the form of the piece instantly. The student in the video below told me what convinced him to learn this piece:
“I liked all the movement, all the techniques involved, and the patterns. It’s jumpy and happy, and I liked the A Major sound and how it felt under my fingers once I learned it, especially with the staccatos.”
It’s a wonderful piece for developing touches. Later I asked him what was most difficult about learning this piece, he said:
“Getting the legato vs. staccato in mm. 3-4, combined with the drop-lifts of the wrist.”
After mastering this piece at a faster tempo, his tendency was to rush with all the fun he was having. It’s quite the finger tickler at that point. Here’s his medium-paced version:
No. 15 – Jumping (I’ve seen this titled as “Galloping” and also “Leap Frog”)
Indeed this is jumpy. It looks daunting to some students at first because of the eighth rest- eighth note rhythmic idea (see RH, measure 1). They forget that the eighth rest plus eighth note combination is the equivalent to 2 beamed eighth notes (of which I remind them). I start out by saying that the LH in measure one is the hand that’s “jumping” (2-note slur followed by a staccato quarter note; I demo this) and then I tell them that the RH is “skipping” in m. 1 (due to its delayed start on the “and” of beat 1, which I also demo).
I have students learn the entire piece with both hands playing the straightforward rhythm of the 3 quarter notes per bar. RH plays exactly with the LH in measure one, and then in measure 9, the LH would copy the RH, and so forth all the way to the end. They can also match the wrist lifts by playing this way:
Here’s a demo:
After learning the piece with the LH and RH playing simultaneously on quarter notes and mastering the notes and fingering this way, it’s so easy for students to delay one hand by playing on the “and” of beat one. I have my students count “1 – and, 1, 1” for each measure of the piece as they coordinate the rhythms of both hands. Tapping the two rhythms together on the keyboard can also solidify the coordination.
They love the gymnastic effect of this piece once they get the hang of it.
No. 16 – A Sad Story (also seen as “A Sad Tale” )
This is the follow-up to the happier story in No. 14, “A Fable.” I think the two pieces would make a nice pairing. The student could play No. 16 first and follow with No. 14. Better yet, add No. 22 “Short Story” to the set and make it a trio!
I hear this piece in the key of “A” Dorian. It seems to center itself on “A” as “home” and keeps returning to “A” even though it finally settles on “E” at the end. It’s funny how the final “E” didn’t sound so incomplete to me. My ear could accept it as a final note.
Now the question is: which hand is really the melody? The LH in the opening is marked cantabile with a louder dynamic which leads you to believe LH might be the melody though it’s not very lyrical. The RH has a nice sway to it which sounds cantabile as well. Perhaps it’s truly 2-voice writing and both hands create compatible melodies.
Here’s Jason Sifford’s performance with the Univ. of Iowa Piano Pedagogy Recording Project. . I like how he maintains an Andante tempo with just enough movement for a cantabile feel.
Look forward to your thoughts on this varied set for this week. Have you taught any of these before? Any tips to share?
Play-Along Schedule:
Introduction Post: June 1
Kabalevsky, Op. 39, Nos. 1 thru 4 reaction: June 2
When deciding on which Kabalevsky edition to use for the Piano Play Along, I did a little research to try and find the one that Kabalevsky himself may have overseen and edited, i.e., an “authoritative” edition. I consulted with Joshua Parman, Classical Music Editor at Hal Leonard Corporation. Here’s what he had to say:
“Because USSR copyrights were not recognized by many other countries for much of the last century, unauthorized editions of Kabalevsky’s music appeared until the mid-1980s all over the world. In addition, the rights of many individuals to have legal access to and representation for their own intellectual property was quite different in communist Russian than it is now under a different government structure. As a result, some composers simply did not make the effort to oversee “authorized” editions. Most illegal and inaccurate Kabalevsky editions have been suppressed under new international legislation in the last thirty years. However, the historical facts make the question of “authoritative” editions of Kabalevsky’s music thorny at best, and at worse, impossible to know. Supposedly, the Schirmer edition was seen and approved by Kabalevksy in 1985, but there is no evidence immediately available to support this claim. In editing the new Schirmer edition of opus 27, I found only one note difference between the Boosey and Schirmer editions and only a handful of differences in articulation and dynamic markings. Though this is a different opus number, it is telling that the editions were virtually the same.So the answer is, we don’t know which is “authoritative.” But based on the things we do know, I would say Schirmer is the best bet.”
I found this very helpful. I’ll probably continue to give my students the Schirmer or Boosey editions of Kabalevsky or at least consult them for accuracy if the student is using a mixed anthology.
PLEASE forgive the delay and the technical glitch in getting this THIRD reaction post up for you. Nothing like technology keeping your site so secure that it prevents the owner from logging in. Sigh. Thanks for hanging in there. We should be on a roll now. I have lots of interesting posts to share with you in the coming days!
It’s still not too late to start the KABALEVSKY PLAY ALONG. Tell your friends. You can jump in whenever you like and post a thought or two here in the Replies below or on the Facebook “Piano Play Along” group page. I’d love to hear from you especially if you’ve had experience in teaching any of the pieces below or if you’ve discovered a selection you really like. Don’t hesitate to post a question. I’ll answer as quickly as I can.
Did you miss my second reaction post? You can read it HERE.
Quick scan thoughts:
There’s quite a contrast in style within this set of four pieces (Nos. 9 – 12) with a jump in difficulty in No. 10 with its dotted rhythms, movement around the keyboard, cadences, and a heavy use of accidentals. Kabelevsky is still promoting various keyboard touches with staccatos, slurs, and accents. He seems to enjoy placing the hands an octave apart, two octaves apart, and as little as a second (step) apart.
Thoughts while playing….
No. 9 – A Little Dance (I see “Dance” indicated in a different edition)
If taken too slow, this could sound more like a march than a dance. If played at the Allegro molto tempo, it sounds more like an effective romp or stomping dance with a feeling of 1 beat per bar. A student should already be comfortable playing strong clear triads in the LH in order to manage the 4-note chords. I told a student to think of G minor with an F in m. 5 and then shift to G major against the F. This seemed to help him know exactly what to look for when targeting these crunchy LH chords.
In the last 4 measures, the LH expands and contracts quite rapidly. I asked the student in the video below to shift to the new LH positions during the rests so he could manage the chord changes more easily. Here’s a short video showing this:
This piece is quite effective if the dynamics are played in sharp contrast to each other. Ask the student what might be happening in the actual dance during the echo sections. Your thoughts on what it could be?
No. 10 – March (I see “Quick March” indicated in a different edition)
This is quite a jump in level compared to the pieces before. I would teach this later down the line after a student has had solid practice with dotted quarter – eighth note rhythms and a little experience with sixteenth notes. The student in the video below has had some previous training in 16ths, but not much. He’s also played a few pieces with 2 sharps or 2 flats in the keysignature.
Here are his thoughts on the challenges he found in this piece (in his words):
“It’s a bit tricky. You have to be exact with your rhythm. I can picture a march with this and it sounds like a trumpet playing. The hardest part was mm. 8 through 12 because of the flats and because the LH jumps in with the melody in mm. 9-10. The last cadence is also tricky because it moves downward instead of upward like in mm. 3-4.”
In the video below, I asked him to play the dotted 16ths incorrectly vs. correctly. The first time he plays, the 16ths sound more like triplets and in the second playing he makes the rhythms sound more like true dotted eighths followed by sixteenths (though it’s still a little bumpy; he’s still working on creating a better demo). Sluggish 16ths are a common problem for students when playing dotted-eighth sixteenth rhythms. It takes careful listening, and the jumpiness here doesn’t help matters.
No. 11 – Song of Autumn (I see “Autumn Song” indicated in a different edition)
This piece reminds me very much of No. 8 “Song” with its parallel melodies, except for the fact that Kabalevsky begins this piece on the anacrusis (pick-up) rather than on beat one. It gives the piece a sense of lilt despite the somber B minor key. I might tell a student to imagine the wind blowing leaves in different directions as their hands move upward then downward in tandem through the slurs. The hands playing 2 octaves apart seems to add a sense of heaviness or a grey, cloudy aura to an autumn day. Have the student describe what he/she sees on a B minor autumn day.
Here’s a student demo.
The student wanted to achieve a steady Andante feeling. His brother, standing next to him while taping this, told him he needed to add more shape to his phrases and more dim. where indicated. 😉
No. 12 – Scherzo
This piece is similar to the No. 6 – “A Little Joke” with the use of a repeated pattern moving stepwise up and down the keyboard. You could secure the rhythm of the main melodic motive using words like “blue-berry muf-fin” (that’s the first thing that came to my mind – always thinking of sweets!). The student wouldn’t need have experience with 16ths to play this piece well, but I would at least explain the difference between 16ths and 8ths if the student didn’t already know.
There could be a tendency to rush with this piece once it starts moving along. Once again, the brother of the performer in this video piped in and told him that he rushed a little at the end. This was a younger brother informing the elder. Picky picky…
Look forward to your comments!
REVISED Play-Along Schedule:
Introduction Post: June 1
Kabalevsky, Op. 39, Nos. 1 thru 4 reaction: June 2
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