Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Suggested Performance Notes: For Trinity College London Piano Exam Pieces 2015-2017 Initial To Grade 8
Suggested Performance Notes: For Trinity College London Piano Exam Pieces 2015-2017 Initial To Grade 8
Initial to Grade 8
Main Contributors:
Wong Shuenda, Benjamin Loh, Febe Warman, Raymond Tan
Contributors:
Chiam Su Lee, Bonnie Chen, Annie Hsu, Joyce Wu, Grace Lee, Patricia Lee,
Lu Pei Fang, Methanan Sivayathorn, Tai Cheah Sin, Tran Van Co,
Henny Waldemar, Wong Soo-Sein, Yap Chiew Phin, Josephine Yeap
Disclaimer: These notes are intended as suggested teaching guides, based on performing and
teaching best practice. They do not constitute the official guide from Trinity College London.
[Blank page]
2
INITIAL
Hook – Gavotte
- The playing should be firmly in time to establish a strong pulse – note the ‘march-like’ dance
style
- Use a legato technique in the RH
- Note the dynamics, e.g. bar 10 (subito p) and bars 13 – 15 (….f)
- Watch the balance with the duet partner
3
Norton – Spring Day
- Use rhythmic games to teach the syncopated patterns in this piece as an introduction
- Observe the RH rests in bars 6 and 8
- Notice the differences in dynamics between bars 1-4 (mf) and bars 9-12 (f)
- Note the 2 bar rests at the end – the music had not ended, so keep the hands in a poised
position. The student should look focused until the end of the duet!
4
GRADE 1
Le Couppey – Melody in C
- Use the appropriate quaver figures to develop a sense of rotary freedom
- Ensure balance between hands are in place to bring out the clarity of the main melodic material
- Note the shift in the LH part in bars 17 – 20
- Observe the dynamic shaping in bars 17 – 23
Lully – Minuet
- Be aware of the triple metre minuet dance style but also be aware that the ‘French’ idiom has
some feeling of the hemiola effect (prevalent in the first and third system)
- Note the contrasts in articulation in the first system
- Note the fingering in bar 3 (1-3-1)
- Note the hand position changes and articulation at the same time in bars 4 and 5
5
Ponchielli – Dance of the Hours
- A loose but directed wrist movement is essential for proper playing of the 2-note slur
- Steady pulse important for the dance character
- The octave leap in bar 12 needs care for smaller hands. It would be acceptable for a smaller
span to make both notes staccato
- Highlight the high ‘E’ note at the end of bar 12, which would probably be a new note at this
level. Remembering the pair of notes as an octave leap E to E will make negotiation of this
moment easier.
6
GRADE 2
Boyce – Gavotte
- Two voiced texture with mixed articulation treatment (detached and slurred note), but with a
dance-like character in gracefulness (Grazioso)
- Appreciation of the half-bar anacrusis (typical of a gavotte)which is important in terms placing
the main stress.
- Phrasing in RH and LH may not start and end in the same place, independence of hands
required
- LH part is fairly repetitive, like a bass line ostinato
- Observe the short but concise A-B-A structure, use dynamics to differentiate this
7
Cullen – Mexican March
- Maintain a good balance in both hands as they are moving in parallel 3rds
- Listen for very precise co-ordination of the hands
- Clear observation of the articulation marks - staccato, accents – and a good strong pulse are
important points to remember
- Observe the varied dynamic markings to build up the music as the texture thickens, particularly
bar 8 and bar 16
- Aim for even quavers in the toccata-like texture from bar 17
Schubert – Ländler
- Maintain an even quaver line, with good phrase shaping and melodic direction
- The triple metre should flow with a dance-like charm – particularly the delicate RH articulation
in the 2nd half
- LH accompaniment pattern varies between the first beat in the 1st half and bass on the first
beat in the 2nd half, and the dynamic indications help to provide contrast to these two sections.
Take note of it.
- Good balance between hands and note the mixed articulation in the RH from bars 9 onwards.
Detailed practice helps.
8
GRADE 3
9
Moore – The Rainbow
- Bring out the lyrical nature of the music by ensuring proper pedalling and good balance
between hands
- Shape the 4-bar phrasing and always maintain a cantabile line
- Apply the pedal lightly to bring out the tinges of harmonic changes, especially in the middle
section of the work
- Aim to maintain the sustained minim bass lines
10
GRADE 4
Podgornov – Der Schmetterling und die Blume (June from The Seasons)
- Light fingers and crisp articulation important to bring out the Leggiero musical character
- Think about the title ‘The butterfly and the flower’
- Gentle acciaccaturas in the introduction (again, think butterfly!)
- Note the fermatas (Pause marks) over the rests – silence is part of the performance here
- Practice to ensure well-coordinated hands for the chords, e.g. bars 7 – 8
- Waltz-like character needs lilting rhythms with a slight stress on the first beat of the bar
- Ensure that there is a natural well-graded flow in the handling of the ritenuto.
11
MacMillan – Matsuri
- A gay and happy character, give the LH quavers a good bounce and well-articulated RH to
convey this musically
- Some pedal may be used in the middle section but do watch for little details of articulation
here
- The middle section has a contrasting singing quality with longer phrase lines
12
GRADE 5
Scarlatti – Capriccio in G
- Start the opening chords full of confidence at forte dynamic level to contrast with the piano
second phrase
- Note the changes in the articulation in bar 25
- Rotate the RH in bars 44 to 47
- Aim for evenness of tone on the semiquaver passages – a suggestion would be to practise
these passages slowly to begin with
Vogel – Andantino (from the Sonata on Themes from The Magic Flute)
- Ensure the phrases are properly shaped with clear phrase ends
- Slurring detail needs to be very sensitively handled
- Grazioso in bar 33 with staccato chords to be played with lightness and with a hint of pedal for
colouring
- Carefully voice the parts in bar 36 to 38 for a good effect
- Piu lento section need a greater sense of freedom
13
Gillock – Mister Trumpet Man
- A steady and pronounced beat is essential to the style of the music
- Observe all the accent and tenuto markings, as well as the contrasts in dynamics
- Short accented chords in bar 12 needs to be sharp and show some ‘bite’
- Watch out for the leap in bars 11 and 35
- Note the difference between
14
GRADE 6
15
Merikanto – Valse Lente
- Maintain a good melodic-line phrase shape in the opening
- RH chordal texture from bar 17 onwards – bring out the inner tenor line in the RH
- Watch the tempo changes and the waltz lilt must be maintained
- Observe the LH articulation in the middle section
16
GRADE 7
Paradis – Sicilienne
- A soulful and melancholic music character
- The sicilienne rhythmic character is to be brought out
- Balance the chords in the LH and ensure evenness; watch that the arm-weight is evenly
distributed to the fingers
- Middle voices are to be observed and performed with warmth and well-blended into the
prevailing harmony
- The diminished chords at bar 44 is the climax of the piece.
17
Earl – At Miss Florence’s
- A homage to Schumann; the texture requires careful voicing, slight rubato and dreamy a’la
‘Eusebius’ from Schumann’s Carnaval
- Give consideration to the romantic rubato push/pull, note the slightly irregular phrase marks
and various tempo markings (poco rit.) need careful attention
- The musical character is deliberately ambiguous with meandering melodies (think of
Traumerei from another of Schumann’s works – Kinderscenen) without any clear climatic
moment in the work, except for some techni-colour modulations in the middle (harmonic
twist of transposition to Ab and A major heightens the dreamy character)
- Each melodic line is to find its own
Lane – Struttin’ at the Waldorf (No. 3 from Three Little Bites at the Big Apple)
- Note the subtle rhythmic differences between the 2 vs 3 and the dotted rhythms which will
lend freshness and variety to the jazzy piece
- Glissando technique must be well practiced, making aware the angle and exact location of
the finger/s to achieve maximum brilliance (and minimum pain!)
- Achieve the big jumps in the LH by arch-like movements of the hands or a good sense of
hand displacement technique
- Aim for a brilliant cheerful sound throughout and a confident tone
- Rhythmic middle section to mimic the tap dance steps – rests to be rhythmically tight, akin
to pregnant pauses, instead of empty spaces of sound.
18
GRADE 8
19
Chopin – Valse OP. 64, no. 1
- The fast running passage requires a bright sparkling tone in the RH and a light buoyant LH
accompaniment
- From bar 37 to 69, the music becomes more cantabile, with a strong legato required in the
RH
- Pedal lightly, one in a bar, taking care not to blur the texture
- Lead with the RH, with a good relaxed wrist movement, rotating ever so slightly to guide
the phrase shaping
- Observe the various dynamic markings, especially the long drawn-out crescendo and
diminuendo
20