Abrsm Diploma Programme Notes

SUBMITTED FOR

THE EXAMINATION OF

THE DIPLOMA OF THE ASSOCIATED BOARD OF THE ROYAL SCHOOLS OF MUSIC (DipABRSM)

IN

MUSIC PERFORMANCE (PIANO)

Sunday November 15th, 2009

PROGRAMME ORDER

Nocturne Op. 62 Nr 2 Chopin (1890-1949)

Sonata Op.13 No.8 in C minor, "Pathétique" Beethoven (1770-1827)

Passepied Debussy (1862-1918)

Total Word Count: 1,195 Words

Nocturne Op. 62 Nr 2 Chopin (1810-1849) Frédéric Chopin, a talented composer, has been recognized as one of the most significant composers of the Romantic period. His abilities to go beyond the "poetic limits" of the piano earned him the nickname: "poet of the piano". He could master difficult piano concertos at the age of seven, and published his first piece at fifteen. In 1830, he left his home country Poland and traveled around Europe as a touring performer. He finally settled in Paris in 1831, working as a piano teacher and continued to compose many of his well known late works. In 1849, he passed away with a lung disease, leaving his countless renowned pieces, including two sonatas, four ballades, four scherzos, 16 polonaises, 21 nocturnes, 27 études, 26 preludes, and 60+ mazurkas. Chopin always liked Italian and French opera; much of his music was "vocal in origin". He had a tendency to "sweeten the melody" using operatic techniques. These features were already prominent during Chopin's time, and Chopin was particularly influenced by the features incorporated in John Field' music. Though it is said that Chopin was inspired by Franz Liszt, Vincenzo Bellini, and Hector Berlioz, he composed the G Minor Ballade while he was waiting in Vienna, before he had met them. "Nocturne", a term used first by Field, Fauré, and Chopin during the eighteenth century, is a title for quiet and meditative pieces, often used for describing the nighttime. A nocturne usually has several movements, mostly for the solo piano. Chopin did not invent the Nocturne; however, he is the most famous, "building on the form developed by John Field"His first 18 nocturnes were published during his life. Opus 62, which consisted of two movements, was one of his last nocturnes out of his 21, published in 1846 and dedicated to Mdlle. R. de Konneritz. The nocturne is written in ternary form, but Chopin wished to "keep exact repetition to a minimum". In the first section, the left hand serves as the accompaniment, and the right hand plays the melody. The singable melody was intended to be sweet and sustained, given the "dolce" and "sostenuto". The middle section (bar 40) incorporates contrapuntal harmonies and melodies more commonly found in contemporary music. The middle section is much more tense than the third, clearly distinguishing the two. The recapitulation of section A begins on bar 58 containing some modulations of keys, notes, and rhythms. The nocturne ends peacefully with a gradual diminuendo. Sonata in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13 Beethoven (1770-1827) Grave; Allegro di molto e con brio Adagio cantabile Rondo: Allegro Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the most famous composers in the history of music. He first received his musical education from his father, travelling to Vienna twice to study with Mozart and Haydn during the years 1787 and 1792, never to leave Vienna again. Beethoven's music forms a crucial peak in the history of music "as a whole". His earlier works tended to stick to the styles of Classical music, but Beethoven started to develop his own style in his middle and later works. He never quit composing, even after he lost his hearing in the last decades of his life. Aside from his 32 piano sonatas, he also wrote symphonies, string quartets, and concertos etc. His music was loved throughout history for his combination of powerful, passionate and dramatic emotional styles as well as the strict classical composition structure.

Sonata in C minor was one of Beethoven's earlier works, and it is said that it may have been inspired by Mozart's "K. 457", as "Both compositions are in C minor and have three similar movements." The Pathétique Sonata is one of Beethoven's more famous works, and its theme has been incorporated in many modern soundtracks. Charles Rosen said, "Sonata in C minor has come to symbolize his artistic character." As a composer, Beethoven often tended push the limits of the forte piano, making a huge impact on the development of later pianos.

Sonata in C minor consisted of three movements, Grave, Adagio, and Rondo. Every movement in the Sonata has its own unique motif theme. The song begins with an introductory segment. It modulates from C minor to E-flat minor. The Graves's left-hand fast octave notes are played throughout most of the piece, while the right hand plays the main melody. A reoccurring minor theme appears throughout, sometimes with modulations. The Adagio is a slow and tranquil piece, and consists of both left and right hand accompaniments, with a main melody in the right hand. The climax occurs from bar 42-43, and ends peacefully, with a slow final bar. The Rondo piece is a dance, which consists of quick, brisk notes. It also has a main theme that reoccurs throughout the piece. These themes appear four times during the movement. The piece ends the piece with a fast and exited atmosphere.

Passepied Debussy (1862-1918) Claude (Achille-) Debussy, a French composer, is one of the world`s most famous and revolutionary composers, having developed his individual style, called "impressionism", and also created a language that broke definitively with the procedures of classical tonality. He started taking piano lessons in 1870 with Jean Cerutti, and studied at the Paris Conservatory for 11 years. He was recognized as a strong sight reader with good hearing. Debussy is known for his unique style of music, known as "Debussyism", used "both as a compliment and as a term of abuse". In his music he developed a new fluidity of form and explored unusual harmonic relationships and dissonances. By making use of the whole-tone scale, instead of the traditional scale of Western music, he achieved new nuances of mood and expression, as in his famous tone poem Prélude à l`après-midi d`un faune.

Debussy's piano works exploit to the utmost the subtle coloristic possibilities of the instrument. Among them are Suite Bergamasque (pub. 1905), containing the popular Clair de Lune. The Passepied is the fourth and final movement of Suite Bergamasque. It is believed that this suite was inspired by a poem by Paul Verlaine, called Fêtes Gallantes. It consists of four movements: Prélude, Menuet, Clair de lune, Passepied. The Suite Bergamasque is Debussy's most famous suite, mainly because of the success of Clair de Lune, written 1888, yet published in 1903.

"Passepied", a French court dance meaning "Passing Feet", and it is a 17th to 18th century dance that originated in Brittany and is usually faster than a minuet. Debussy`s Passepied is a happy, yet strangely mediaeval piece which is surprisingly faster than its Baroque counterparts. In F-sharp minor, this piece is played at "Allegretto ma non Troppo". The left hand plays the accompaniment with staccato arpeggios played mainly throughout the piece; the right hand varies in many ways. vague While playing the main theme, the right plays staccato. However, there are times when the right hand is required to play as smoothly as possible, when triplets are prominent. This piece is light, bouncy, delicate, yet elegant and it ends playfully, quietly, and softly, serving as a wonderful conclusion to Suite Bergamasque, which has been orchestrated by many composers, including André Caplet, Leopold Stokowski and Lucien Cailliet.