Couples dancing the minuet in an 18th century ballroom. Hand-colored woodcut, from Alamy.com
It is rare to find a student who does not like this beautiful and graceful minuet. It comes from the Notebook for Nannerl. In 1759 Leopold Mozart compiled a notebook as a present for his daughter Maria Anna (usually called 'Nannerl') and it was intended as a series of instructive exercises and practice pieces. Wolfgang Mozart used the Notebook too and possibly the pieces in the book provided inspiration for his own compositions. The Minuet K2 was composed in Salzburg in January 1762. Not only does it contain pleasing melodic material, it is structurally satisfying too. It is best for the player to think of the phrases in sets of two, the second phrase in each set complementing the first.
Jean Harvey, a former Chief Examiner of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in her 1997 Teaching notes states that the piece contains ‘the usual stress of a heavier first beat and a lighter 3rd beat and this is contrasted with the legato LH’. However, she does point out that some pupils may not be able to reach the LH octave drop in bar 3 and others, and in these cases the LH should be detached’. She follows on talking about the dynamics and she recommends having a slightly louder crescendo in the second phrase as that will take the listener ‘through to the double bar’. This is good advice in view of the ascending melodic material in this second phrase. Considering the sequential pattern in phrases three and four, she advises to play the fourth phrase quieter than the third. Here is excellent material to discuss with the student the use of modulation. And, of course the appoggiaturas at the phrase ends are valuable theoretical material too. Discuss with the student how these will affect the interpretation of the music. Jean Harvey does not recommend changing the tempo of the music too much. The only place where she feels a rallentando is suitable, is in bar 20 at the interrupted cadence. And, so that this rallentando is not over-shadowed, there should be little or no slowing down in the final two bars which again is good advice.
The Mozart family - Mozart with his father Leopold and his sister Maria Anna (nicknamed Nannerl), from Alamy.com
There are difficulties when playing this piece because the intervals change frequently. For example, in bar 5 the RH covers a fifth, in bar 6 the RH covers a sixth and in bar 7 the RH covers a 7th with the little finger playing Bflat. The player’s hand is constantly extending and contracting.
Minuet – it is essential that the player is aware of the character of the minuet. There are some valuable videos available that show dancers performing the minuet and these should be a starting point for the playing and interpretation of this piece. For example, at the cadential points, the dancers could be bowing or waiting before moving in a new direction.
Form - binary.
Main part of the music – in my opinion the player should deceive the listener into thinking that the main part will be at the end of the fifth phrase. The dynamics should be built up prior to bar 20, and then the dynamics should be abruptly reduced thus heightening the drama of the moment. Then, following bar 20, the main part of the music should occur with only a slight reduction in dynamics at the end of the piece.
Phrasing – six phrases in total, the player should consider the phrases in sets of two, with the second ‘answering’ the first phrase of each set.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – a speed of crotchet – 120 is recommended for this piece. The player must make the listener aware of the triple time signature by placing a gentle emphasis on the first beat of the bar. There is a danger when playing this piece of music that the quavers are played unevenly. Also, some players may play the triplet too fast resulting in it being played at the start of the beat rather than throughout.
Unexpected moment – the use of the interrupted cadence is certainly an unexpected moment, which needs to be highlighted.
Touch – this piece requires an energetic and slightly intense touch so that the vitality and elegant character of the piece is conveyed to the listener.
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791). Austrian composer. Mozart painted in Verona, 1770, by Saverio dalla Rosa, from Alamy.com
Balance between the hands – the balance should be to the RH in this piece however the LH plays an integral part in the music. The balance between the hands could be reduced in bars 9 – 16 as this will highlight the different character of this part. And, at the phrase ends the hands to a certain extent could ‘blend’ together.
Articulation – whatever articulation is decided upon, it must be consistently used throughout in similar situations. In my opinion, the articulation should be a combination of legato and staccato. The articulation used though should be appropriate for the ability of the player.
Dynamics – considering that this piece is from the Classical Period the dynamics should be restrained and refined, keeping them within the dynamics for a piece of this time.
Use of the RH – the player should imagine that their fingers are dancing a minuet. Thought must be given to the crotchet on the third beat of the bar, in bars 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20. These must be played using tone-matching, the player must listen very carefully to the remaining sound of the minim prior to it and play the crotchet either at the same level or less, according to the circumstance. There are three-note slurs and one four-note slur in this piece and the player must consider the gesture that should be used to execute these successfully. There are occasions where the RH will have to move well forward to cover a black note with ease.
Practice suggestions
Evenness of quaver and triplet patterns
the player should use a ‘quiet’ hand with energetic fingers using curved fingers playing just in front of the nail. To obtain a brighter touch, the player should play the keys from a greater height. Maintaining well-curved fingers is vital, as a flatter finger will play ahead of time.
in addition to this, I suggest that the player keeps saying time names in their head, as this will help the quaver and triplet patterns to be played evenly.
and of course, careful listening to how the music is sounding is always useful.
Three and four note slurs
these are a constant feature of this piece. The player needs to play the first note of each phrase with the gentle drop of the arm. The third note is played with a rolling motion of the arm in an upward and inward movement, using no finger action and releasing the note on the upward roll. The subsequent note should be played with lightness and delicacy. The four-note slur occurs in bar 7.
Detached notes
these notes should be gently detached, a short staccato note would not be appropriate in this piece. The player should endeavour to release these notes with the finger staying in contact with the key until the last possible moment. The detached notes are always on the second and third beats of the bar.
Appoggiaturas
considering the dissonance that occurs at these points, these appoggiaturas should be played in a different manner in comparison with the rest of the piece. Here the player must use a degree of weight from the shoulder when playing the minim, with a release of the weight when playing the subsequent note.
tone-matching is vital at this point, the second note must be played within the same level that the minim has faded to or less, never more.
at the phrase ends, the LH should increase slightly in volume so that there is a sense of the two hands blending together at these points.
This piece will require considerable HS practice before learning it HT. Once the fingering has been decided on, the player must not deviate from what has been decided on.