This is a delightful piece in the Grade 1 syllabus which portrays the fluidity of the movements involved in haymaking. Another piece from the same set, Dragonflies was in the ABRSM Grade 1 syllabus in 2009 - 2010 syllabus.
Haymaking Marjorie Helyer Grade 1 ABRSM 2021 - 2022
Character/story of the piece - clearly the starting point for the interpretation of this piece is the title. One would assume that the haymaking in this title refers to what was done prior to the mechanisation of the process. The player of this piece should be encouraged to watch a video demonstrating how haymaking was performed many years ago. The movements involved of the scything, the turning and the piling of the hay all have their individual rhythm. For example, in bars 1 - 8 the player should envisage the swaying movement whilst scything with a fresh start at bar 5. Bars 9 - 13 and 17 - 21 could portray the turning of the hay that is required as the hay dries out. And lastly, bars 14 - 16 and 22 - 24 represent the hay being heaped into piles. All of these actions require rhythm, momentum and fluidity and Marjorie Helyer depicts these in this lovely piece.
Form - essentially this piece is in binary form, with the first section ending at bar 8, and the second section from bars 9—24, is twice as long as the first section. The second section has the same material repeated however the final bar has different LH notes in comparison with bar 16. This piece is in G major.
Main part of the music - Marjorie Helyer has provided a number of dynamic markings in this piece and by observing her dynamics, the main part is in bar 22 where she has marked the last beat with a ff. This dynamic seems a little loud for the character of the piece. It may be advisable to commence bar 17 with very quiet dynamics so that the crescendo takes place over a number of bars, thus making it more dramatic as a result.
Phrasing - there are six phrases in this music and these phrases should be thought of in sets of two, as each set of two phrases balances each other. The LH helps to connect the first phrase of each group to the second phrase with momentum which the RH does not possess. The first and second phrases commence in the same way however the end of the second phrase differs.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns - as with the dynamics, Marjorie Helyer has stated that the tempo should be Allegro giocoso which is clearly appropriate for the character of the piece. A tempo of 152 crotchet beats per minute is suitable however this is really too fast for a Grade 1 pupil. A more manageable speed is 132 crotchet beats per minute. Although the piece is in triple time, the music takes a time to establish this. To a certain extent, the only bars that portray the triple aspect are bars 14 - 16 and 22 - 24. It would be interesting to know why Marjorie Helyer made the decision to use triple time. Perhaps she felt that a triple time signature best portrayed the fluidity of the haymaking process. There are no rhythmic patterns in this piece that would present any difficulty however many players may find it difficult to play the quaver patterns evenly.
From personal photo collection.
Touch/Articulation - the LH has to use different touches in this piece, a bright energetic touch when playing the quaver patterns and staccato crotchets and a more resonant touch when playing the legato crotchets, minims and dotted minims. Whenever the RH is required to play any quaver patterns, an energetic, bright and precise touch should be employed. Here the fingers should be very curved with the fingertip just in front of the nail being used. As with the LH, the dotted minims need to be played with a resonant touch. When louder dynamics are called for, the player should use weight from their shoulder to achieve this. Regarding the articulation, Marjorie Helyer has provided a number of articulation markings which must be strictly observed. Nevertheless, there are a few instances where the player will be required to make a decision concerning the articulation in the LH. It would be advisable to play the LH of the first three bars legato and this should be applied in similar circumstances. This is also true of bars 14 and 15. Different types of staccato touch need to be employed too, there are those that are part of a slur and those that are not part of a slur.
Balance between the hands - for some of this piece the balance is to the RH. However, there are instances in this piece where the hands are equal partners melodically. On these occasions the player must consider whether the hand that is playing the quaver patterns should exceed the dynamic level of the other hand that has played a dotted minim. This will depend on the dynamic direction of the phrase.
Dynamics - Marjorie Helyer has been quite specific about the dynamics and these should be followed with a few minor alterations. The player could commence the piece at a quieter dynamic, as if someone is observing the haymaking process and is walking towards where it is occurring. Marjorie Helyer has written a forte marking at the start of bar 9, perhaps the player could start at a mezzopiano level with a crescendo until bar 16. Beginning bar 17 at a quiet level is appropriate as this will mean that the molto crescendo to the end of the piece will be more effective.
Four men scythe hay into rows : a woman brings their lunch. Date: 1860s from Alamy,com
Rubato - a slight slowing at the end of bar 16 is fitting and the rall. that Marjorie Helyer has written must be observed too. Nevertheless, this rall. should be played with subtelty.
Considerations when playing this piece -
· It is essential that the player is ready to start when commencing the playing of this piece as it is a little difficult to start a piece with a set of six quavers. The music must start with an impulse with a well controlled RH number 5 finger.
· Considering that the quaver patterns are essentially playing on their own, there must always be a feeling of forward movement and dynamic control, otherwise the music loses its direction.
· This piece is a great way in which to promote the necessity of learning scales.
· The lifts are necessary to convey the character of the music.
· At the ends of some phrases the music should merge together.
· There is a lot of talking between the hands, it is as if they are ‘feeding’ off each other.
· There is a danger that the hands could be lifted too soon when playing the dotted minims.
· The player needs to look quickly from the end of one line to the next.
· The notes that are to be played staccato should be played with consistency.
· There should be a complete break at the end of bars 4, 8 and 16.
· There should be no accents when the highest notes of a phrase are played.
· The player must consider the dynamics carefully in areas such as bar 2 and 3—they need to think about where the dynamics are leading to.