A Little Song, Kabalevsky, Op. 27 no. 2 Grade 2 1994 ABRSM
Character/story of the piece – obviously the title of the piece provides the inspiration for the interpretation of it. The mood of the piece is quite changeable and the player could write some words to the music that reflects these changes. At the beginning, there is a kind of despair and melancholy. However, the second phrase projects a defiant mood but at the end of the phrase, the melancholy returns. The third phrase commences in the same manner as the first phrase before becoming even more defiant at the end of it. Even though the dynamics change suddenly at the beginning of the fourth phrase the confidence remains and the final bars emphasise this mood.
Form – this is a character piece, which to a certain extent is in two sections as the second section commences with the same melodic material as the first section.
Kabalevsky, Dmitri, 30.12.1904 - 18.2.1987, from Alamy.com
Main part of the music – Kabalevsky provides the player with numerous dynamic markings and all of these should be observed. The main part, as indicated by Kabalevsky, occurs in bar 12 where he has marked forte. Nevertheless, the last phrase contains considerable drama with Kabalevsky’s use of p subito, a minim rest followed by a lengthening of the phrase and the addition of tenuto marks.
Phrasing – this piece contains four phrases, the first three of them containing four bars each. The final phrase contains five bars. The player should consider how the lengthening of this phrase affects the ending of the piece.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns - in regards to the metronome speed for this piece I have seen a huge variation in speeds suggested. These range from crotchet = 76 up to 116. In my opinion, it would be best to play the piece at crotchet = 96. The music needs to have a sense of momentum, but if played too fast, the character of the music will be compromised. Even though the piece is in Common time, the player should strive to avoid over-accenting the first beats of every bar. At times, the music feels as if some of the bar lines are not present. This helps to project the lyrical nature of the piece. There are no particular rhythmic patterns that could cause any concern for the player although they must ensure that the quaver patterns are played evenly.
Touch/Articulation – it’s amazing how much Kabalevsky can convey to the player with his markings in this piece. At the beginning, Kabalevsky uses the indication of dolce, and here the player should employ very precise and slightly intense finger use to gain a slightly bright tone. Here the player should lift the fingers off the keys, as if they are playing a staccato touch but with legato. But in the second phrase, the LH, which has the melody, is required to play with a cantabile touch with fingers being played closer to the keys. From there, the player will need to swap between the touch required according to the character of the music at the time. As with the dynamics and touch, Kabalevsky has written the articulation markings for the player to observe. Some of the lifts involved do help the player, especially where there are thirds to be played consecutively.
Balance between the hands– for most of the piece the balance is to the RH, however in the second phrase the balance should be to the LH considering that this hand plays the melody in these bars. Nevertheless, the LH’s chords (and the RH’s chords in bars 9 – 12) play an important role in this music and the melodic lines (some of which are chromatic) that these chords create, must be heard. The player must decide which notes should be highlighted in these chords, or indeed whether both notes of these chords should be heard with equal dynamics.
Dynamics – as has been stated before, Kabalevsky has provided the dynamic indications for this piece. The range of dynamics used in this piece is quite large, for example in the third phrase the dynamics commence at piano level and are at forte level by the end of it. Even so, the forte in bar 12 should not be excessive, as it would be out of character for the music. Tone matching and control of the dynamics is an important skill required when paying this piece. The highest note of a phrase does not necessarily need to be played the loudest.
Pedal – although this may be a skill that could possibly be beyond the expertise of some Grade 2 players, the music will be enhanced if the player can add some touches of legato pedal. Some flutter pedalling will need to be employed, and this will assist in helping the player ensure that the pedal is barely noticeable.
Rubato – small touches of rubato should be applied in this piece. It would be best to start applying the rubato during the second phrase, as the beat needs to be firmly established before any rubato is used. Kabalevsky has written poco rit. in the penultimate bar and this must be observed. The player must though ensure that the small amount of slowing down does not result in the notes being doubled in value in this penultimate bar. The player should let some of the sound die away before lifting their hand and pedal off.
Considerations –
Maintaining the legato movement from one set of chords to the next will be a concern for some players. Pressure should be maintained at the bottom of the keys to ensure a satisfactory legato.
Some players may need to spend time working on playing the quaver patterns evenly.
This piece was set in 1994 in Grade 2 and Grade 1 in 1997. When it was set in Grade 1, the speed was crotchet = 80.
There are a number of repeated notes in the melodic line and the player should play these as legato as possible although the lift when changing to a different finger will provide a small degree of emphasis on the second of the repeated notes.
Tone matching is required throughout and especially when playing the dotted crotchet/quaver pattern in bar 4.
Care must be taken when playing the LH at the beginning of bar 7; the dynamic level of the LH should be determined by how loud the RH chord was played. The LH should ‘emerge’ from the RH’s dynamic level.
There is a danger that the player may not observe fully the minim rest in bar 15; this is a dramatic moment for both listener and player.