By Pierre-Auguste Renoir - The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=158172
Forget-me-not Waltz Stephen Duro Grade 2 ABRSM 2023 – 2024
Story and character of the piece – the title of the piece is the starting point for the interpretation for this piece. It will be beneficial to discuss with the player what the forget-me-not flower looks like. It is a small delicate flower, most often blue in colour. The player should keep this in mind as they play as delicacy and restraint are required when playing this piece. The footnotes to the music state ‘the waltz is a dance for couples in triple time, which has been popular ever since the 18C. On the second and third crotchets of this Waltz, the left hand often has the characteristic repeated notes of the dance, whereas the right hand often has the more melodious dotted-crotchet rhythms’. The player must consider what the dancers are doing at any given time; often both partners are equally active.
Main part of the music – this should occur at the end of bar 28 at a forte level. It is best that the player does not remain at this dynamic level for too long. Considering that the piece is in two sections, the main part of the first section should occur at a mezzopiano level at the start of bar 11.
Form – as stated above, the piece is in two sections, being in the key of C major. There seems to be a modulation to G major at the end of the first section in bar 16. The music returns to C major at the start of the second section. There are numerous chromatic notes which add colour and interest to the music.
Phrasing – this piece is quite fluid phrasing-wise although the phrases are in sets of two which balance each other, as in a question and answer format. The phrases vary in length; some are four bars in length however others are less than four bars. Some commence with an upbeat; these upbears vary too in length. Some of the phrases overlap which helps provide the momentum into the following phrase.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the suggested tempo of 126 crotchet beats per minute is appropriate for the piece. This tempo will convey the character and mood of the piece within a sense of gently momentum. The upbeats are an important feature of this piece and the player needs to consider how these should be played. Clearly the listener must be aware of where the first beat of the bar is at the beginning of the piece. Consideration must be given to the fact that some of the phrases commence with an upbeat. It is interesting to note how the composer has place the dotted crotchet/quaver pattern on the second and third beats of the bar rather than the usual first and second beats of the bar. This placement completely changes the character of the music, and it contributes to a slight emphasis being placed on the subsequent dotted minim.
By Martin Snopek from Prague, Czech Republic - Forget Me Not, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91693268
Touch and articulation – the R.H. is required to be played with a cantabile touch throughout. The L.H. though can provide contrast touch-wise; there are occasions where the L.H. must be played with a degree of resonance so that the long notes are sustained and heard for their full length, at other times the L.H. should be gently detached such as in bar 2 and there are other instances where the L.H. requires a cantabile touch such bars 9 – 12. The articulation that is provided for the R.H. should be followed as written. Apart from three L.H. slur marks there are no other articulation marks provided. Considering the character of the piece, it would be appropriate for the player to maintain a legato touch apart from the detached crotchets as discussed before. It seems as if the composer has provided these three slurs so that the player highlights these specific parts.
Balance between the hands – during most of this piece the balance must be to the R.H. Nevertheless, the L.H. has a very important role to play especially in the areas where the R.H. is ‘resting’. In bars 21 – 27 there should be less difference balance-wise between the hands as the L.H. takes on a melodic role for a time.
Dynamics – as discussed before the dynamics in this piece should feel restrained, varying from ppp to forte, although the forte dynamic should not remain for too long. The highest note of a melodic pattern need not necessarily be the loudest. The L.H. has an important role to play dynamically in this piece; there are occasions where the R.H. should feel as if it is ‘catching’ up to the L.H.’s dynamics. And subtle changes in the L.H.’s dynamics will make a considerable difference to the dynamics overall. Tone-matching is a skill that must be employed throughout the playing of this piece.
Rubato – the composer has written in some tempo changes however the player could add a few additional touches of rubato themselves. Nevertheless, they must ensure any slowing down is compensated for by an acceleration in another part of the phrase.
Considerations when playing this piece –
· The dynamics need to be warmly resonant even when the dynamics are quieter.
· At times the momentum in a phrase is provided by the L.H.
· Some phrases have a larger range of dynamics than other phrases.
· The small lifts contribute a lot to the music.
· As a contrast to the first section, the second section should have a little more momentum as it is moving forward to the main part.
· The rest in bar 22 is very important.
· The L.H. does not always play a traditional waltz accompanying pattern.
· There are some awkward corners; the L.H. has a few complex patterns to play.
· In bar 16 both hands must lift on beat two.
· The hands should not lift too soon at the end of bar 10 and 12.
· Some players may not be able to reach the octave leaps in the L.H., the articulation should be staccato at these points.
· The are some notes that require special treatment as they add poignancy and pathos to the piece.
· To a certain extent the piece is a little fragmented melodically; the player must think of how to tie them all together.
· There is a danger that the first note is not heard.
· The player must consider how to play the repeated L.H. notes dynamically.
· Perhaps the player could use a number 3 finger on the first L.H. note as this should make it easier to play the subsequent bar.