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Air in D minor ZT676 Purcell ABRSM Grade 1 1996 and Grade 2 2023 - 2024
Character/story of the piece – although it is titled an ‘air’, this piece is a minuet. Even so, being called an air implies a cantabile and singing-like style which the player must convey to the listener. It is necessary for the player to understand the style of the minuet and watching this dance online would be helpful. The word minuet means small, pretty and delicate. The word minuet is most probably used because the steps in the dance are quite small and short. At the time when this dance was the most fashionable, it was slow, ceremonious and graceful. The minuet became a stately court dance in the 17th and 18th Centuries. The name is also given to a musical composition written in the same time and rhythm, but when not accompanying a dance the tempo was quicker. The player should imagine each hand being one of the dancers, the left hand is the male dancer, and the right hand is the female dancer. The melodic patterns should be thought of regarding the steps and the movements of the dance.
The footnotes to the 1996 Grade 1 examination book states ‘this is a transcription of a Minuet for strings from Purcell’s incidental music to Congreve’s comedy, The Double Dealer. The left-hand part has been slightly adapted to take out octave stretches’.
Main part of the music – this should occur at the beginning of bar 13 with the dynamics at a forte level. Another suggestion is to place the main part at the first note of bar12 and maintaining the dynamics at a reasonably loud level until the first beat of bar 13. The player must keep in mind the Musical period in which this piece was written ensuring that the dynamics are not too loud; there must be a feeling of restraint and elegance in this music. The player should note how Purcell changes the writing of the L.H. where the main part occurs.
Form – this piece is in binary form and the key of the piece is D minor. The composition remains in this key in the first section however Purcell moves to F major abruptly at the start of the second section. The piece ends in D minor.
Phrasing – there are four phrases in this piece, each being four bars long. Each set of two phrases has a ‘questions and answer’ feel to them and Purcell has connected the two sets of phrases with continuous crotchet movement in the L.H. The ‘question and answer’ aspect is highlighted by Purcell’s use of ascending melodic patterns in the first phrase and descending melodic patterns in the second phrase.
Tempo/time signature and rhythmic patterns – there will be differences of opinion as to how fast this piece should be played. On one copy that I have, a tempo of 84 crotchet beats per minute is suggested. On other copies I have seen 112 and 96 crotchet beats per minute. Considering the title ‘Air’ perhaps a little leeway could be given tempo wise when playing this piece. This piece should not be played too fast; it requires ‘space to breathe’. In my opinion a tempo of 96 crotchet beats per minute is appropriate. The long melodic lines should be played at a tempo that highlights the ascending and descending patterns. There is a danger that the player may play the sets of quavers unevenly. This can be prevented with the use of curved fingers being played just in front of the nail, the use of time names and the player ensuring that the fingers are equally curved, and the keys are played from the same height. Some players will pause, for example, at the end of bar 1. For some players playing in triple time presents a difficulty in maintaining the momentum.
Touch/Articulation – for the most part in the R.H., the player should employ a cantabile touch. For a short time whilst leading to the main part, the player could slightly intensify their fingers resulting in a more brittle sound. This should only occur for a few bars. The L.H. should be gently detached throughout however the player will need to be very careful in the lifting of the minims in bars 13 and 14 as these notes could potentially be lifted too soon. The phrases in the R.H. should be legato throughout with only a small lift at the end of each one. An alternative suggestion is to play the L.H. entirely legato with the R.H lifting at the ends of the first and second bars in each phrase and at the end of the fourth bar. Or, this articulation could be used in the R.H. with a detached L.H. accompaniment. This is the option I prefer because the L.H. detached notes provides the music with energy and momentum.
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Dynamics – as discussed before, this piece is from the early Baroque period and any dynamics used must be considered in relation to this. Nevertheless, the player should employ a wide range of dynamics from pianissimo to forte. Considering that there is little variation in the articulation and touch, the player must find other aspects that can be utilised when playing this piece. One aspect will be the use of a wide range of dynamics and changes to the L.H.’s dynamics. Changes in the dynamics in the L.H. will make a considerable difference to the overall dynamics of the piece. The player should start to increase the L.H.’s dynamics at the beginning of the section, with the loudest part for the L.H. dynamically at the main part of the music. Tone-matching is an important skill in this piece considering the tempo and the long melodic lines.
Balance between the hands – the balance is to the R.H in this piece however at certain parts in this music the level of balance between the hands will decrease. For example, in bars 8 and 16, the hands should merge dynamically. And, at the beginning of the second section there will be less balance to the R.H. considering that the music is moving towards the main part overall.
Rubato – a small slowing at the end of the first section is appropriate however this should be minimal, as the music must project a feeling of expectation and momentum at this point. And in bar 11, the player should accelerate a little which should be balanced by a slight easing of tempo at the start of bar 13. A rallentando in the final bar is appropriate although the player must guard against doubling the time values of the notes.
Considerations when playing this piece –
· Some players may find it a little unsettling considering that at times the hands are reasonably far apart and that the L.H. has a large range.
· An excellent piece to study harmonic progressions and the use of the melodic minor scale.
· The sets of quavers are a very important aspect of this piece; these patterns propel the music forwards. There are occasions where these patterns are played with the second note louder than the first, this being where the phrase is moving to its climax.
· The loudest note of a phrase is not necessarily the loudest.
· There are some awkward ‘corners’ in this piece, especially in the L.H.
· Bars 1 and 2 have the same melodic material as bars 5 and 6 however with a different L.H.
· In the third phrase the player should use the largest range of dynamics as this will add a dramatic touch leading to the main part.
· There is a change of character at the start of the third phrase with the move to the major key.
· The first beat of the bar must be gently emphasised so that the minuet character is projected.