Parkend, Gloucestershire, England, from Alamy.com
Sunlight through the Trees June Armstrong Grade 1 ABRSM 2023 – 2024
Character/story of the piece – obviously the title is the starting point for the interpretation for this piece. The player should be encouraged to walk through a forest or bush area when the sun is shining. The dappled light that filters through the trees is evocatively described in this piece of music. The player must consider the light and shade, in some areas the sunlight is shining through the trees however in others there is no sunlight or very little . The music evokes a how a person walking through the bush or forest experiences the different types of light. There is a video online where the composer, June Armstrong discusses her composition as well as playing the piece.
Form – there is structure to this piece, although it could not be described as being in binary or ternary form, for example. There is a three-bar introduction, which sets the scene, is followed by a section where the phrases begin with the same descending melodic material, The following section commences with different ascending melodic material before the final section which begins with the same material that was used after the introduction. The music closes with a restatement of the main melodic material with variety provided by the use of a higher register and agogic effects.
Main part of the music – this occurs at the beginning of bar 15, and considering the character of the piece, this should be played at a mezzoforte dynamic. This piece has a key signature of one sharp however it is not until bar 15 that there is a feeling of the music being in G major.
Phrasing – the introduction to the piece is three bars long. Following the introduction, there are three phrases which contain four bars each. The second and third phrases balance each other. The final phrase is six bars long, this phrase contains a restatement of the main melodic material at the beginning.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – a speed of 100 crotchet beats per minute is appropriate for portraying the shimmering effect of the sunlight through the trees. If played too fast the character will not be projected and there is a danger that some of the details could be lost. And, if played too slowly the music will sound a little heavy. Even though the music is written in quadruple time there are numerous occasions where the piece feels as if some of the bar lines have been removed. In the final four bars the music changes to a triple time signature and this contributes to the quicker tempo. The player should avoid over-emphasising the first beat of the bar, in some cases. For example, bars 4 and 5 should be considered as a one bar. There are no rhythmic patterns that will provide any difficulty for the player. The player could though incorrectly count bar 2 in comparison with bars 1 and 3.
Touch/Articulation – the composer has written in all of the articulation which the player must adhere to. Lifting gently in between bars 5 and 6 for example, must be followed. Within these legato phrases the player should use light, yet energetic and intense fingers to portray the character. As a contrast though, bars 1 – 3, bars 7, 11, 13 and 15 should be played with a cantabile touch. The touch must also be considered in relation to the use of the pedal. At the ends of all of the patterns the hands should be lifted with a relaxed gesture with the fingers touching the keys as they return.
Tasmania, Australia.
By O'Cker - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58416581
Balance between the hands – this is not something the player has to consider in this piece. Both hands have an equal part to play and the player must carefully consider how the hands dynamically move from one to the other. In bars, such as bar 11, both hands should be equal in dynamics.
Dynamics – considering the character of the piece, the dynamics should remain reasonably quiet throughout and at the main part, the dynamics should be mezzoforte. One of the complexities of the playing of this piece involves the application of quiet dynamics, tone matching at all times, and this has to be achieved whilst using the pedal. One aspect to consider is that the highest note of a melodic pattern does not necessarily have to be the loudest.
Pedal – although the instruction at the beginning of the piece is ‘hold down the pedal all the way through this piece’ there is a danger that the player will completely relax whilst holding the pedal, thus resulting in too much pedal sound. The player must use the barest minimum of the pedal, the pedal should only be depressed to the point that it is effective. The player will need to spend time learning how to project the notes over the remaining pedal sound, or at other times, allowing the notes to merge into the remaining pedal sound. The pedal sound should never build up so much that it becomes overwhelming. Another aspect to consider is whether or not the pedal should be depressed before the player commences to play. The pedal and hands should be carefully lifted together at the end of the piece.
Agogic features – the player will be advised to adhere to what the composer has written in and to not introduce any other agogic features into the music. To a certain extent the composer has written in agogic features with the use of longer notes in specific places. The player will need to practice the accel. at the end and to ensure that the penultimate bar does not slow down so much that the rhythmic values are doubled.
Considerations when playing this piece –
· There is a danger that the chords at the beginning of the music are split; the player must move into a suitable playing position. Before commencing to play this piece, the player could move slightly higher on the piano stool, so that they can access the higher register required with ease.
· There are occasions where the LH thumb plays at the start of a group of notes, the player should ensure that there are no accents at these points.
· In the introduction the player should ensure that they do not lift their hands too soon when moving between one position and the other.
· There is a danger that the player could hold down notes unnecessarily in the quaver patterns.
· The lifting of the patterns should be accompanied with relaxed hand, arm and elbow gestures before the hands are placed carefully on the notes for the following patterns. The arms should feel as if they are suspended.
· The pause is important at the end of bar 7, this will let some of the sound die away.
· It is important that the player does not over-emphasise any particular notes in the quaver patterns on a regular basis. In these groups there must always be forward movement, the player must consider where the patterns are moving to.
· The player must consider what to do with the LH after playing the penultimate bar. It would be advisable to leave the LH suspended over the keys and allowing both hands to be lifted off the piano simultaneously.
· Bars 1 – 3 set the scene, bars 4 – 7 there is a chink of bright light, in bar 7 the person is watching and waiting, bars 8 – 11 there is more light coming through the trees this time, bars 12 – 15 is when most of the light is coming through, bars 16 – 17 a chink of light coming through with the final four bars where the wind is blowing through the trees.
· In the learning process the player could cover the groups of notes as a practice technique.
· The player needs to lift the hands off the keys in the first three bars without any ‘clunking’ sounds.
· The louder dynamics should occur where there is sun and the quieter dynamics where there is little or no sun.
· It is as if the person waling through the forest is looking for a ‘bright’ spot in the forest.
· The player must decide whether what they are playing is adding into the sound that is already occurring or playing louder than the remaining pedal sound.
· The music must still have a feeling of momentum even though there are mostly single melodic lines present.