From Alamy.com
Character/story of the piece – obviously the starting point for the interpretation for this piece is the title. The tarantella is a folk dance from southern Italy danced by couples. Its characteristics include the use of light, fast steps, rapid and swirling gestures, the use of tambourines and in 6/8 time although some are written in 4/4 time. The origin of the tarantella is associated with tarantism which is a complaint that emerged in Italy during the 15C to the 17C in the province of Taranto. Apparently, it was thought that anyone who had been bitten by a tarantula would be cured by frenetic dancing. Wikipedia states ‘the tarantella is a dance in which the dancer and the drum player constantly try to upstage each other by playing faster or dancing longer than the other, subsequently tiring one person out first’. The instruments used in the playing of tarantellas are mandolins, guitars, accordions and of course, tambourines. Sometimes flutes, violins, trumpets and clarinets are used.
There are videos online that show the energy and vitality of the dance.
The player must spend time considering the movements of the dancers as well as how the instruments are used. For example, in the first two phrases the tambourines are being played at the beginning of each beat throughout. Perhaps, in the third and fourth phrases the tambourines are not being played however in the subsequent phrases they are.
In bars 3 and 4 the player could imagine that the dancers are hopping.
Form – this piece could be thought of as being ternary form. The first section covers bars 1 – 8, with the second section being from bars 9 – 24. The last section is longer than the first section. The piece commences in D minor and at the beginning of the second section, the dominant chord of D minor is highlighted. Then there is a sudden move to D major however there is a hint of G minor too. Following this the LH plays the dominant note for five bars which underscores the dominant chord of the piece. The last section of the piece is in D minor.
Main part of the music – this should occur on the second beat of bar 29 at fortissimo level. After this main point, the music should gradually become quieter, however a little dynamic flourish in the penultimate bar, is appropriate.
By Rosangela Palmieri - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=116520863
Phrasing – for most of the time, the phrases in this piece consist of four bars. However, in bars 17 – 24, there is one phrase of five bars and the other of three bars. These two phrases could be considered as one phrase. Apart from the phrases mentioned above, the phrases contain a question-and-answer character. And in addition to this, the phrases for the most part, are in sets of two where the first phrase of the pair is answered by the second phrase.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the composer has provided a suggested tempo, and this is appropriate for the character of the piece. Obviously, this piece must be played reasonably fast so that the character of the tarantella can be portrayed. This could possibly be the player’s introduction in playing in compound time. The player must be fully aware of how the beat divides into three. The player must know how to commence playing this piece, there must be an impulse on the first beat. There are no rhythmic patterns that would cause any difficulty although there are a few ‘awkward’ corners where the player must move to a different position quite rapidly. For this the player must always be looking ahead for the new position and allow the hand or hands to move to where the eyes are looking.
The player must ensure that they regularly check the speed with the metronome as familiarity could result in the piece played too fast.
Touch/Articulation – this piece is full of contrasts and changes in the articulation and touch which are vital in conveying the character of the dance. At the start, the player should show contrast in the melodic material by using a cantabile touch for the notes that are covered by the slur as opposed to those that are played staccato. However, the staccato note in the RH in bar 4 should be gently lifted considering that it is part of the slur. The same approach should be applied to the following two phrases. In bars 17 – 24, the music should sound cantabile throughout; here the dance movements have changed, and the listener must be aware of this. It is interesting to note how the composer uses the opening melodic material (with a little variation) in the final bars of the piece, with the LH taking the RH’s opening pattern. All notes in the piece that are to be played staccato are quavers however it would be quite easy for the player to apply this to the dotted crotchet chords in the LH, for example in bar 2. The player must ensure that these notes and chords are held for their correct length.
Balance between the hands – this aspect is constantly changing throughout the piece; it commences with the balance to the RH in bars 1 and 2 but changes immediately in bars 3 and 4 where the hands are equally balanced. In bars 9 – 16, the player must be careful in their tone-matching when playing the RH after the LH in bars 9 and 14.
Dynamics – the application of sudden changes in the dynamics when playing this piece is appropriate for the character. It may be advisable for the player to commence a little quieter than suggested at the beginning so that the dynamics can be louder in the last section. The LH should be played with a degree of resonance in bars 1 and 2, for example. In bars 16 – 24, the player should diminuendo to bar 21 before commencing the crescendo as written in the music. Often the LH dictates the dynamics.
Agogic effects – these should be kept to a minimum; a slight slowing in bar 21 and the final two bars is appropriate but not at the expense of the rhythm patterns.
By Cant. Zano - L’illustrazione popolare, Fratelli Treves Editori - Milano, 1895., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92736280
Pedal – the player of course must use the pedal as the composer has instructed. Nevertheless, the player must be judicious in the application of the pedal at these points as there could be an unwanted sudden surge in sound that would be inappropriate for the character of the piece. This piece should have a brittle sound, except for the cantabile patterns as discussed before. The player should take notice of how the crescendo is incorporated into the use of the pedal in bars 9 and 13.
Considerations when playing this piece –
· The hands need to move well forward on numerous occasions, especially for the LH to cover the Bflat in bar 1 for example.
· There is a forceful character portrayed in bars 17 – 21 as if the player desperately wishes to be heard. There is a sense of urgency and a feeling of expectancy as to what is going to happen.
· In bars 10 and 11 and bars 14 and 15 the player must think in relation to contrary motion and the shape and patterns created by playing these passages. The patterns ‘fit’ under the hands in bars 10 – 12 and 14- 16. Bars 9 – 16 should be played form memory.
· The player should highlight the ‘changing’ notes in the LH chords.
· The ending should have a delicate quality.
· The hands must be suspended over the keys so that the rests are acknowledged in the final bar.
· The player must be mentally and physically ready for what is coming in bar 9.
· There are numerous rests in this piece; the player must always think and feel the movement of the beat.
· In the last phrase, perhaps the dancers are leaving the stage.
· The player must use a lot of body movement; when playing the last phrase, the player must be in a good position to be able to play this phrase with comfort and ease.
· When playing the dotted crotchets that are followed by a rest, the player should lift gradually throughout the beat.
· There is a danger that the player could split the playing of the chords or that not all of the notes are heard.
· At the end of the piece, the player should imagine that all the players have left
· The R.H.’s As in bars 2 and 4 for example, could these be changed according to the dynamics of the phrase?
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