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Hornpipe Purcell (from the incidental music for the play, Moor’s Revenge) Grade 3 Trinity 1993 – 1996 & Getting to Grade 2
Character/story of the piece – this piece has a lively, jaunty character and requires a strong rhythmic impulse. This music was written by Purcell as incidental music for the revival of the play, Moor’s Revenge in 1695, the year of his death. The author of the play, Aphra Benn wrote the play in about 1600 based on a tragedy, Lust’s Dominion. The incidental music that Purcell wrote for the play contained an Overture/Rondeau, Airs x 2, Minuet, Air, Jig, Hornpipe, Air and A Song. The Rondeau was used by Benjamin Britten as the theme for a set of variations, “The Young Person’s Guide of the Orchestra”. As this music is in a dance form, the player can take their inspiration from the title. A hornpipe is an Irish, Scottish and English sailor’s dance that is performed with folded arms. The steps incorporate some of the actions involved in working on a ship: hauling in the anchor, climbing the masts, folding the sails and working with the ropes for example. Often the dancers wear hard shoes so that the sound of their feet helps them stay in time. Bagpipes or a fiddle sometimes accompanies the dance. There are variations of the hornpipe; some fast and some slow. One variation was popular in northern England and the lowlands of Scotland, which was in a lively triple time. An example is the song, ‘Dance ti they Daddy’. Often hornpipes have offbeat accents. The player should consider what the dancer(s) are doing in the music in relation to their movements. The player should be encouraged to watch the hornpipe dance, so they understand the character of the dance.
The ABRSM Teaching Notes for the 2007 – 2008Grade 3 syllabus provides an excellent introduction to another Hornpipe written by Purcell, “this attractive, spirited Hornpipe needs to be approached with the rum-filled boisterousness of a galleon of sailors. It is not fast, but energetic, with rhythmic vitality, charismatic phrasing and a strong left hand”.
This piece has been in the Trinity Grade 3 syllabus in 1993 – 1996. It was called a Courante, not a Hornpipe.
Form – this has a free-flowing form commencing in B flat major. The move from B flat major to its related minor, G minor is sudden, being at the beginning of the second phrase. The last phrase returns to the original key of B flat major.
Main part of the music – this piece has a feeling of accumulation, with the tension and momentum moving towards the main part in at the beginning of the penultimate bar. The dynamics at this point should be forte, however the player should keep in mind the period that the music was written.
Phrasing – there are three phrases in this piece, each being four bars long. All phrases in this piece stand on their own, there is no question-and-answer type of phrasing in this piece. Even so, the phrases flow easily from one to the next and all phrases have a definite ending, as if they are separate entities.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the editor of the book, Getting to Grade 2 has suggested a tempo of 96 crotchet beats per minute. This is an appropriate tempo as it is fast enough to provide the music with direction and momentum but not so fast that the rhythmic patterns sound rushed and hurried in their execution. As mentioned above, hornpipes often contain offbeat accents. This is the case in this piece as some of the rhythmic patterns present on the third beat of the bar are detached from beats one and two in the bar. These beats sound slightly accented considering their separation from the other beats. There are numerous rhythmic patterns that the player may find difficultly with in this piece. Some players may experience unevenness when playing the faster patterns. The player should tap out the rhythm using both hands, this must be secure in both hands before learning it hands together. Throughout this piece the L.H. provides the beat and the L.H. should in no way be adjusted to allow the R.H. some leeway rhythmically. Some players may find the dotted crotchet/quaver pattern a little tricky to play. As stated, the L.H. must remain accurate in its playing.
From Alamy.com
Touch/articulation – the player can provide contrast in this piece by subtly changing the touch involved. In the first phrase the touch should remain cantabile however in the second phrase the player should employ a slightly intense touch considering the register the composer has used. In the third and final phrase, the player should commence with a cantabile touch but return to a more intense touch in the final two bars. The L.H. needs to be played with resonance, this being the case when the minim and crotchet notes are being played. As a contrast, the L.H. quaver notes should be played with a slightly intense touch as to a certain extent the L.H. takes on a melodic role at this point. The editor has suggested that the L.H. should be played legato. The only exception that I think is appropriate is the detaching of the L.H. quavers in bars 3 and 11, as this will lighten this beat prior to the final bar of these two phrases. The R.H.’s articulation should be followed as written again with exception of the detaching of the quaver patterns in bars 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 11. Any detached notes, should of course, be gently detached, in no way should these sound short and abrupt.
Balance between the hands – for most of the time the balance is to the R.H. However, at the end of the first and third phrases the hands should merge dynamically at the end. Again, contrast and interest can be provided by changing the degree to which the hands are balanced. In the beginning phrase the L.H. should not be too loud, so the balance between the hands is distinct. In the second phrase, once the L.H. takes on the more melodic role, the balance between the hands should be reduced. And, in the final phrase, the L.H. should be played with much resonance and richness, this will then result in not as much balance between the hands.
Dynamics – as suggested before, any dynamic level must be considered in relation to the musical period in which this piece was written. A large range of dynamics can be employed whilst playing this piece however in stating this, the dynamics should be quieter at the start than what is suggested. The largest range of dynamics applied should be reserved for the final phrase, as this will contribute to the tension and drama required for the main part of the music. Tone-matching is a necessary skill for playing this piece; the player must listen very carefully to the ends of the melodic patterns and judge how loud the following notes should be. The dotted patterns require special thought regarding tone-matching.
Considerations when playing this piece -
· The player needs to think about releasing a little of the weight on the shorter notes.
· Notice how Purcell has added another two semiquaver/quaver pattern on beat 3 in bar 10, providing the music with even more momentum at that point.
· The highest note of a melodic pattern does not necessarily need to be the loudest.
· The crescendo in the final phrase requires careful grading, the player should start the crescendo then drop the dynamics for a short time before completing the crescendo to the beginning of bar 11. The dynamics should be maintained at a mezzoforte to forte level for the final two bars.
· The second phrase, being in G minor, has a strength that belies the fact that it is in a minor key. Notice how the quaver movement provides the music with a sense of urgency.
· The piece must always have grace, elegance and poise.
· At the beginning of bar 6, the L.H. finger 4 should be silently changed to a 5.
· There is a lot of music packed into 12 bars of writing.
· Any slowing down at the end should in no way affect the overall tempo; the R.H. semiquaver pattern should not be doubled.
· It is interesting to note that the first phrase has an overall descending melodic pattern, the second phrase has a more circular melodic pattern and the final phrase has an overall ascending pattern.
References
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornpipe