By Pierre Blaché from Paris, France - London, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149350954
Thames Sunrise Janet & Allan Bullard Grade 3 ABRSM 2023 – 2024
Character/story of the piece – the footnotes to this piece state ‘play this evocative ballad with colour and character and make the melody sing’. Perhaps the player could imagine that someone is imagining what will happen during a particular day, one that is happy and fulfilling. There is a sense of anticipation in the opening section, followed by the second section where a happy event has taken place. The final section describes the person reflecting on their good fortune and happiness. Referring to the title “Thames Sunrise”, the first section describes dawn breaking over the Thames River. Following this, the sun comes up during the second section. The third section describes the Thames River flowing down to the sea. As the footnotes suggest, the player should create some words that fit the music.
Form – as already described, there are three sections in this piece. The first section is in G major. However, during the second section the music sounds a little ‘restless’ because it moves quickly through a set of keys, some of which are minor in character. The final section commences with the opening music however, again the music becomes a little unsettled tonality wise and ends with an unresolved chordal pattern.
Main part of the music – this should occur, as shown by the composers at bar 21 at a forte level. This though is approximately halfway through the piece, so the player must ensure that the listener’s interest is maintained to the end of the piece. Because of the change of melodic material in the third section, interest will be maintained, as will also the mezzoforte dynamic level employed in the last phrase.
Phrasing – apart from the final phrase, the phrases are of four bar duration throughout. The final phrase is nine bars in length. There are nine phrases in total in this piece, and except for the final phrase, the phrases present in pairs with second phrase ‘answering’ the first phrase of each set.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – an appropriate speed for this is 120 crotchet beats per minute. As with any piece, the correct speed will enhance the mood and character of the piece. This piece must have a flowing character, but it shouldn’t be played so fast that this character is compromised. The triple time signature contributes to the flowing character of the piece. It is interesting to note the composers use of tied notes at the ends of some of the phrases. These are mostly located in the first section. At these points it sounds as if the bar line has been removed. These tied notes reduce some of the momentum momentarily, however the L.H. maintains some of the momentum into the subsequent phrase. Although there are syncopated patterns in this music, most player should have no concerns in playing them. When playing this piece, the player must ensure that all long notes are held for their correct value. The timing of the final three bars is complicated; there is a danger that the player will play the notes in bar 37 as crotchets.
Touch/articulation – the R.H. must be played with a cantabile touch so that the flowing and expressive character is portrayed. The player will need to reduce the amount of weight from the shoulder according to the dynamics and the context of the phrase. The player’s wrist must be employed as it should follow the R.H.’s melodic pattern as it plays. The L.H.’s touch is described under part-playing below. Several lifts must be used in this piece, as these will provide contrast with the long legato phrases such as the first one. For example, in the second phrase the player should lift the R.H. at the end of bars 5 and 6. In addition to this, the player must observe the tenuto and accents that are written in the music. The footnotes state ‘the staccato quavers at the end should be played very lightly, using both pedals, to create a misty sonority’.
By Winter sunrise over the Thames by Robert Eva, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135787528
Balance between the hands – the balance is to the R.H. for most of this piece however there are occasions where the hands merge, for example in bar 4 or bar 24. And the L.H. takes on a melodic role at the ends of some phrases. In the final phrase both hands are equal in balance, except in bar 37.
Dynamics – fortunately the composers have written many dynamic markings in the music which require little alteration or addition. The range of dynamics used could be greater in the final section. Even though the composers have marked forte at the main part the player must be conscious that this dynamic is not harsh and strident at this point. In the phrases where there are bars containing six quavers, the player should always be aware of where the phrase is moving to dynamically. Another aspect that must be considered is how the phrases join each other dynamically.
Part-playing – this could possibly be the player’s first exposure to part-playing in one of their pieces. The L.H. frequently has two parts to play, with the bass part being played on the first beat of the bar, with the tenor playing on the second and/or third beats of the bar. The player must play the bass part with a degree of resonance as this will need to sound for the full length of the bar. As a contrast, the tenor part (often played with the thumb) should be played with a lighter more intense touch so that the parts can be differentiated. When the L.H. takes on a melodic role such as bars 15 and 16 a cantabile touch should be employed.
Pedal – legato pedalling is appropriate for this piece although there are instances where the pedal should be lifted momentarily such as in bar 8, 12, 16, 24 and 32. Considerable flutter pedalling will need to be employed and the player must be aware of not allowing the amount of pedal sound to become over-bearing for the listener. The only pedal markings that have been written in are those in the final phrase. These could be modified; the chords in bars 34 and 36 should not be pedalled. The use of the una corda pedal in the penultimate and final bars is interesting. Often when using the una corda pedal the sound is completely deadened; the player should use their discretion in this regard.
Rubato – the composers have written this in with the rit in bars 23 and 24 and the words ‘slower’ and ‘very slow’ in the final phrase. A few touches of rubato in other parts would be appropriate however these should be kept to a minimum. The use of the words ‘very slow’ in the penultimate bar is interesting – could the composers have written what they wanted by doubling the notes for example?
Considerations when playing this piece –
· The player should consider how long to wait for the fermata at the end of the piece. Should they wait until the sound nearly disappears before they lift their hands and pedal?
· If possible, the player should highlight the top notes of the chords in the R.H.
· There is a danger that some of the chords could split when being played.
· Considering that the first and third phrases commence in the same way, the player must be conscious of where the two phrases deviate as they could easily play the incorrect part.
· In bar 29 the finger number 2 should be changed to a 3 in the R.H.
· There is a definite change of character in bar 17 however this must still be within the context of the character of the piece.
· There are numerous hand position changes.
· In bar 24 the L.H. E must be heard from the previous bar.
· The highest note of a phrase or bar is not necessarily the loudest.
· The player must consider how the use of syncopation affects the character of the music. In this piece, rather than the affect it would have in a jazz piece, it serves to remove some of the momentum momentarily.
· The R.H. D in bar 30 is a poignant note, one the listener would not have been expecting.
· The L.H. F in bar 10 is an important note.
· To a certain extent the music has an improvisatory feel.