By Darbui - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74823094
Sunsets in Savannah Randall Hartsell Grade 4 ABRSM 2025 – 2026
Story/character of the piece – clearly the title of this piece should be the starting point for the interpretation of this piece. The player should look through some of the images online of sunsets in North Carolina. Many of these images are simply stunning with an amazing range of colours and hues. As the ABRSM piano notes state ‘although the main theme is heard a number of times, its beauty lies in how this aligns with the ever-changing skies in a sunset’. Perhaps in bar 16 where the melodic material changes the colour of the sunset has changed dramatically. When the R.H. moves to a higher register in bar 26 the colour has changed again with the most beautiful colour reserved for the main part of the piece in bar 31. In the final bars the sunset gives way to darkness.
Form – this piece has three sections. Even though the third section commences with the same material from the first section played an octave higher, it them moves into different melodic material. The first section commences in C major, however there are additional chromatic notes which provide interest and colour to the music. The second section, commencing at bar 16 moves to A minor briefly before moving to G major. The final section, which begins at bar 25 returns to C major. There is a slightly unsettled period key-wise in bars 33 and 34 prior to the final C major part.
Main part of the music – this should occur in bar 3 at a forte level. This forte level should only be maintained for a short period of time considering the character of the music. The other two sections should have main parts as well as this helps contribute to the feeling of structure within the music.
Phrasing – the phrase lengths in this piece as variable, none are four bars in length. Some commence on the first beat of the bar whilst others start on beat two or the fourth beat of the bar. Even so, the phrases are often presented in sets of two with the second phrase ‘answering’ the first phrase. However, in the final section the phrases have a more episodic character as the music moves towards the main part of the music and then to the finale. Frequently the phrases overlap when moving from one to the next such as in bars 15 and 16.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the suggested tempo of 84 crotchet beats per minute is entirely appropriate for the character of the music. The use of the quadruple time signature provides the music with long, expressive phrases. Some players may have a little trouble with the dotted quaver and semiquaver pattern especially where it occurs with two quavers in the L.H. The player should consider using the time names for what the pattern becomes once combined. Over time this pattern could become a swing pattern rather than a dotted pattern, so the player needs to constantly check what they are playing. The player must ensure that any long notes are held for their full value.
Touch/articulation – the composer requests that the player uses a cantabile touch. As the ABRSM notes suggest the player must feel themselves playing the notes right to the bottom of the key bed. Weight from the shoulder must be supported by the arm so that the fingers can transfer the weight into the keys. In addition to this, the hand must be supported by a relaxed wrist. The weight needs to be transferred from note to note so it would be advisable for the player to play this piece without the pedal in the learning stages. Some lifts in the R.H. will highlight the melodic patterns such as before the fourth beat in bars 4, 18, 20 and 32. Other lifts should occur in the R.H. in bar 22 before the A and before the G on the third beat in bar 24. These lifts provide a degree of space and air into the music. A more intense touch could be employed in the middle section.
Dynamics – as already mentioned the use of the forte dynamic in bar 31 should be fleeting, as for the most part, the dynamics used in this piece should be more subdued. The quieter dynamics should not be colourless though, there needs to be a richness to the pianissimo and piano dynamics. Considerable control will be required when playing the dynamics in this piece because the phrases are long and often contain scale or arpeggio patterns. Once the pedal is introduced, the dynamics will need to be considered in relation to what the use of pedal is contributing to the sound. The L.H.’s dynamics are extremely important as the longer notes will need to be played with resonance so that they sound for their entire length. The highest note of a melodic pattern need not be the loudest. The dynamics on the first page should not be too loud; it should sound as if the music is taking its time to ‘warm up’. Conversely, the louder dynamics should be reserved for the second page.
By The ed17 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69989613
Balance between the hands – there is contrast in the balance between the hands throughout this piece. At the beginning, for example, the balance is to the R.H. however the L.H. takes on a more melodic role in bars such as 7 and 8. In the middle section, which commences at bar 16, the hands are equal in partners with each hand taking the lead from the other. In the final section in bars 29 and 30 the hands are equal in balance where they play scalic patterns. Tone-matching is a vital skill when playing this piece.
Agogic features – considering the character of this piece, using rubato is an essential aspect in projecting the mood and character. Touches of acceleration and the easing of the tempo need to be carefully considered. When applied, it should never sound predictable, and the player should consider why they are applying the rubato. Sometimes an easing of the tempo prior to an acceleration within a phrase or two phrases is worth considering. The composer has written in poco rit, rit and rit poco a poco and these changes should be observed without any compensation. Nevertheless, any rits applied should never result in the notes being doubled timewise as the composer could have written it that way. The player must be careful that when returning to the original speed they do play at the speed they were before the rits were applied. In bar 8 a slight acceleration though prior to the easing of the tempo would be appropriate. There should not be too much rubato applied in the middle section.
Pedal – this is required throughout the entire piece. Some changes should be made to the pedal that is marked on the music; there will need to be considerable use of the flutter pedal as well as more full changes of the pedal employed. A few breaks in the use of pedal, such as the end of bars 4, 12, 15, 24 and 28 is appropriate to add a little colour change to the sound. The pedal should ‘thin’ out in the final three bars as the sunset turns to darkness.
Considerations when playing this piece –
· In the first bar, for example, the L.H. should be played in a different way as the crotchets are part of the beginning chord whereas the lower chord requires resonance and depth to the sound.
· The R.H. no 1 should let go of the middle C in bar 1 for example gently and without accentuation.
· The R.H. C, for example in bar 3 must be held for its full value.
· Tone-matching is required throughout this piece and is especially necessary when playing the dotted rhythms and the notes after tied notes.
· There is a little two-part playing occurring in this piece. There is an inner R.H. melody in bar 34 and 35.
· There is a danger that the chord in the L.H. in bar 16 could split when played especially considering the fingering that is used.
· There are some unnecessary accidentals written in this piece such as the A N in the L.H. in bar 5.
· When playing bars 29 and 30 concentrate on the L.H fingering. The scalic patterns are A natural minor and C major.
· The R.H. lift in bar 30 needs to be gentle.
· The melody frequently moves from a note of a chord to a single note such as in bar 1.
· The repeated E, for example from bars 2 to 3, must be played as legato as possible.
· Not all ascending melodic patterns need to be played with a crescendo.
· Because some of the melodic lines are repeated there will need to be a change in the application of the dynamics.
· There are occurrences where the music uses different textures – sometimes the texture is thick and lush and others the texture is sparser.
· In bars 7 and 31 think about how the number 1s play together.
· The music becomes sparser at the end.