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German Dance Beethoven Getting to Grade 2
Story/Characteristics – clearly the title of the piece will be the starting point for the interpretation of this piece. In this piece the player should decide what the dancers are doing at any given moment. Perhaps in the first phrase the introductions are being made with possibly some clapping in bars 1 and 3. In the second phrase the couple are dancing together. In the second section there is a change of mood, so in the third phrase each person is moving away from a central point; the woman moves first in bars 9 and 10 followed by the man moving away in bars 11 and 12. And, in phrase 4 the couple are moving towards each other, with them dancing together in bars 15 and 16. There is a repeat of the clapping in the repeat of the first phrase with the couple dancing together in bars 2 and 4. There is one final flourish with the couple dancing together in the final phrase with a bow towards each other in the final bar.
Main part of the music – this will need to occur at the end of bar 14 at a forte dynamic. Considering that this main part is two-thirds of the way through the music the player must engage the listener to the end of the piece by playing with a range of dynamics in the final section. In bar 22 in the third section (or bar 6 of the first section) the dynamics should be mezzoforte at the end of the bar.
Form – this piece is in ternary form; the first and third sections are the same. The key of this music is A major and it remains in this key throughout. It is interesting to note that the music, to a certain extent, sounds finished at the end of the second section, and this is partly because it ends in A major and not, for example in E major.
Phrasing – there are two phrases in each of the sections in this piece. In the first (and third) sections these two phrases have a ‘question and answer’ format to a certain degree. Beethoven exploits a pattern in the second phrase that he used in the first. By contrast though, the phrasing that he uses in the second section has a different quality. It is more episodic in character, although again, Beethoven provides cohesion between the phrases by varying the material from the third phrase in the fourth. In this piece the first, third and fifth phrases all commence on an upbeat, however the alternate phrases do not. The player must consider how this difference affects the character of the piece.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the editor of the book has provided a tempo of 132 crotchet beats per minute. This is an appropriate speed; the piece must be played at a reasonably fast tempo so that the music has vitality and energy. As is always the case, if played at too fast a tempo some of the details may be lost and the quaver patterns could possibly be played unevenly. Also, if played too slowly it will sound laboured and lacking in spirit. As discussed above, some of the phrase commence with an upbeat. There is a danger that the player may add an additional beat at the end of the first and second sections. This must be avoided as this would counteract the energy derived from the use of the upbeat. In the first and last sections the piece projects a triple time signature with a gentle stress on the first beat. This is contrasted in the second section with a more flowing and melodic L.H. and as a result, there is little accentuation on the first beat of the bar. By playing with curved fingers, saying time names in their head, and lifting the fingers sufficiently off the keys will enable the player to avoid any unevenness in the quaver patterns.
Touch/Articulation – contrast can be provided by changes in the touch and articulation. In the first section, bars 1 and 3 should be played with a brittle touch with energy from the fingertips. The wrist must be supple and flexible in supporting the hand and fingers. An immediate change in the touch is required in bars 2 and 4; here the R.H. should be played cantabile using a small amount of weight from the shoulders. The R.H. lifts at the ends of the patterns, such as those in bar 2 should be gentle and elegant; the fingers need to be in contact with the keys as they return to their resting position. More contrast can be used in the second section; in bars 9 and 11 the R.H. should have a slightly intense and brittle touch and the ‘moving’ notes such as the Cs and B must be highlighted. The subsequent bars, bars 10 and 12 should return to a cantabile touch. And, in bars 13 and 14 the R.H. should be played in the same manner as bars 9 and 11 with the cantabile touch returning in bars 15 and 16. In the L.H. in the second phrase there are two-note slurs on the first and second beats followed by a lightly detached chord. There is a danger that the player may join this final chord of each bar to the first note of the subsequent bar. In the second section the L.H. will be required to be played with a cantabile touch; however, in bars 15 and 16 the notes need to be lightly detached. All slurs must be adhered to; for example, the sequential patterns in the second phrase are highlighted using the slurs.
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Balance between the hands – clearly in this piece the R.H. has the balance most of the time however at the ends of each section, the hands should merge dynamically. The degree of balance should change according to the situation, for example, in the third phrase their should be less balance as this will contrast with the subsequent phrase.
Dynamics – the player should keep in the mind the musical period in which this piece was written. There should be a degree of restrain concerning the dynamics in this piece even though forte and mezzoforte dynamics are used. Perhaps the player could reconsider the application of the crescendo and diminuendo markings in the third phrase. One suggestion could be to play bars 9 and 10 with a crescendo from pianissimo, however in the following two bars the player should begin pianissimo remaining at that level until the end of bar 12 where a small crescendo should be applied as this will highlight the following melodic material. A long crescendo such as the one inserted in bars 13 and 14 should be graded, with a rise, then a small fall before rising in dynamics again. If a larger range of dynamics is used in the final section, this will add drama and interest to the music. The L.H.’s dynamics are extremely important; a subtle change in the L.H.’s dynamics will contribute to a dramatic change in the music overall. Considering the first section is repeated, the dynamics must be substantially altered in the second playing.
Rubato – this should be kept to a minimum and if used, should be subtle and discreet in character. A slight pause at the end of bar 14 is a tasteful addition as is a small rallentando in the penultimate bar. There should be no additional time added at the end of the first and second sections; Beethoven has written the pause in using the rests.
Considerations when playing this music –
· Bars 13 – 16 are a little tricky to play; focus on the L.H. in bars 13 and 14 and on the R.H. in bars 15 and 16.
· When learning the piece, the player could play the R.H. melody in sets of twos in the second section.
· The highest note of a melodic pattern does not have to be the loudest.
· Considering the changes between one phrase and the following, the player must be thinking ahead to how their touch and dynamics, for example, will need to be altered.
· Some players may find it difficult to play the opening of this music; firstly the R.H. has a two-note slur across the bar-line and the R.H. and L.H. play the same note on subsequent beats.
· Considering that at bat 16 the music does sound as if it has finished, the dynamics must diminuendo, as this will provide the music with a feeling of expectancy.
· There is a danger that the player may not lift the L.H. at the correct time in bars 2 and 4, for example.
· It is quite mercurial; there are times when it is quite hard to adjust from one melodic idea to another.