Introduction by Bruce Berr, Editor
magine
a movie which might open in the following way: First, a bright
flash of light accompanied by a short brass-choir chord.
Then, a brief but exciting view of water waves cresting over a
pier, then washing ashore. This is immediately followed by a line
of people marching steadily and purposefully somewhere, then they
suddenly are whisked off-screen. As this happens, the original
bolt of light re-appears but this time is preceded by a quick
crescendo of brightness and sound. The whole sequence happens
again, but is seen now through a clouded lens, creating softer
edges and movements and slightly dimmer light. And all of this
happens in the short span of only about fifteen seconds!
The imagery may not be familiar but perhaps the underlying gestures are. This somewhat idiosyncratic but definitely whimsical scene could very well be a cinematic interpretation of the frenetic opening eight measures of Beethoven's Op. 49, #2.
How many other Classical pieces commence with so many disparate gestures so close to each other, each with its own distinct rhythm and feel? Triplets and eighth notes try to mix like so much oil and water, dotted rhythms and quarters intertwine. It is no wonder that the opening of this popular and expressive sonata is so formidable for many students who encounter it for the first time.
Our two authors explore not only this extraordinary opening
but other sections of the movement that challenge our students
to play artistically and accurately.
Article by Helen Marlais
n order to grasp the true
spirit of this sonata movement, the rhythm must be played with
exuberance and accuracy. The student who can do this
is better able to attain the overall goal of communicating their
interpretation to an audience. I'll concentrate on the exposition
in order to shed light on the entire movement; the beginning eight
measures are shown above.
I always have my students start a new piece at the lesson so that I know that they will practice correctly at home. Concentrating on the first four-bar phrase, I have the student tap the rhythm to feel the correlation between the triplets, quarter notes, and eighth notes. In the beginning stages when the student is practicing slowly, it is beneficial to count this movement in 4/4 instead of cut time. I believe that no playing should occur until the rhythm is ingrained in the mind, and both hands can rhythmically coordinate themselves. The student can easily see that the second phrase (mm. 5-8) is an octave higher than the first phrase with a change in the left-hand texture. I have the student again tap the rhythm. At this early-advanced performance level, once the student has the rhythm firmly under control, hands-together playing can be done immediately. For the first week, I assign only the first eight bars. A student who learns a short section perfectly will have the confidence and ability to apply the same practice strategy to the rest of the movement.
We all know that rhythm problems frequently occur around trills (mm. 4 and 8). The entire interpretation of the piece can be interrupted with a poorly negotiated trill! The cardinal rule in learning how to play trills is to practice the section without the trill in order to establish the rhythm. Have the student practice m. 8 without the trill, counting out loud an eighth-note pulse; the eighth notes in the left hand are already supplied for the student so it will be relatively easy to feel this pulse. Once this is solidified, have the student concentrate on m. 4, still counting a steady eighth-note pulse, even though the eighth notes in the left hand are not present. After practicing m. 8, m. 4 will be much easier to play! Be sure to have the student practice the entire measure which houses the trill all the way to the downbeat of the following measure in order to fully feel the resolution of the steady eighth note pulse. Once the student has mastered this at a slow solid pace, then the sixteenth-note termination can be added, making sure that it comes after the "and" of beat two. Again, it will be easier to practice m. 8 first, and then work on m. 4.
For those students who have trouble feeling a steady inner pulse, going from eighth-note sections to triplets and vice versa will be challenging (mm. 14-15, and mm. 19-21).
So that the student feels the beat with large gestures, try the following practice steps: Have the student walk a quarter note pulse while clapping two measures of eighth note pulses. Then, while walking, have the student clap two measures of triplet pulses and then two measures of eighth note pulses and vice versa. This helps to ingrain the two different rhythm patterns (triplets and eighth notes) along with the underlying quarter-note beat.