About this work
The second Hungarian Dance moves with a more restrained weight than the immediate brilliance of some other pieces in the collection. Its theme in D minor alternates connected surges, displaced accents and breaths that give the rhythm the flexibility of speech. The aim is not to play heavily in order to sound serious, but to convey the phrase's resistance before each return.
At the piano, build the bass as a flexible march. The chords should support the main beats without locking the wrist; release between gestures and keep the fingers close to the keyboard in rapid passages. In slurred groups, listen towards each destination. Uniform articulation erases the shifts in character, while accenting everything soon means accenting nothing.
Slowdowns and returns to tempo must grow from an agreed pulse. Speak the theme aloud while beating time, then place the freedoms around this frame. On each return, vary the tone or distance rather than merely adding volume. The last section can carry more energy, but keep the bass and cadences clear: the dance may become carried away, but it should not trip over its own coat.
What the document containsThe second Hungarian Dance in D minor, in a version for solo piano.One 4-page PDF score.No MIDI file is provided.The original four-hand version is a separate form of the work.