Pièces mélodiques Op. 149 n°10

About this work

The G-major Allegro is written in 2/2: both pianists can feel each bar in two broad pulses. Primo plays within a narrow position, from G to D in each hand, while varying long notes, quavers and repeated notes. Secondo changes accompaniment more often: held octaves, rests, slurred quavers and rhythmic chords follow one another.

The dolce, piano passage needs a different balance from the forte opening. Neither of Primo’s hands leaves its five-note span; the interest lies in the phrasing and the way those lines answer Secondo. Later, the crescendo prepares more assertive entries. Chords and rests must retain their place within the broad pulse, even when the quavers tempt the players to hurry.

Begin by temporarily reducing Secondo’s part to its bass notes. This exercise helps establish the main beats, but all the written chords and rests must then be restored. Add Primo, aiming for the end of each slur rather than stressing every quaver. In the dolce, listen to both lines before seeking a very soft volume. Finally, rehearse the crescendo without accelerating, then the cadence, allowing the chords to resonate without blurring their changes.

What the document containsScore: The 4-page PDF presents the Secondo and Primo parts separately for piano duet. It retains the fingering, dynamics and repeats. A MIDI file lets you hear both players together.Alberto Simões’s LilyPond engraving comes from the Mutopia Project. It is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 licence, which requires attribution and sharing under the same terms. The PDF includes a link to LesPartitions.info.