About this work
Schubert’s Divertissement à la hongroise, D 818, moves through three sections: an Andante, a march and an Allegretto. It combines dance accents, sudden dynamic changes and long phrases that refuse to march in step for too long. At four hands, a gesture begun by one player often seems to change character as it reaches the other.
Divide the work by function rather than by half of the keyboard. The lower part may carry the pulse, then take over the main line a few bars later; the upper player must sometimes accompany without taking the foreground. Rehearse tempo changes from a shared upbeat and agree on the point at which the new pace is established. Without that marker, every transition becomes a live negotiation—charming once, rather less so on the tenth repeat.
The so-called Hungarian accents are most effective when they remain dance-like. Avoid turning them into vertical blows: prepare them through the movement of the phrase and allow the ends of motifs to breathe. The contrast between vigour and suppleness then becomes clearer, as does the return of material heard before.
What the document containsthe three sections of the Divertissement, D 818, Op. 54;a 36-page score for piano four hands;no accompanying MIDI file.The PDF retains the original four-hand scoring.