ABRSM Exam Pieces 2007-8 Grade 1

A1: Sarabanda (Corelli)

This piece is a transcription for piano of a movement originally for violin, accompanied by harpsichord and cello. A sarabanda is the Italian equivalent of the French sarabande, which is a slowish piece in triple time originating in the Baroque period. Much 18^th Century music is based on dance forms, and as in this case, was not intended for dancing. Consequently, this sarabanda would have been played somewhat faster, as was the practice.

When you are deciding how fast to play a piece, the most important consideration is to preserve the character of it. Largo means slow, but that begs the question “How slow is slow?!” The editor’s suggestion of 88 crotchet beats per minute seems a little too fast. The piece will, I think, sound better in character at a somewhat slower tempo.

In Baroque times, players were used to adding trills and other ornaments to the music they played, and this is what composers intended. The two trills in the ABRSM edition are sensible pointers to the kind of thing players might have done. Originally, of course, players would have added more of these in different places.

All the articulation in this piece should be small-scale: there are no long, flowing legato lines. All too often, players crab their way through pieces like this, not daring to let go! A good clue to to the way to articulate the piece can be seen in bars 9 and 10. The repeated C in the right hand makes you let go to play it again, so do the same with the notes at the end of bar 1 and the beginning of bar 2 (i.e. detach the D from the B flat). Do the same in the other corresponding places e.g. end of bar 2 and beginning of bar 3.

The phrases seem to be four bars long, dividing into two sub-phrases. This makes the music appear to be moving forward. The hemiola rhythm in bars 14 and 15 (see the note at the bottom of the score) has the effect of drawing out the music towards the end, so don’t start slowing the tempo before the trill in in bar 15. While a slight slowing down is good at the end, don’t overdo it!