First Edition: Paris, Alphonse Leduc, 1880 Dedication: A mon élève Mlle Amélie de NIOAC  

Commentary

This work was published when Lavignac was around 62 years old. In the latter half of the 19th century, the popularity of piano study intensified, and in addition to salon music, works by German and Austrian composers from before the first half of the 19th century, such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Mendelssohn, were actively published in France. Lavignac himself had a deep knowledge of classical music, having arranged all of Beethoven's symphonies for four hands, and also edited works by Beethoven, Haydn, and Hummel's works for beginner and intermediate players. As classical music became widespread, contemporary pianists and composers like Lavignac also began to consider writing works "in an archaic style." In other words, the expression "in an archaic style" here can be understood to mean written in imitation of a classical style predating Beethoven.

The form of the piece can be represented as Introduction (measures 1-4) - A (measures 4-31) - B (measures 31-47) - A1 (measures 47-74) - B1 (measures 74-90) - A2 (measures 90-102). While A consists of a breathless motif of three notes, B, which is "gently coaxing (lusingando)" (starting quietly at p), features a graceful melody played over an Alberti bass. The key to performing this work is to express the difference between these two characters through changes in legato, staccato, and dynamics, without excessively fluctuating the tempo.

• This commentary is based on the commentary in Henri Lavignac, 'Lavignac Piano Works' (Kawai Publishing, edited by Yasushi Ueda), published in 2015.

Score Information: Kawai Publishing ONLINE 'Lavignac Piano Works'