9. 'Les cloches de Genève'

It is extremely important to understand the performance technique for playing the so-called “singing parts” in Romantic music. Not limited to this piece, when performing the singing parts, imagine a singer performing right in front of you. Westerners typically have strong bone structure, powerful voices, and express sorrow intensely. Imagine that singer is in front of you, with the piano accompanying them from the background. Then, apply that balance to your performance. The key is to make the melody line robust and clearly audible in a cantabile manner, while making the accompaniment entirely different in tone quality, playing it quietly and softly. This is a crucial balance.

When markings like pp and dolce are ubiquitous in this type of piece, performers tend to become too reserved, but no matter how pp it is, the singing part must be clearly audible. This is one important task to begin with.

Below, typical problem points are noted in bullet form:

• From bar 5, the singing part enters. Even at pp and dolcissimo, the melody must be clear, and conversely, the accompaniment should be ppp, almost inaudible. This piece must flow horizontally, so in that sense, the balance of the accompaniment is key. If the eighth notes in the accompaniment are too prominent, the music will not flow horizontally.
• From the second beat of bar 21, resonance enters. Play at ppp. The same applies thereafter.
• A problem for many performers is the singing part from bar 29 onwards. From here, the melody shifts to the left hand, making it easy to lose balance. Even if there are many notes in the right-hand accompaniment, ensure the left hand is clearly audible.
• Bar 46 simply states cantabile con moto. This is not a tempo change from here. It begins at the same tempo as up to bar 45, with only a slight addition of motion. Bar 48, broadly speaking, is a non-harmonic tone (suspension) and resolves in bar 49. Therefore, in the melodic line of a second across these two bars, the second note must always be weaker than the first. Thereafter, this “second” appears frequently in the melodic line. This order must be maintained, no matter how fortissimo it becomes.
• Let's explain the basic shaping of the melody line. We will take bars 46-53 as an example. The F# in bar 46 decays to the next D#. The D# in bar 48 decays to the next C#. The E in bar 50 decays to the next D#, and the B in bar 53 becomes weakest at the next F#. This phrase can be divided into two four-bar sections: bars 46-49 and bars 50-53, with the first half being louder than the second. Apply this shaping thereafter.
• And even when it becomes fortissimo (e.g., from bar 108 onwards), adhere to the basic shaping and avoid becoming “hard and rough.”