Overall Flow

The marking Andantino con moto is noteworthy. It should be interpreted as not too slow, but with movement. As far as the score (To-on Kikaku edition and online versions) is concerned, ritardando is not written anywhere; instead, rall. (rallentando) is indicated at each cadence.

Rall. signifies a deliberate, gradual slowing down, implying that the entire piece should possess the movement indicated by con moto. In other words, it should not be played with the monotonous progression typical of compound meters; rather, sufficient time should be taken for emphasized sections.

Overall Structure

The overall conception of the piece should be considered as song and accompaniment. The "song" part is the melody, and the "accompaniment" part is the left-hand arpeggios. Therefore, in sections where the left-hand arpeggios cease to be arpeggios, appropriate expression should be applied, for instance, treating them as a duet or another emotional, sentimental melody.

Point of Attention 1

The first point of attention in this piece concerns the pedal. While muddiness should be avoided, playing at a certain tempo might make the muddiness less noticeable. Conversely, one must also avoid changing the pedal too frequently and losing the bass. The precise balance and judgment in this regard are ultimately determined by the instructor, but I offer some advice for your reference. For example, from measures 1-3, I believe the pedal can be held for one measure per measure. In measure 2, the melody contains A and B, which might cause slight muddiness, but since it's at the end of the measure, it should not be bothersome (muddiness becomes more noticeable the longer it is sustained).

A crucial point regarding pedaling in this piece is to "avoid including ornamental notes within the pedal." Be careful not to sustain them within the pedal in measures 3, 5, 13, 15, etc. Therefore, pedaling in places like measure 13 becomes problematic. If one attempts to avoid including the ornament in the pedal, the pedal must inevitably be changed on the second beat. However, doing so results in the loss of the bass D.

Thus, there are two optional methods:

• One is to change the pedal on the second beat, avoiding muddiness but losing the bass.
• The other is to sustain all notes in the left hand on the first beat with the fingers until the right-hand melody D on the second beat, thereby avoiding the loss of the bass even if the pedal is changed on the second beat. However, playing the F# in the left hand on the second beat while sustaining the bass D with the 5th finger is likely impossible for most people.

Therefore, play the first note of the left hand on the second beat, F#, with the right hand, together with the melody note D. This allows the left hand to sustain all notes on the first beat with the fingers. While sustaining, change the pedal on the second beat. This way, the bass is not lost, and the muddiness from the ornamental notes is also avoided. However, this is ultimately a matter of subjective judgment, so the final decision on which pedaling to use should be left to the instructor. In this manner, using finger pedaling can avoid muddiness without losing the bass in several places, such as measure 15.

Muddiness is a truly subtle and ambiguous issue; it's not always best to avoid it completely, as a moderate amount can sometimes create warmth. Please do not misunderstand: mixing two different chords with the pedal to create muddiness is absolutely not advisable. However, non-harmonic tones within the same chord may, depending on the situation, sound better even if they create some muddiness.

As mentioned earlier, muddiness becomes more jarring over time. For example, in measure 37, sustaining the pedal on the first beat (D# and E) should not be a significant problem. However, since rall. is applied from the second beat, the tempo slows down. At this point, the muddiness becomes noticeable. The muddiness of D# and E on this second beat should be avoided.

Point of Attention 2

Avoid flat dynamics. While forte or fortissimo are not written throughout the score, this does not mean that the dynamics should remain flat, staying at mp or p. They must be varied according to the situation.

The form of this piece is:

• A: measures 1-10 (11)
• B: measures 12-27
• C: measures 27-35
• Coda: measures 35-38

but within each section, there are almost identical pairs of phrases. While they may sometimes be exactly the same, there must be some variation between the first and second occurrences. This includes not only dynamics but also rubato, etc. Playing these two phrases exactly the same will result in flat-sounding dynamics. Even if the dynamic markings are identical, some variation between the first and second times is advisable.

To prevent dynamics from sounding flat, "shaping the line" and "having a sense of direction" are crucial.

Point of Attention 3

Consider the composer's psychological state. Sensitively perceive the sound of the chords in this piece and contemplate the emotions they convey. For example, in the initial A section, measures 8-9 reach a peak point. What emotional difference is there between the last chord of measure 8, D# F# A C, and the first chord of measure 9, F# A C# E? Although a sforzando is written in measure 9, do you truly feel that this chord is louder? For the first chord of measure 9, feel a sense of joy, relief, excitement, or tenderness. In contrast, the first chord of measure 8 is a high-tension chord, conveying feelings such as distress, endearment, or worry. When playing these two chords, the performer should feel these emotions and adjust their expression accordingly.

What has just been described is merely one example, but this piece contains many such psychological depictions.

Sensitively perceiving these is a crucial point.