Händel, Georg Friedrich : Air (March) in D major D-Dur HWV460
Work Overview
Genre:Classical music and others
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (1)
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: November 18, 2024
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Author : Ooi, Kazurou
This is an issue that arises not only in this piece but also in works by other composers: the listener must be made aware of where the first beat falls. This is extremely important. So, how can this be achieved? For example, play the anacrusis A (right hand) legato with the D (left hand) into the A (right hand) of bar 1, connect the left hand seamlessly to C#, and play all notes in bar 1 staccato.
In bar 2, play all notes legato. Alternatively, play F#, E, D in the right hand staccato, and connect only the G on beat 4 legato to the G in bar 3. In the left hand, sustain the dotted half note D to C# on beat 4, connect C# legato to B in the next bar, and play all notes in bar 3 staccato.
If a slight accent is given to the dotted half notes, the music will gain a vertical clarity, allowing the listener to grasp the location of the first beat. From then on, proceed with similar articulation. This makes it clear where the first beat is.
The piece should be played with dignity. It is advisable to give more volume to higher-pitched notes. Incidentally, in the first half, bar 14 is the peak point.
If it were the author, they might add octaves or chords to each voice, or lower the left hand by an octave, to play with a more profound sound.