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Behr, Franz : Spanish Song

Work Overview

Music ID : 71852
Instrumentation：Piano Solo　
Genre：for children
Total Playing Time：1 min 20 sec
Copyright：Public Domain

Commentary (2)

Author : Ooi, Kazurou

Last Updated: May 14, 2024
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Before performing this piece, the most crucial action is to "understand Spanish music." Please search for and watch several videos of flamenco, etc. You will realize that it is passionate, light-hearted, improvisational, that accents are important, and that major-key pieces like this one are very optimistic.

When playing this piece, you should not play it rigidly like a metronome. Especially in the latter half, from measure 19 onwards, freely vary the tempo and play improvisationally.

In the first half, a sense of lightness is desired. To achieve this, play the second and third beats of the left hand with a light staccato and reduce the volume. Furthermore, make the staccato as short as possible. For the pp in measures 6 and 10, although played pp, consider it not as a weak image, but as a pp that maintains a certain degree of tension and intensity.

As for the overall mood of the piece, consider it not as a piece to be played with a serious or solemn expression, but one to be played with a cheerful smile.

Writer: Ooi, Kazurou

Author : Kumamoto, Ryohei

Last Updated: November 14, 2024
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Composer Franz Behr was a German Romantic composer, but he composed several works with Spanish themes.

Form

Binary Form

  • Introduction (measures 1-2)
  • A [a (measures 3-10) + a1 (measures 11-18)]
  • B [b (measures 19-26) + b1 (measures 27-34)]

Regarding the overall flow, the large section A possesses a bright and stable character, but upon transitioning to large section B, the register ascends, gradually creating an elevated atmosphere. The climax is reached in section b1 from measure 27 onwards, leading to the conclusion. While the ability to express this sense of elevation is key to the performance, the piece being for children means there is little change in register throughout, which conversely makes it difficult to achieve varied expression. This is because, generally, in many instruments, not just the piano, the timbre changes with the register, and thus, changes in register or combinations of different registers are common compositional techniques to encourage expressive variation.

The theme spans measures 3-6. A staccato mark appears on the first beat of measure 4, and two eighth notes in measure 5 have accents, lending a distinctive rhythmic character. Along with the aforementioned bright atmosphere and the gradually elevating flow, these thematic motifs likely contribute to the expression of Spanish character.

In piano compositions, nuances such as the repeated notes in measure 3 are often considered vocal elements. For instance, the repeated notes in the melodic line frequently seen at the beginning of Burgmüller's 'Gondolier's Song' from his 18 Etudes, and in Chopin's Nocturnes, are vocal expressions. While this work certainly has a more lively atmosphere compared to those examples, considering its inclusion of such vocal elements, we believe that emphasizing the rhythm slightly can express the characteristics of the theme. However, since the scale of the section is small, the expression should be commensurate with that scale; overly exaggerated expression would disrupt the balance and appear unnatural, so caution is advised.

Writer: Kumamoto, Ryohei
Japanese