Algoritmo de Aproximación Probabilística

For those of your students who enjoy what Huw Warren describes as ‘juicy jazzy harmonies’, this piece will be an attractive option. It will also appeal to the less dextrous, because finger-work is rarely seriously challenged.

As instructed, the tempo should sound relaxed and the given metronome mark of crotchet = 112 supports this, although slightly faster or slower tempos will also work. No change to the pace is required other than where indicated in the score, and Warren warns that ‘a strong sense of pulse is really essential – especially where there are no quavers.’ Thus in syncopated passages such as bars 1–5 it may be beneficial to practise by tapping the beat with the foot while placing the chords in between, bodily involvement often being a helpful way of internalizing the pulse.

In line with contemporary versions of R & B – one of the composer’s stated influences – the quavers should not be swung.

The scored dynamics, which range from piano to forte, are precise, although this does not mean that nuances cannot be added to reflect the rise and fall of the phrases. The forte tone, achieved via a firm wrist and forearm, should be full but, in keeping with the relaxed style, should never sound harsh. Where p sub is indicated (for example in bar 17), lifting the pedal fractionally early and delaying its re-depression for a very brief moment will ensure that the dynamic drop is not obscured by sonic overhang from the previous bar. The composer has indicated where he definitely wants the pedal to be used but, in the spirit of his flexible opening suggestion, con Ped, there is no need to shun its use elsewhere, as long as harmonic clarity is not compromised. Articulative clarity is needed for the right-hand triplet semiquavers in bars 9, 11 and later equivalents where fingering the first two beats 2-3-2-1-3-1 might prove the strongest option.

The relative length of this piece may initially seem a little off-putting but the learning task appears less daunting when one realizes that the material of bars 7–30 is repeated, slightly reordered, in bars 31–48. In any case, the music is easily accessible and open to any and all!

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The final grades should be equally rewarding not only to the students but to the teachers and parents whose support and involvement in their development is so important. Grade 7 performances will usually sound quite accomplished at pass level, while merit and distinction categories will acknowledge musical and polished performances showing real artistic quality. The highest marks most frequently go to candidates choosing pieces within their own technical comfort zone, so that expressive details and musical communication really lift the music off the page.

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Grade 7 A:1

C. P. E. Bach Allegro

This attractive final movement from one of C. P. E. Bach’s early keyboard sonatas has its fair share of complexities. However, with its unexpected twists and turns, there is much to be relished by the musically inquisitive.

The pre-Classical allegro did not imply a particularly fast pace and the suggested metronome mark of crotchet = c.80 yields a sturdy but flowing tempo at which the faster passagework is manageable. Essentially the touch should be neat, and semiquavers can be practised in a detached manner. A more legato approach is appropriate for performance, but the sensation of the finger lifting out of the key remains important. Despite this, it is desirable to avoid a mechanical effect, and phrasing according to the contour of each passage will be musically beneficial.

According to Bach’s own writings, wedges and dots indicate the same staccato articulation, so there is no need for an exaggerated staccatissimo in bar 1 and later equivalents. Overall, the sound needs to be clean, but discreet pedalling with mainly rapid changes may aid the more legato moments, as in bar 21 and bars 44–

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Ornaments are a significant feature of the music and the notated realizations provide valuable guidance. However, some have been adapted, and for the more adventurous, nimble-fingered student Howard Ferguson provides some useful guidance in C. P. E. Bach Selected Keyboard Works, Book III (ABRSM). In any case, as a practice strategy, measuring out the right-hand trill in demisemiquavers at points such as bar 12 should ensure that the left-hand semiquaver rest is not prolonged and rhythmic exactitude is preserved. In other places, trilling with fingers 4 and 2 (as in bar 68) or 3 and 1 (as in bar 31) may aid articulative clarity.

The dynamics are Bach’s but it is worth remembering that forte on even the most powerful cembalo available to the composer would not match the level of sound possible on the modern piano, so restraint is called for. The composer largely restricts himself to piano and forte indications but other dynamic effects are implied by the music. For example, the climbing modulations in bars 13–17 and 73–7 suggest a crescendo which conveniently prepares for an echo starting on the second beat of bars 19 and 79. The rising chromatic passage in bars 53–7 similarly invites a crescendo, as does that commencing halfway through bar 24 where the marked forte dynamic may have to be modified.

For the theoretically minded, this piece also affords a fascinating insight into the development of sonata form.

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