Sonatine

Ravel wrote the first movement of the Sonatine in 1903 for a magazine competition run by a magazine but wasn't awarded the prize as he was the only entrant and had exceeded the length restriction! Fortunately for posterity, Ravel soon added a second and a third movement in 1905 and it quickly became popular, remaining so ever since.

Walkthrough - 1st Movement (1)

Walkthrough - 1st Movement (2)

Walkthrough - 1st Movement (3)

Walkthrough - 1st Movement (4)

Walkthrough - 2nd Movement (1)

Walkthrough - 2nd Movement (2)

Walkthrough - 2nd Movement (3)

Walkthrough - 3rd Movement (1)

Walkthrough - 3rd Movement (2)

Walkthrough - 3rd Movement (3)

Walkthrough - 3rd Movement (4)

Walkthrough - 3rd Movement (5)

Author

Graham Fitch

Graham Fitch, based in London, maintains an international career not only as a pianist, but also as a teacher, adjudicator, examiner, lecturer, writer and commentator on piano playing and musical subjects.

Author profile >>

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Intermezzo in A Major (Op. 118 No. 2)

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Nocturne in C-sharp Minor

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Rigaudon

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Mozart Sonata in G, K283 (1st mvt)

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Lyric Pieces

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Prelude in C-sharp Minor

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Sonata in C# Minor (Sonata quasi una fantasia)

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Sostenuto in E flat

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Song Without Words (Op. 19b, No. 1)

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Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major (BWV 825)

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Bruch - Moderato from Sechs Klavierstücke (Op. 12, No. 4)

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Sonata No. 17 in D Minor ('Tempest')

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The Well-Tempered Clavier – Part 1

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How to Learn a New Piece

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Intermezzo in A Minor (Op. 76 No. 7)

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The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

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Sonata Pathétique in C Minor

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ABRSM Grade 3 - Piano Exam Pieces

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24 Préludes (Books I & II)

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From the Ground Up

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Solfeggietto in C Minor

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Two Short Pieces

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Allegretto (from The London Sketchbook, K. 15hh)

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Nocturne in E-flat

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Prelude in D Minor

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Prelude in B Minor (Op. 28 No. 6)

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Beethoven on Board

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Ecossaise in E-Flat (No. 4 from Six Ecossaises, WoO 83)

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Minuet in D major, K. 355

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Sonatina in G - First Movement

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Allegro (from Fantasia no. 1 in D major)

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Georg Philipp Telemann's Fantasia in D major, on Trinity’s Grade 6 alternative syllabus, is a worthy piece and a lot of fun to play. This video shows some of the principles involved in making decisions regarding dynamics, articulation, touch and expression and looks at several options for interpretation based on... Read >>

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Toccata

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Jacques Ibert - Little White Donkey

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Sonata No. 8 in C Minor ('Pathétique')

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Diabelli - Moderato Cantabile (from Sonatina in F major, Op. 168 No. 1)

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The first movement (Moderato) of Diabelli’s appealing Sonatina in F is a model of sonata form in miniature, an ideal way to teach form and structure to the intermediate pianist. In this video I demonstrate the art of finger pedalling in the left hand alberti patterns and show how to... Read >>

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Reger - Versöhnung (Reconciliation) (No. 20 from Aus der Jugendzeit, op. 17)

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Knight Rupert (Album for the Young No. 12)

Knight Rupert, No. 12 from Schumann’s Album for the Young, Op. 68, is a favourite recital piece for the intermediate player, and great fun to play. The rousing A section contrasts beautifully with the more lyrical B section. This video walkthrough and article shows how to use quarantining and other... Read >>

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Mazurka in A minor (Op.17 No. 4)

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Mazurka in G minor (Op. 67 No. 2)

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The mazurka is based on the Polish folk dance that originated in Mazovia, near Warsaw. Chopin wrote more than 50 mazurkas and listening to a variety of them will help develop a sense of the characteristic style. This example, in G minor, was written in the last year of Chopin’s... Read >>

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Beethoven - Sonata No. 23 in F minor ('Appassionata')

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Intermezzo in B minor (Op. 119 No. 1)

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In 1893, Brahms wrote his last work for the piano, a set of four piano pieces, op. 119. The Intermezzo in B minor is the first piece of the set. As a composition it is full of riches, arousing keen interest in composers and scholars (including Arnold Schoenberg) as they... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Sonatina in G

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/23-sonatina-in-g?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">ABRSM Grade 3 – A1</a></h3>

Handel's Sonatina in G is part of a new series on the ABRSM syllabus designed for youngsters, or elementary players. This series of articles provides a step-by-step (or phrase-by-phrase) approach to learning the piece thoroughly and securely, building a solid foundation for performance in an exam, or if you are... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Little Prelude in F

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/45-little-prelude-in-f-?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">BWV 927 (From the Notebook for Wilhelm Friedmann Bach)</a></h3>

Bach’s lovely Little Prelude in F is a harmonic prelude, essentially an elaborated chord progression. In this article, the basic harmonic skeleton of the piece is gradually fleshed out, allowing students to understand its simple underlying structure, and to work systematically on its various layers.... Read >>

Ken Johansen Repertoire

Schubert - Impromptu in G-Flat Major (Op. 90 No. 3)

Schubert’s Impromptu in G-flat major is part of the first set of impromptus composed shortly before his death in 1828. The piece showcases Schubert's mastery of maintaining a single texture throughout, with a lyrical melody in the upper voice, rippling triplet figures in the middle and a supportive bassline. In... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Waltz in A minor

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/106-waltz-in-a-minor?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 4</a></h3>

Grieg’s Waltz in A minor is full of character and contrasts, and not without its challenges - especially concerning how to use the pedal. In this video I show how to organise the pedalling in order to make some of the joins possible without covering over Grieg’s slurs and staccato... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Fanfarinette and La Triomphante (from Suite in A minor)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/121-fanfarinette-and-la-triomphante-from-suite-in-a-minor?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 8</a></h3>

Jean-Philippe Rameau was an important composer and theorist of the High Baroque. He wrote three books of very fine pieces for harpsichord - Fanfarinette and La Triomphante come from the Suite in A minor (third book), and are examples of character pieces with descriptive or fanciful titles typical of the... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Fantasy in D Minor K397

This video provides a section by section waltkthrough of Mozart's Fantasy in D Minor K397 (sometimes referred to as Fantasia).... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Sonata in G Major

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/97-sonata-in-g-major?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 3</a></h3>

Here is an opportunity for the developing player to explore various possibilities for touch and articulation. In this short sonata there are also several technical challenges to overcome, including jumps, rotary freedom, delicate grace notes.... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Intermezzo in E-Flat (Op. 117 No. 1)

This set of pieces was described by Brahms as “lullaby to my sorrows” and the first of the set of three certainly conveys a sense of a rocking motion. In this video, Graham Fitch demonstrates how to bring out the melody in the inner (middle) voices of this piece.... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Camidge - Scherzando (Second movement from Sonata no. 1 in G major)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/107-camidge-scherzando-second-movement-from-sonata-no-1-in-g-major?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 5</a></h3>

Matthew Camidge's Scherzando in G is a worthy example of Classical period music, a light-natured piece full of melodic embellishments, opportunities for variety in phrase shaping, articulation and dynamic colouring. In this video I demonstrate solutions for the fast repeated notes we find in the B section, and show how... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Allegro molto (3rd movement from Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:50)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/119-allegro-molto-3rd-movement-from-sonata-in-c-major-hob-xvi50?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 7</a></h3>

This is the last movement of the so-called “English” Sonata in C, inspired by the powerful and resonant Broadwood pianos Haydn encountered on a visit to London in the 1790s. The music is full of humour and lightness of spirit, requiring a sense of comic timing, clarity of texture and... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Intermezzo in E major (Op. 116 No. 6)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/186-intermezzo-in-e-major-op-116-no-6?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Walkthrough</a></h3>

Brahms’ late piano pieces are among his most personal and intimate music. This bittersweet, nostalgic Intermezzo is from the set of Fantasies, Op. 116, completed in 1892. Within the progression of harmonies in the outer sections we discover interweaving melodic lines; imagine a dialogue between a violin and a viola... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

No. 2 from Kinderstücke (Op. 72)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/120-no-2-from-kinderstcke-op-72?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 7</a></h3>

Mendelssohn wrote his set of six Children’s Pieces, op. 72 for his young relatives during his summer holiday to England in 1842. No. 2, an andante sostenuto in the key of E flat, close in spirit to the composer’s many Songs without Words, features a lyrical melody in the right... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Tarantella (No. 4 from Musiques d’enfants, Op. 65)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/159-tarantella-no-4-from-musiques-denfants-op-65-?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">ABRSM Grade 5 – C3</a></h3>

Prokoviev’s Music for Children was composed in 1935 and contains 12 pieces with descriptive titles. The Tarantella is one of the best examples of this type of dance piece, featuring spinning patterns in both hands and plenty of quirky harmonic and rhythmic features that make Prokoviev’s style so engaging.... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Prelude in C minor (BWV 999)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/158-prelude-in-c-minor-bwv-999?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">ABRSM Grade 4 – A1</a></h3>

Built from a harmonic progression and originally written for lute we can recreate some of the resonance of that instrument either by short touches of pedal, or by overholding some notes of the broken chords.... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Invention in D Minor No. 4 (BWV 775)

Bach's Inventions (in two parts) and the Sinfonias (in three parts) were written for the Bach’s eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann and are played throughout the world by intermediate players and concert artists alike. This video walkthrough and article shows how to use quarantining and other practice tools to approach two... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Für Elise

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/140-fr-elise?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">(Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor)</a></h3>

This evergreen miniature of Beethoven scarcely needs any introduction at all, since Für Elise is known to the world at large. What beginning piano student does not itch to play it, pestering their teacher long before they are ready? This video walkthrough and article shows how to use quarantining and... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Elgar - Andantino (First movement from Sonatina)

<h3> <a href="/content/pages/118-elgar-andantino-first-movement-from-sonatina?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 4</a></h3>

Here we find the first movement of a two-movement sonatina that Elgar wrote for his niece. It is song-like and gently expressive, calling for sensitivity in shaping phrases and timing larger melodic intervals. The Andantino demands careful listening in the balancing of the hands, the accompanying left hand, while quieter,... Read >>

Graham Fitch Repertoire

Sonatine

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