A Guide to the Trinity College Piano Syllabus (2018 - 2020)


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

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. The gently expressive first subject with its sighing appoggiaturas gives way to a skittish and playful second subject. In this video I demonstrate the art of finger pedalling in the left hand alberti patterns to create resonance by hand (instead of by foot, which would cloud the texture too much). I also show how to use deconstruction techniques in a tricky left hand passage to improve control and coordination.

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Resources & links

  • 11 Sonatinas, Op. 151, 168 by Anton Diabelli is available from Trinity's online shop here.
  • Click here to view open domain editions for these works (external link).

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