WEEK TWO Updates: Main Thread - Beethoven a master of Variation!

Hello and welcome to the WEEK TWO Main Thread for this challenge! 🤩

 


Alright everyone - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.   

Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)

 

Twice a week between September 27 - October 4th I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!   


Download the music:

Beethoven: 6 Variations on an Original Theme


Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):   

  • Variation you worked on:
  • One thing you found easy:
  • One thing you found difficult:
  • (Optional): a video of you performing it!

Sample daily update:   

  • Variation you worked on: No. 1
  • One thing you found easy: Learning the notes, and rhythms were rather straight-forward, and not challenging!
  • One thing you found difficult: Shifting the Hands was a bit tricky to get smooth!

Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!

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    • Variation you worked on: No 6
    • One thing you found easy: The Dynamics and Articulation of the less busy section at the back. 
    • One thing you found difficult: The greater the velocity of the demisemiquavers, the less control I have towards the dynamics and tone quality. At times It plunges into chaos and sounded like banging. Although, it is really fun to play, helps in regulating and expressing my emotions. I do realize I might be playing the piece out of style. hahaha 
    Like 3
      • Monika Tusnady
      • The Retired French Teacher
      • Monikainfrance
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Daniel Chong Well done! You have a great tempo and good youthful energy! The scales are really well articulated, too, and you consistently pedal in the arpeggiated sections. I liked it! Thanks!

      Like 2
    • Daniel Chong Yes, well done! I totally agree with Monika Tusnady Your var. 6 is at a very high level now. Looking forward to what you will do next. 

      Like 2
      • Monika Tusnady
      • The Retired French Teacher
      • Monikainfrance
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Sindre Skarelven O thanks. I just posted today's fun-fun video and really look forward to yours. 

      Like 2
    • Daniel Chong 

      Full of spirit and nice clear scale work . Really enjoyed hearing it . Thank you

      Like 2
      • Brett Gilbert
      • Piano and classical guitar
      • brett_gilbert
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Daniel Chong Great technique!  I'm still struggling with var 6 as it requires precise articulation.

      Like 2
      • Monika Tusnady
      • The Retired French Teacher
      • Monikainfrance
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Daniel Chong In the end, Var. 6 is the most feel-good variation, isn't it? 

      Like 3
      • Juan Carlos Olite
      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Daniel Chong Excellent playing! Enjoyed hearing it!

      Like 2
    • Daniel Chong Love your speed and energy. Nice ending too!

      Like 1
    • Daniel Chong Great job! I like your tempo and you are doing a wonderful job.  Personally I think you are not "out of style". So keep it up!

      Like
    • Monika Tusnady
    • The Retired French Teacher
    • Monikainfrance
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

     “What possibilities are there in terms of human experience? In a way, the simpler the music, the more possibilities you have.” 

    - Leon Fleisher on tonebase, Reminiscences, Part 2

    I have tried to assemble the variations to be meaningful and interesting – at least to me. Maybe we can have some conversations on the items I have focused on:

    -       Phrasing: (almost always) decresc. at the end of a phrase, even if it’s just the last note. “Don’t start with a bang, don’t end with a bang” is much harder than it sounds.

    -       Dynamics: as many contrasts as the music will allow. I had actually aimed for more contrast in Var.2 and was surprised at the final result. 

    -       Touch: crisp and short staccati. To my ear, they sound unintentional otherwise.

    -       Character: what makes each variation special? How much can a characteristic be emphasized without resulting in poor taste? Var 1: cello solo and tenderness running above it. Var 2: boisterous children at play dodging adults’ reprimands. Var 3: Unexpected crescendo/diminuendo. Var 4: an episode of Murder, she wrote. Var 5: the little toy piano. Var 6: showing off. Coda: hesitating, trying to find some final words before – Ah! What have we got to lose! – finishing with a big, noisy flourish. 

    -       To score or not to score? I heard something on tonebase, Garrick Ohlson, perhaps, saying that Chopin asked his students to practice with the score. This was new to me and hugely impactful once I tried it. I found that 1>There are plenty of details in the score that I missed when first learning the piece and 2> it’s helpful to mark the score with ideas and fingerings that might need revisiting later. I’d LOVE to juggle and reorganize all of this in my head, but that’s not happening. You’ll notice a vanity edit in the posted video where I deleted the page turn...

    -       Fingerings: as you know, I really depend on fingerings to address technical and musical issues. That’s another reason I need the score – my fingerings are on the far side of weird sometimes and take time to work out.

    -       Continuing the conversation on repeats: when I was a student, playing WoO80, Beethoven’s 32 variations at a music camp, I overheard another teacher say: “C’est trop de do mineur pour moi!” (For something completely otherworldly, listen to Glenn Gould’s interpretation on https://youtu.be/UoWXRlw9vBA) Repeating each section is too much G major for me, too much of the same old, same old. However, without repeats everywhere else, the “written-out repeat” in Var. 3 comes as a surprise, like a melody floating in from the neighbour’s house. Actually, I like that moment so much that…well, we’ll see.

    One thing I find easy: NOTHING. Still looking. 

    One thing I find difficult: to give meaning to every note and every phrase. 

    Thanks everyone, I love every note you play and every thought you share. Thanks especially to Dominic, whose initiative and kindness make all this possible. 

    Like 3
    • Monika Tusnady I LOVE ALL of your commentary! Really fascinating to hear whats going on in your head with all of this. Thank you so much for that! 

       

      Your playing is delightful indeed the delicate/brilliant articulations you have are so nice to hear! Thank your for this!

      Like 1
  • Mid-week update, Week 2. 

    Variations I worked on: The whole piece.

    One thing I found easy: I'm working more deeply on the music this week. I will not say any of it easy, but for some variations I have gotten a pretty clear idea of what I want to do, and for others I'm still experimenting a little. 

    One thing I found challenging: There are challenges with creating the right type of sound all the from the first notes to the last. Especially var. VI demands this very clear and precise articulation, otherwise it will just sound messy. I hope I can pull it off satisfactory. Each variation has this distinct quality that needs to be brought out. Then there is the totality of the piece to consider, how every part tells one part of a story that needs to be a whole. Actually at this point I see it as a much more demanding piece than in the first week. I have no problem playing it just fine - but can I make it into something more? Time will tell. 

    Anyway, enjoying everyones videos! 

    Like 3
    •   Sindre Skarelven I’m enjoying all the videos too and learning so much from your commentary.

      Like 1
      • Monika Tusnady
      • The Retired French Teacher
      • Monikainfrance
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Sindre Skarelven I couldn't agree more about the importance of finding a distinct character for each variation! Without real personality, they are just a bunch notes in G major without much purpose. They all need to be dressed for a certain part, like characters in a play, except you're not told up front what the character is. Working that out is really interesting.

      Like 1
    • Sindre Skarelven Great commentary and insight, Sindre! You are going down the right path of digging deeper into this "seemingly simple" piece! I also have been enjoying studying this work and learning new things in it :)

      Like 1
  • Full of spirit and nice clear scale work . Really enjoyed hearing it 😊

    Like 1
    • Brett Gilbert
    • Piano and classical guitar
    • brett_gilbert
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view
    • Variation you worked on: Memorizing through var. 3.
    • One thing you found easy: Playing from music.
    • One thing you found difficult: Playing from memory.

    I've been inspired by those of you committing this to memory so quickly.  I've always found it extremely difficult to play from memory so that is my challenge for this one.   I won't post a new video until I can play at least some of it from memory. 

    I've started listening to a few recordings and tempos can vary quite a bit but I'm thinking most of it should not be played too fast?

    Like 2
      • Monika Tusnady
      • The Retired French Teacher
      • Monikainfrance
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Brett Gilbert Like you, I'm finding that playing comfortably and convincingly from memory is a challenge, as some variations are quite similar. Your question about tempo is interesting: do you think that the  tempo you establish in the theme needs to be maintained throughout, or can it be changed from variation to variation? Hmmm.

      Like 1
    • Brett Gilbert Congratulations on starting to memorize . If you find anything that helps you remember the music please let us know ! 

      Like 1
    • Brett Gilbert Great on challenging yourself to memorize/do something not in your comfort zone! Also, as I mention and demonstrate in my livestream on this piece, my tempo is a rather moderate "minuetto" tempo. Not terribly brisk! I err on the Andante side with a small seasoning of the "quasi allegretto"

       

       Monika Tusnady  the tempo of the theme in a lot of performance practice is typically kept throughout the piece actually! To keep the piece unified together. Beethoven has proved that in many other pieces of the variation style, that if he wants a tempo change he will write it in the score! I personally keep the same tempo throughout. There can be some tempo differences but I would keep them from being too extreme! I think your tempos are pretty connected though, and thats good!

      Like
    • Monika Tusnady
    • The Retired French Teacher
    • Monikainfrance
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Sept 30, 2021

    Since yesterday's (very wordy) post is still pending review, here's another from this morning.

    Variation: all

    One thing I found easy: I'm beginning to understand what is truly unique and interesting about every variation.

    One thing I found difficult: getting dynamic variations just right. And, of course, memorizing, especially the phrase endings that are similar enough between variations to be confusing. 

    Like 6
      • Juan Carlos Olite
      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Monika Tusnady I love it. Pure and authentic classic style. Great playing!

      Like 1
      • Brett Gilbert
      • Piano and classical guitar
      • brett_gilbert
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Monika Tusnady Sounds excellent!  I think your tempos fit the piece very well.

      re: your post above about tempo. Beethoven is more explicit about tempo markings in some of his other variations but since this was published as variations "“très faciles” (only relative to his other variations!) I've just been trying to keep the variations within the general range of "Andante quasi Allegretto".  Some of the recordings take it much faster, some are closer to andante.  Regardless, it's certainly fun to play and still a challenge to memorize for sure!

      Like 3
      • Monika Tusnady
      • The Retired French Teacher
      • Monikainfrance
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Juan Carlos Olite Thank you! It means a lot coming from you. 

      Like 1
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