Week 2: Crafting the story, and finding your intent!
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 December 19-25 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
1. Do some research about your piece by reading online articles! Try to find the composer's intention for the composition!
2. Think about what you discover and what resonates with you. What do you want to illuminate in YOUR performance?
3. Write a few sentences about your experience. Anything you learned? Something surprised you? What is the general story you want to tell?
4. Submit a video of yourself practicing (You can combine steps 3-4 where you talk to us about the story and then play for us!).
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Crafting a story about two Scarlatti Sonatas as K27 and K141 leads us to a time travel. I imagine Scarlatti walking through the streets of Madrid -after have accomplished his duties as Music Master of the Spanish Court, especially with his pupil and friend the Queen (María Bárbara de Braganza), an excellent keyboard player-. And it is very clear that those walks were not trivial, since Scarlatti stopped here and there; he stopped and listened very carefully to the many boisterous street musicians.
A world of melodies and rhythms populated the alleys of Madrid, a mishmash of singers, dancers, guitars, castanets... All his infiltrated the mind of Scarlatti, who created a personal style, fresh and multicolored, appreciated by many great composers and performers of the following centuries. That world can be found in the K27 and K141 Sonatas: rhythmic and harmonic sequences, repetitive melodic turns and evident popular dancing spirit. A joy to play.
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Juan Carlos Olite Great imagery. Along with your lovely playing, I can really imagine Scarlatti’s world much better.
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Juan Carlos Olite What a beautiful description, Juan Carlos!
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Will Green Vidhya Bashyam Vidhya Bashyam Michelle R Thank you very much, piano mates!
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Juan Carlos Olite thanks for sharing the evocative description, and what an wonderful time it must have been for D Scarlatti to have as his influences the culture, music and colours of the streets of Madrid!
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Natalie Peh I'm glad you like it. You know: the Spanish soul of Scarlatti.
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Juan Carlos Olite This is so vivid- thank you!
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Forgive me, please, for feeling the desire to share a bit more with all of us here in this Community Challenge ... but this message fires away on all cylinders, as we say here in America! - and I do pray it is received with the intention from Whom it is given... + Love
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I always had Schubert’s Impromptu- Op 90 No 3 in G flat major- on my “to learn” list but there were a lot of pieces ahead of it. I thought it was pretty at first glance but initially didn’t understand it’s true beauty and depth. However, this all changed and it moved to the top of my list while I was browsing at Fortnum & Mason in London (after a lovely but expensive afternoon tea) and the beautiful notes of this impromptu played by the pianist there suddenly resounded through the store. I felt an instant connection to this piece. I am thankful to whoever that pianist was. The afternoon tea was worth every penny for bringing this piece to my attention.
Schubert wrote this impromptu in 1827, an year before his death. I hear a lot of similarities to his lieder with the beautiful melody and multiple voices (including the arpeggiated accompaniment which sounds like his every present flowing water imagery). The piece is very contemplative and full of various emotions. I imagine Schubert thinking about his life- the good things (first section) and difficult things (middle section) and also being strong and hopeful (so many small beautiful moments throughout the piece).
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Vidhya Bashyam So glad you went for this afternoon tea, Vidhya! You play this piece to heartfelt and beautiful! Such a joy to listen to!
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Vidhya Bashyam Beautiful
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Vidhya Bashyam This is lovely, Vidhya. Your playing puts a smile on my face.
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Andrea Buckland Will Green Michelle R AJ Thank you for listening & for your kind words!
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Vidhya Bashyam Sounds beautiful, Vidhya! How well you convey the spirit of this music, beloved Schubert!
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Juan Carlos Olite Thank you. Beloved Schubert indeed!
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Vidhya Bashyam thanks for sharing the lovely story, and for the beautiful and heartfelt playing. The afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason was well worth it as it also brought you to this impromptu (which you in turn bring to us
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Natalie Peh Thanks Natalie!
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Vidhya Bashyam Beautiful playing, Vidhya! A very tender and calm performance in my ears. Also liked your back-story, makes it more personal.
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Sindre Skarelven Thanks Sindre!
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Vidhya Bashyam beautifully played!
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Ching Lee Goh Thank you!
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Vidhya Bashyam A Fortnum’s afternoon tea and Schubert - it’s hard to imagine a more wonderful combination….lovely playing as well!
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Vidhya Bashyam can't wait to hear you play live tomorrow, I can feel your love for the piece in your playing. very glad you got to cross this off your list!
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Michael Thanks for listening! I am not quite ready to play tomorrow, but certainly looking forward to hearing your Nocturne and everyone else’s pieces.
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Vidhya Bashyam What a beautiful piece! I can hear your emptions throughout the playing. Nice job!
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Mozart also went on to compose many well known operas (and other masterpieces) in his lifetime. However, at one time, he must have been disappointed when the Court theatre in Salzburg was closed down in 1775. He made many trips out of Salzburg searching for opportunity to make his name, including the trip to Mannheim and Paris in 1977-8.
He is said to have written the keyboard sonata in C major, K309, in Mannheim during that trip. Mozart dedicated this sonata to his student, a Rosa Cannabich. He must have been as fond of the piece as he was of his student, as he described the piece as "a magnificent sonata in C major with a closing rondo, my own invention" in a letter to his father.
The sonata was described by his father as having a Mannheim style. Mannheim at that time was home to many fine virtuoso musicians and an orchestra, as well as to many fine composers. The style of the Mannheim school (as the musicians and composers were collectively known) was said to have been characterised by the use of a more varied and shifting dynamic range, and increased use of crescendo and diminuendo. Mozart was acquianted with musicians and composers in Mannheim during his time there, and it is possible that this has influenced how he wrote the sonata and gives us clues as to how thought that it should be played.
