Group 4
Fresh off the release of her tonebase course âInside Mozartâs Piano Sonatas,â Orli Shaham is here to help take you to the next step with your Mozart playing.
This Intensive is meant for pianists who are currently working on a movement from one of Mozartâs 18 Sonatas. Whether youâre just getting started with the âEasy Sonataâ K. 545, or are trying to polish one of his more virtuosic Sonatas, you WILL improve your improve your technique and interpretation of Mozart and Classical Sonata Form.
- Sign-Up : Thursday, November 3rd at 8 am PST
- Course Period: November 7 - 21st
- Class Size: max. 4 Groups ĂĄ 10 Participants
- Optional check-In via Zoom: Tuesday, November 15th, at 11:30am PT
ASSIGNMENT 1
ASSIGNMENT: Pick a movement from one of Mozart's 18 Sonatas to focus on over the next 2 weeks. Begin applying the stylistic, musical, and technical tips Orli gives in her course lessons and assignment video (see below). Post your progress in this thread along with questions for Orli.
Video clips are encouraged but not required!
For less experienced players, you should start with the C major, K545 1st movement. Thereâs no obligation to finish a movement in 2 weeks â you might only get through a single passage, and that's okay! And overachievers are welcome to work on more than one movement.
What matters is how much you can develop your skills within whatever scope youâre comfortable with. If youâre working on a Fantasy, Rondo, Adagio, or other Mozart piece thatâs not a Sonata, thatâs fine. But we encourage you to study a movement from a Sonata as well.âInside Mozartâs Piano Sonatasâ:
https://app.tonebase.co/piano/home?tbModal=courseModal&tbModalSlug=orli-shaham-inside-mozarts-piano-sonatas
- REQUIRED: (1) Watch the âQuick tipsâ video first, and try the warm up and exercises Orli recommends before your practice sessions; (2) Watch the Intro video on the History & Style of the Sonatas; (3) Watch the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd movement video corresponding with you sonata.
- OPTIONAL: You may benefit from studying the video on âOrnamenting Mozartâ and âMozart in Minor,â to the extent that it applies to your piece.
ZOOM LINK:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85416214066?pwd=UkxPdGtya2FVRjA2RWxhYnRmcERFUT09
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Hi there! I'm excited about this fantastic opportunity to dig into some Mozart and learn from you all and the amazing Orli Shaham (loved the series here on Tonebase). Mozart has always held a special place in my heart. I'm looking forward to getting some feedback on the b minor Adagio (I'm offroading a bit from the sonatas and hope no one minds). The tone/character shifts are extreme and frequent, and I'm not sure if I'm under-doing it or over-doing it ... how much and where to bend the tempo, whether my articulation and dynamic contrasts are varied enough, etc. Also, I'm finding it difficult to maintain long lines and conceptualize & communicate an overall arc for the piece. I'm not really seeing (hearing?) the forest for the trees. Hoping to get some clarity on these issues, as well as learn and commiserate by hearing about everyone else's current Mozart projects!
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Hi everyone! Iâm looking forward to this chance to work on Mozart with you all and Orli Shaham. Iâll be working on sonata 2 in F Major, k280. Excited to learn from everyone and have fun!
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Alice Great! K. 280 has my favorite slow movement, although I'm assuming you're starting with the 1st movement? Looking forward to the next 2 weeks!
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Ben Laude Yes Iâm starting with the first movement, though I agree the second movement is so beautiful and sometimes I just continue into it after the first movement even though Iâm not technically âworking on itâ
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Hi Orli, thanks for leading this 2 week intensive. Looking forward to the assignments. I also wanted to say after you mentioned in your video about the dominant pedal in many of Mozart's sonatas, I can't help but spot it in other pieces too :)
Hi everyone, hi Heidi and Alice,
Nice meeting you here. I look forward to improving my Mozart sonata. I'm learning Mozart's Sonata in C major, K309, and hope to play it well someday. Look forward to your videos, and hearing from you.
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Natalie K. 309 is a great choice! Looking forward to seeing your progress with it.
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Ben Laude I will try to get it video ready soon!
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Sounds like a sonata movement would be much better for this course, and since it doesn't have to be completely learned or polished, I'll work on a movement from either K311 or K576 instead of the Adagio.
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Heidi I'm sure Orli would help you with the Adagio, but I also think it's a good idea to work on a movement from a Sonata. And yes - you can just be beginning it and it doesn't need to be complete.
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Ben Laude Thanks, will do! I've started working on the first movement of 311 and will post video & questions (at least about the exposition) tomorrow or Sat.
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Mozart Group 4 Just checking in to say that I'm happy to be Orli's "Teaching Assistant" for this Intensive. It's great to hear from Heidi , Natalie , and Alice about the Mozart they're planning to focus on this week. For the rest of you, please let us know what piece you'd like to work on these two week, and feel free to begin dropping your questions here.
Looking forward to hearing from all of you!
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Thank you for the opportunity to join the group. I have not learned any Mozart Sonatas yet, K545 1st movement will be my next project. If there're other people on the waiting list who is currently practicing a Mozart Sonata, please feel free to give him/her the spot. I've learned a lot about the form/structure of sonatas through the videos. I'm currently working on Clementi Sonatina op36.
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Ben Laude I can start with the first part of the K545, if that's ok.
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Sorry it's taken me so long to reply; I've been busier than expected. I'm working on the 3rd movement of the easy sonata (K545). I've just started working on it. My major challenge is playing it at tempo; I've got a ways to go to get there. I've got most of the notes under my fingers, but I think it'll probably take a while before I'm playing at speed. I don't want to push too much, so it'll take as long as it needs. At this point I'm interspersing slow practice with short bursts of speed, but still not up to tempo.
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Shoshana Kalson Hi! Looking forward to your video. I'm doing one in C major too
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Hi, all! Here are some questions and a video to help demonstrate some decisions I'm pondering in the first movement's exposition of 311 (Allegro con spirito).
(1) General question for Orli: I'm always interested in pianists' learning processes. I know it's different for everyone and/or potentially depends utterly on the particular sonata in question, but are there any basic steps you follow yourself and/or pass along to students in terms of the sequence of activities/practice approaches when learning a new Mozart sonata?
Specific questions about the exposition of 311 (first movement):
(2) Dynamics and articulation: In one of your videos, you talk about how Mozart's dynamic markings leave a lot of room for interpretation in the sections between markings (which are often pretty long). In this movement, there's a forte marking at the very beginning of the piece, then a piano marking in measure 7 ... and nothing in between. And the character of the musical ideas packed in between those markings are potentially quite different. The articulation options, esp. for the left hand, also seem kinda wide open, and produce very different results in terms of the mood. Similarly, measure 24 is marked forte, then there's a piano marking in measure 28. In shaping the dynamics in between, I'm feeling puzzled/indecisive about how much contrast to create and/or whether to crescendo and decrescendo toward those dynamic changes, whether he perhaps meant these shifts to be surprising, or ...? How did you arrive at your choices in this movement (one example would be great, no need to explain every single choice)? Are some choices more "right" than others, based on historic practices, etc.? See video for examples of my waffling. (Sorry, the quality of the video is not that good and I didn't have time to get great takes, so bear w/ me.)
(3) In the recording in your video of the opening of this sonata, you play the grace note in measure 4 differently than I'm inclined to. What's the deal w/ this type of grace note? Can it be interpreted as an appoggiatura or is that a bad idea? How do you distinguish between those two critters?(4) There's a sorta terrifying passage in the development section that requires careful fingering (measures 66-74). What fingering do you use/recommend, esp. for 71-74?
Any ideas, from anyone, more than welcome! And Orli, if you don't have time to answer all of these questions, no prob â get to whatever you can. Thanks again.
https://share.vidyard.com/watch/LzzLHaA8KoZRkKuxi3ouWm?autoplay=1-
Heidi Hi Heidi! I love this sonata! Look forward to hearing you play it through for us. Happy to hear your decisions on style and dynamics in the piece :) Also wanted to say, lovey instrument! :)
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Natalie Peh Yeah, it's a really joyful sonata â very fun! And I am really, really lucky to have an awesome piano (a Shigeru Kawai).
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Heidi I think I would be glued to the piano all day, if I had a Shigeru Kawai :D
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Hi Orli, Ben, everyone,
I need to work on playing more accurately, and would love to sound lighter and bouncy-er, but this is the best recording I could put together this weekend.
(I'm trying to figure out why the volume is so low. You may need to turn up the volume on your device. Edit- video with enhanced volume added.)
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Natalie Peh Love this sonata + you made so much progress in just a week or so! It was a little hard to hear what you were up to, but it seems like you have a strong foundation to build on.
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Heidi I didn't just learn it this week! I first learnt the entire sonata some time ago, then left it aside for a while. But I thought it would be a nice one to play for friends, so I have been trying to "bring it back" :)
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Natalie Peh Sounds great!
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Vidhya Bashyam thanks very much, Vidhya!
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It looks like the Zoom meeting is maybe supposed to happen today â I didn't realize this and have a work meeting at the appointed time. I'm sorry that I won't be able to attend! Will there be a recording?
