Jeremy Desiderio

(Master the Sonata) center The sonata form became popular in the Classicalclassical period and is perhaps most famous because of Beethoven, though many gifted and well-known composers have penned sonatas. Learning to play one is very often a staple to any piano education. Sonatas take careful practice and fine articulation to play well, but once mastered, they are a joy both to listen to and play. Sonatas very vary as to how many forms they have, but the traditional sonata allegro sonata-allegro form has three different variations. They are the exposition;, the development;, and the recapitulation. Composers thought of these different sections as the way they told a story through music—even without words. Briefly, the exposition introduces the piece’s theme and is usually played at a moderate tempo. The developement development progresses and expands the theme. Usually, this part is slower and has some key changes. The recaptiulation recapitulation finally ties everything together and concludes. It is usually played quickly and is the showier part of the music. Practice each movement separately until each is learned before you combine them. It is essential to keep precise timing. Practicing with a metronome at first will help you be consistent. Oftentimes, the left hand keeps the beat. Just because the timing is exact doesn’t mean sonatas are to be played rigidly. They include many emotional musical elements, such as slurs, stacatosstaccatos, and accent marks. The slurs group together the phrases and are played as musical sighs. A musical sigh is making the notes in a slurred phrase sound like a human sigh—rise at the beginning with a smooth drop to the end. There will often be staccato notes or accent notes following a phrase, which are in direct contrast to the previous sigh. Just as composers thought of their sonatas as stories put to music, create one yourself to go along with the music to help you inject passion into your playing. Be articulate! Sonatas have no room for sloppy or half-heard notes. Use your finger preps you have practiced in your Hanon exercises. (Hanon is a wonderful way to warm up before practicing sonatas.) The pedal should be used sparingly. It should enhance your playing, not cover it up. It is very helpful to listen to a professional recording of the sonata you are learning. Find a CD or look online for a recording. Hearing how the sonata is to be played will provide you a guideline on what you need to work on in your practice time.