Sonatina For Cello And Piano

Oooo finally the video, now I'll watch it at my leisure. It would have been interesting to hear the others as well to get some impressions. I see that it is 11 minutes of video, so I believe the other candidates are not included either.

I find your compositions very interesting, but I also said this to you regarding the two piano sonatas for which you kindly gifted me the scores. In this sonatina (well chosen since the second movement in particular is quite short), it seems to me that you have been very attentive to the interplay of parts (main voice and response) that mutually exchange piano and cello. Taking into account your son's age, I believe 11/12 years old, he feels a certain lack of confidence and artistic personality which I believe will not be long in arriving; in fact, these experiences (competitions - concerts - recitals - events in general) are exactly what forge these aspects. My advice for his artistic growth is precisely to do as many as possible... Being in front of an audience until one gets used to it makes performances more relaxed and reasoned, since attention is not compromised by a state of anxiety. On the other hand, I did not notice much anxiety on your part, contrary to what you told me, or perhaps you hide it well... Instead, clear technical problems can be heard in the third movement of the sonata; nothing that a bit of practice cannot correct. After splitting hairs, it seems to me that it was an excellent rehearsal. I would be curious to know if the rehearsal required only the performance of unpublished works. Congratulations again...

TheSimon wrote:

I find your compositions very interesting, but I also said this to you regarding the two piano sonatas for which you kindly gifted me the scores. In this sonatina (well chosen since the second movement in particular is quite short), it seems to me that you have been very attentive to the interplay of parts (main voice and response) that alternately exchange piano and cello. Taking into account your son's age, I believe 11/12 years old, yes, he feels a certain lack of confidence and artistic personality which I believe will not take long to arrive; in fact, these experiences (competitions - concerts - recitals - events in general) are exactly what forge these aspects. My advice for his artistic growth is precisely to do as many as possible... Being in front of an audience until one gets used to it makes performances more relaxed and thoughtful, since attention is not compromised by a state of anxiety. On the other hand, I did not notice much anxiety on your part, contrary to what you told me, or perhaps you hide it well... Instead, clear technical problems can be heard in the third movement of the sonata; nothing that a bit of practice cannot correct. After splitting hairs, it seems to me that it was an excellent audition. I would be curious to know if the audition required only the performance of unpublished works. Congratulations again...

Thank you very much for your comments. Now, in order: the idea for the sonatina was born precisely from the fact of having a piece with a slightly broader scope compared to the short pieces found in cello teaching methods; it had to be a piece possible for a boy (13 years old next August) who still only knows first position, but who has some kind of musical interest. Therefore, few rhythmic difficulties (at least for him), a minimum of dialogue between the two instruments... in short, let's say it was like making him a "tailor-made" suit, starting from the technical difficulties I saw in the pieces he is studying. Confidence and artistic maturity... well, obviously they mature a little at a time (as they say in Rome, "nobody is born LEARNED"!). However, I am happy to have found (almost by chance) an excellent teacher for him. What you say regarding the usefulness of performing in public is true, even if the grading left me a bit perplexed, so much so that in the moment I wondered if it would be worth committing to participating in competitions of not exactly excellent level (but I will discuss this with his teacher). As for MY technical problems... what can I say? I have nothing left to do but beat myself up for having given up many years ago (but the damage had already begun even before, with several teachers none of whom truly set me up well).

Thank you for your attention. Greetings to you and to the forum participants.

Gino Palumbo

P.S. Even if I wanted to, I did not have videos of the other candidates: each one (if requested) was given a DVD only with their own performance.

Perhaps a bit repetitive but pleasant, Gino.

It's beautiful to unite (I mean father and son) with music and with an unpublished work for both, written specifically for them... these are things that do good. Thank you for sharing this

Hi Gino, I agree with Talentuoso regarding the father-son relationship, but I hope there are no pressures from your side and that your son experiences music spontaneously and serenely

I like its freshness, a work for very young children... which justifies a bit of repetitiveness.

I missed it Gino, your son seemed satisfied while bringing his dad's work to life... this is a fundamental fact, therefore the objective was met

It is always good to know why a composition is born and what objectives it aims to achieve

Congratulations to both of you, I listened to all three movements and it is noticeable in the finale

that your son seems to melt a little; he certainly felt the tension in a particular way,

which is perhaps why he seemed a bit rigid to me, especially in the parts

played slowly, and it is precisely there that the touch is most clearly perceptible,

but this is normal; I think emotion also contributed to making

some parts be played slightly faster than the tempo you were keeping

with the piano, but this too is logically linked to emotion; I am sure

that by practicing at home (as often happens for those who feel these performances particularly strongly when an audience is present) you will have had a

different impression.

Regarding the cello's intonation, I would like to ask if, watching the video, it seemed to you

that the bow was positioned not quite at a right angle relative to

your son's body, because even here, it seemed to me that when

(even if the front view does not help) the notes were articulated more decisively,

the bow was positioned in a more effective way.

A compositional level, I liked the piece; if you think that the sonata form (even if

here on a smaller scale) is a form that I would like to know how to develop, I listened

to it with interest, and even though I do not yet have the means to analyze it (beyond

the score), it seems to me to be a well-developed work, and as others say, adequate

to an execution that is not particularly complex on the cello, but one can still notice

a good compositional ability and, above all, the ability to develop a theme in a pleasant way.

Piccinesco wrote:

it is a form that I would like to know how to develop

I don't know if you noticed, but there is a composition workshop specifically dedicated to this field

I noticed, no I didn't notice, I read discussions about laboratories sometimes, but not often, however I can't get moving; at this point, I'll have to go buy concentration at the supermarket, there's no way out of it.

Piccinesco wrote:

Congratulations to both of you, I listened to all three movements and it is noticeable in the finale

that your son seems to melt a little; he certainly felt the tension in a particular way,

which is perhaps why he seemed a bit stiff to me, especially in the parts

played slowly, and it is precisely there that the touch is most clearly perceptible,

but this is normal; I think emotion also contributed to making him

perform some parts slightly faster than the tempo you were keeping

with the piano, but this too is logically linked to emotion; I am sure

that by trying it at home (as often happens for those who feel these rehearsals particularly

intensely when an audience is present) you will have had a different impression.

Regarding the cello's intonation, I would like to ask if, watching the video, it seemed to you

that the bow was positioned not quite at a right angle to your son's body, because even here,

it seemed to me that when (although the front view does not help) the notes were articulated more decisively,

the bow was positioned in a more effective way.

A compositionally level, I liked the piece; if you think that the sonata form (even if

here on a smaller scale) is a form I would like to know how to develop, I listened to it

with interest, and even though I do not yet have the means to analyze it (besides

the score), it seems to me a well-developed work, and as others say, adequate

to an execution that is not particularly complex on the cello, but one can still notice

a good compositional ability and above all the ability to develop a theme in a pleasant way.

Thank you for your comment (and sorry for only responding now). So... yes, emotion is always a beast! In fact, I think that for young people it is useful to participate in these competitions, not so much for the possibility of recognition (which doesn't matter much, unless it is a truly important competition... but then it's not for beginners!), but rather to get used to playing in public and for the fact of having to be judged by competent people.

As for my composition... well, to tell the truth, I feel a bit embarrassed to "give advice," because I am certainly not the most suitable person. For a long time, I went forward as a self-taught musician, and almost everything I learned about various musical forms I gained from observing (and let's say from a bit of instinctive "analysis") the pieces of the great composers of the past, starting with Clementi's sonatinas which I studied as a boy, then continuing with more complex pieces. In this sonatina, I adhered to a fairly simple model: the first movement is almost "Mozartian," with the classic pause at the end of the exposition and a short development. The second is the usual A-B-A form, with the central part in major; in the coda, one hears harmonies that may recall Neapolitan songs. The finale is then a simple rondo, with only two secondary episodes (couplets) + coda, so as not to drag on too long. What can I say? I think that if someone wants to get into compositional mechanisms, the best thing is (aside from theoretical study, which never hurts) to try jumping in and writing something: perhaps the first pieces will be half-garbage (like the sonatinas I wrote at 15), then the use of forms will surely improve.

Ah, if you want (and if you feel like wasting a bit of time), look here: http://www.armoniamusicale.com/forma-sonata.html

Bye to you and to all the forum members.

Gino

To me, a lack of patience has always played bad tricks on me, always.

You need to find the right concentration to properly assimilate the contents of a subject.

I saved the link.

Bye