The most challenging sections in this movement are the appoggiaturas in the extension sections (mm. 36, 40, 75, 103, and 107). At the lesson, have your student tap, count, and then play the section first without the appoggiatura in order to establish the triplet pulse. In contrast to the practice strategy used with the trills, the student should practice the section with the appoggiatura in the first week because these appoggiaturas all start on the downbeat and are part of the melodic line; they are not ornamental.
An excellent way to learn this appoggiatura is to juxtapose m. 73 of the Rondo movement from Beethoven's G Minor sonata, Op. 49, No. 1 with m. 36 of this sonata. (See examples below.)
In the G minor sonata, the left hand supplies steady sixteenth notes against the exact same rhythm pattern in the G Major sonata, making it easier to play and understand the rhythm. A teacher can create an exercise for the student along this same vein. The student can practice m. 36 with a left hand Alberti bass sixteenth-note figure, or the left hand figure can be reduced to even eighth-note triplets. (This is also in the Rondo, m. 108-110) Once the student feels how the right and left hand notes line up together, the measures are ready to be played as written.
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click below  195k, WAV sound file |
as described above, click below 280k, WAV sound file |
The ear must be the student's guide in making sure that the appoggiaturas do not disturb the distribution of the principal notes that follow. Accuracy must come before speed in order for the ear, body, and mind to fully understand all of the motions needed to execute the passage easily.
Incidentally, not all appoggiaturas in Beethoven's sonatas are played starting on the beat. For example, in the Pathetique sonata, Op. 13, mvt 3, the appoggiaturas sound better played before the beat, because the notes on the beat strongly outline a tonic chord.
In the fourth movement of Op. 2, No. 2, m. 28, the appoggiatura again is played before the beat, because the sforzando written over the main note implies its natural impulse to sound on the beat.
However, in this G major sonata, the appoggiaturas sound best played ON the beat because the appoggiatura is part of the triad. Other clear examples of an appoggiatura played on the beat, this time for dissonance and accent, can be heard in Op. 31, No. 3, first mvt, mm. 18-21 and in the first movement of the Waldstein sonata, Op. 53.
Since we want our students to be able to take the same basic principles of rhythm and apply them to any piece they learn, here are a few rules of thumb for impeccable rhythm:
1. Never let a student play a piece without rhythm. It is better to have a child play extremely slowly or hands separate for awhile with a clear idea of the rhythm, rather than ingraining incorrect figural patterns and fluctuating tempi which will be very difficult to fix later.
2. Have a student count out loud while practicing sections. This process is an invaluable tool. The link between the brain, the ear, and the motions of the arm and hand are reinforced by audible counting.
3. Once the best fingerings have been determined, insist that the student use them all of the time. There is no easier way to trip up the rhythm than by using faulty fingering.
4. Have your student isolate the rhythm problem spots in the sonata movement and practice them. Instill the habit of practicing these rhythm challenges slowly with focused attention in order to feel and learn the motions of the body.
5. Have your students listen to recordings of other Beethoven sonatas. Their ears will begin to hear how noted pianists execute the rhythm, and how the rhythm contributes to the shaping of the musical phrases.
Ed. note: Helen has been kind enough to record the entire 1st movement of the Beethoven for us. Audio files on the web are quite large, especially if the length of time recorded is more than a few seconds. We have broken up the recording of the piece into sections, so that you can download whichever portion of the piece you would like. Most likely, within a few years, large audio files like these will not require a lot of time to download, but unfortunately, they still do. But we are sure you will enjoy hearing the artistic performance of the piece! Reminder: With most browsers, while the long audio file is downloading, you can travel around and read other pages on the website - then check periodically to see if the download is complete.
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to the 2nd theme 696k, WAV file |
of the exposition 1100k, WAV file |
& recap to 2nd theme 1100k, WAV file |
of the recap 1100k, WAV file |
HELEN MARLAIS is a pianist and
coordinator of piano pedagogy at Grand Valley State University
in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is an active performer and clinician
and holds a doctoral degree in piano performance and pedagogy
from Northwestern University.
