General Knowledge for Sarah N.:

List A Piece: Franz Wohlfahrt "Study" Op.45 No.57
-- This study is in the key of D minor. Look at the key signature: Bb. Look at the last note: D, which is the tonic note for D minor; tonic note is the first step/degree of a scale.
-- Tempo marking moderato assai means "at a truly moderate speed/tempo"
-- a small "o" over a note indicates a harmonic like in bars 2, 3 and 12, 13
-- C time signature stands for "common time" and means the same as 4/4 time signature.
-- There are some harmonics throughout. Reach them with your 4th finger out of 3rd position.
-- In the very first bar you have a short grace note called acciaccatura. It is the tiny crossed out note that stands just before a main note.

List B Piece: attributed to Georg Frederic Handel "Allegro"
-- This is 2nd movement from "Sonata" in F major. A movement is a musical term for a "section" or "part".
-- The piece is attributed to Handel, although it is likely he did not compose it. The possible reason as to why it is attributed to Handel is because the format of this sonata is so called "sonata da chiesa" - the same format as all of Handel's Sonatas Op.1, which he wrote for various instruments, like oboe, flute, violin, and recorder.
-- a "sonata da chiesa" (Italian: Church sonata) is an instrumental composition dating from the Baroque period in music, generally consisting of four movements. More than one melody was often used, and the movements were ordered slow–fast–slow–fast with respect to tempo. Even though the name implies otherwise, these sonatas were not necessarily to be performed in church
-- George Frederic Handel was born in Germany and he was a composer of the Baroque Period in music. The Baroque Period in music lasted approx. 1580-1730 and Handel lived 1685-1759. His work was strongly influenced by the Italian Baroque composers as well as by Henry Purcell from England. In turn, later famous composers like Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven all knew the works of Handel. Handel is best known for his "Messiah" oratorio, "Water Music", and "Music for the Royal Fireworks".
-- A sonata (from Italian "sonare" which means "to sound") is a piece for one or more musical instruments. It had undergone many changes throughout time. In Baroque Period, a sonata would be written for instruments accompanied by a basso continuo or figured bass. This meant that the accompanying instrument would only have a line with "figures" or "numbers" that would tell the accompanist which chords to use - there was no music notation for them and they had to improvise their playing just based on these chords, as they accompanied.
-- J.S.Bach was an equally well-known composer at the same time as Handel. They were actually both born the same year: 1685.
-- Time signature is 4/4: simple quadruple time, because there are 4 (as in quadruple) simple beat notes (crotchet notes) in a bar.
-- Tempo marking allegro means "fast and lively"
-- mf is for mezzo forte and means "moderately loud"
-- f is for forte and means "loud".
-- mp is for mezzo piano and means "moderately soft" - not as soft as piano
-- p is for piano, which means "softly"
-- cresc. in bars 1, 7 etc. is for crescendo and means "gradually becoming louder". Sometimes the direction is represented as an extended < sign.
-- ritard. in last bar is for ritardando and means to "gradually slow down".
-- simile means to continue in same or similar manner.
-- This movement is in rounded binary form because the B section ends with a "return" of the opening material from the A section. Section A is bars 1-8 and section B is bar 9-40. -- The movement is written in the key of F major: Bb in the key signature. It starts and ends in F major, but uses C major at change from section A to B
-- The sonata also uses the technique of bariolage - 18th century technique of alternating open and stopped neighbouring strings.

List C Piece: Alfred Mistowski "Hornpipe"
-- Time signature is 2/4: simple duple time, because there are 2 (as in duple) simple beat notes (crotchet notes) in a bar.
-- The piece is written in through-composed form, with a return to the opening material at bar 87. Music is described as through-composed when it is relatively continuous, non-sectional, and/or non-repetitive. -- The piece is written in the key of G major (look at key signature: F#; look at last note of the piece: G, which is the tonic note for G major; tonic note is the first step/degree of a scale);
E minor key is used throughout (bars 14-20, 100-117),
A minor (bars 31-35, 51-57),
B minor (bars 21-31)
D minor (bars 36-37)
C major (bars 38-50, 64-76)
D major (bars 76-78).
-- Alfred Mistowski wrote a number of short pieces for violin and piano accompaniment as well as pieces for piano. Most of these works were published in England between 1890 and 1930.
-- A hornpipe is a dance which originated in England in late 17th century and which was often performed by sailors.
-- f is for forte and means "loud".
-- p is for piano, which means "softly"
-- cresc. is for crescendo and means "gradually becoming louder". Sometimes the direction is represented as an extended < sign.
-- ff is for fortissimo and means "very loud".
-- There is some syncopation in bars 39-43. Syncopation occurs when a longer note is accompanied by a shorter one on either side and so the natural stress or accent moves to between the beats. It is good to separate the notes slightly then to show the syncopation clearly.
-- affrettando means "hurrying up, pushing on"; in other words: turning up the speed.
-- prestissimo means very fast.


GOOD LUCK!!! I know you'll do just fine. :)







































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