Anon - Menuet in F: No 6 from Nannerl Notenbuch

Background

The notebook for Nannerl, from which this piece is taken, was a collection of little pieces that Leopold Mozart (father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) used for teaching his daughter, Nannerl to play the piano.

Pupil Match & Suitability

The Nannerl Notenbuch pieces, collected together in 1759, are ideal teaching material, falling easily under the fingers of small hands.

Although there is an octave leap in the LH, Bar 8, the crotchets might be lightly detached throughout, meaning that there is no problem with wide stretches.

The constant crotchet movement in the LH makes this a good choice for students who are rhythmically uncertain, since the pulse is kept effectively stable by the LH.

Care should be taken however, to make the triplets even in timing in Bar 15.

Final Performance

An excellent performance of this piece will show a feel for the elegant dance in a moderate pace, well shaped phrasing and nicely balanced hands. Confident technical control will enable even rhythms and there will be appropriate dynamic colour, both to define the phrasing and provide some tonal contrast.

A good performance will be secure in continuity and accuracy. Dynamics will be contrasted and there will be some sense of character emerging with varied dynamics, but this will probably be unsubtle and there may be a need for more shape in the phrasing.

A sound performance may be either correct in notes and rhythms but without a sense of character and detail, or there may be a feel for the music but with a few small slips in accuracy.