Spring Piano Pieces

This past month, I have been working on a piece from the Theme from Piano Quintet in A major by Franz Schubert. Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer in the early romantic period, and in short lifespan, he wrote about 600 pieces on the piano, and almost completed 10 symphonies. He was born on January 31, 1797, and died on November 19, 1828. Even though he lived only 31 years, he still managed to succeed in composing music for many instruments.

The piece that I played was a very slow and had a lot of emotion. This was the first piece that I actually was able to reach a full octave. An octave, is a cord with 8 notes. My hand has now just grown big enough to reach this chord. Now, I have many more pieces to choose from as most composers use octaves in their pieces.  I hope you enjoyed the piece that I played!

My sister, Hannah, did a guest post about the pieces she learned this month.

I have been practicing hard on my four pieces this past month. They were all songs by Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky wrote 24 short songs for children, and he dedicated his songs to his seven year old nephew. I am also seven years old, and I played some of his pieces. I really enjoy playing his pieces. If you want to learn more about Tchaikovsky, please visit my older sister, Miriam's blog.

First, I played Old French Song. Old French Song is a type of song that is slow. I like hearing the loud and quiet. Next, I played Wooden Soldier March. It sounds like there is a march. It was important to play it evenly. There are some parts that are slow and some parts that fast. I like this song because some of it is loud and some of it is quiet. Then, I played the Morning Prayer Song. The Morning Prayer Song is also slow. This song is supposed to be played with the pedal. I can't really reach the pedal so you can see me all the way at the edge of the seat trying to reach the pedal. I like this song because it is very calm. However the end is a little loud and that is my favorite part of the song. Last, I played Polka. Polka is a fast song. I like the melody of the piece. My favorite part of the piece is the beginning of the song. I like the melody of the right hand and the left hand. Polka is a kind of dance. I really liked playing this song. I hope enjoyed listening

Which piece did you enjoy best?

The Sound of Music

On my sister Miriam birthday, we watched The Sound Of Music. We liked the movie so much that we decided to learn to play some of the songs. The movie was about the Von Trapp family, a captain and his 7 children. When their mom died, the dad became very strict.  They needed a governess to take care of the children, and the convent sent Maria to help the family. Maria started teaching the children about music and how to sing. They learned to sing so well that they even performed in front of the whole city. 

After their mom died, they no longer sang or had music in the home. Maria brought music into their house and even got their dad to play his guitar that he hasn't played in many years. The first song that he played and sang was Edelweiss. Edelweiss is a white flower found in the Alps.

My little sister Hannah and  I have been practicing a song called Edelweiss.  I play it on the violin and Hannah plays it on the piano.  First, My older sister Miriam and I played it together while Hannah listened. A couple weeks later she wanted to play it also, and my mom taught it to her. I loved playing it with her.

I am also going to play My Favorite Things with my sister Miriam. In the movie, there was a thunderstorm and all the children got scared. Maria taught them My Favorite Things to get them into a better mood. She told them to think of good things and then they won't feel so bad. 

Here is Hannah and I playing Edelweiss and Miriam and I playing My Favorite Things.

Have you seen this movie?

Have you heard these songs?

Piano Competition

Last weekend, I had a piano recital to prepare for my piano competition. The recital was at my home because we have a baby grand piano. My little sister Hannah also played at the recital, and it was her first performance  She is  five years old and played 3 pieces, Dance of the Swans from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, Sick Dolls by Tchaikovsky, and Clowns by Kabalevsky . After her, I played Sonata in D major Hob. 16 No 37 by Hadyn. Last, but not least, Miriam also played a Sonata by Haydn in C major.  The two sonatas were very different. My Aunt, Uncle, grandma, and grandpa all came to the recital. After the recital, my dad made dinner for everyone. 

The real competition was a week later at a piano store. Before we performed, we got to pick a piano and practice on it at the store. Some of the pianos that we used for warm up were connected to head phones so we wouldn't distract the other competitors while they performed in front of the judges. There were 2 judges listening  to us perform. My teacher said that I performed very well and didn't make many mistakes. The piano we used to perform was a Bosendorfer grand piano. Is is one the most prestigious piano in the world and it is hand-built in Vienna, Austria. It sounded beautiful. 

It is 6 pages long!

The sonata that I played was written by Haydn in 1780 for the Auenbrugger sisters. They were Viennese patrons that Haydn met while working as court musician for Prince Esterhazy. The sisters where accomplished piano players in Europe. Hadyn therefore composed this sonata to be challenging for even talented performers.

Since they didn't allow anyone in the room while we played for the judges, my mom recorded me playing a week earlier at the recital.

Do you like Haydn's music?

Sonata Opus 49 No 2 by Beethoven

During the classical period (1750- 1827) people were just learning to compose for the piano.The first piece written for the piano was in 1732 by an Italian composer Lodovico Giustovi.

Beethoven wrote music during the classical period . He was born in Germany in 1770 and died in 1827 at the age of 56.  Beethoven pieces are  divided into 3 periods, early, middle and late.  During the middle period starting in 1801, Beethoven started to become deaf when he was just 28 years old. The Sonata Opus 49 No 2 was written in 1805 when Beethoven moved away from traditional classical music and became even more creative.Beethoven created a new era of music called the Romantic period.

Beethoven gave his first performance when he was seven. As a teenager Beethoven traveled to Vienna, Austria and got to play for the great composer Mozart. Mozart was very impressed with Beethoven's talent and told people to watch out for him. 

My sister Miriam plays a piece by Beethoven called Fur Elise. It is one of her favorite pieces. Beethoven wrote that piece when he was deaf.

Sonata Opus 49 No 2 is considered one of Beethoven's easiest Sonata, but it is not very easy for me. It is especially difficult to play it fast without making mistakes. Here is me playing Sonata Opus 49 No.2 Part I.

Have you ever heard of Beethoven's music?

Do you like it?