charles wu

Charles Wu

The breadth and variety of educational pieces

available for piano are staggering compared to

other instruments, but this does present additional

dilemma: which ones are worthwhile to learn or

assign to our students? In assembling this

collection, I have curated pieces I genuinely enjoy

playing and teaching to my students. Whether you

are a learner or a teacher, I hope you find this

collection an enjoyable addition to your musical life.

FOREWORD

Charles Wu

BA (Hons) Piano Performance

LRSM(Performance)

LRSM (Teaching)

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Little Prelude page 12

Samuel Arnold

James Hook

Ludwig van Beethoven

Louis Köhler

Ludvig Schytte

Cornelius Gurlitt

Robert Schumann

Bela Bartok

Giga page 5

German Dance page 7

Birthday March page 9

Gavotte page 3

The Rope Dancer page 15

Soldiers’ March page 18

Sad Song page 21

Theodore Kullak

Jean-Baptiste Duvernoy

No.11 page 23

Op.176 No.1 page 25

Etudes/Exercises

2

TIPS AND TRICKS

• The entire piece is in five-finger position so

both your hands should stay in the same

position throughout

• Try playing most of the notes in this piece

staccato/separate to make it sound livelier

DID YOU KNOW?

• A Gavotte is a moderate tempo French dance

in 2s or 4s

• It is usually found in the middle of a dance

suite after a slower dance like Sarabande

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• James Hook was an English composer and

organist of the Classical era

• He wrote mostly operas and educational piano

music

James Hook (1746-1827)Gavotte No.3From 24 Progressive Lessons Op.81

3

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Play with as brilliant and festive tone as

possible. I recommend lifting the fingers

slightly above the keys before striking them

• To get a good tempo for this piece, try to count

2 longer dotted crotchet beats per bar

DID YOU KNOW?

• A Giga, also known as Gigue or Jig, is a lively

Baroque dance in duple time that is usually

set as the finale of a dance suite

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Samuel Arnold was a British composer,

organist, and music director of the Classical

era

• His most well-known works are operas and

incidental music (music that accompanies a

play)

• He was the first to attempt to edit and publish

complete works of Handel

Samuel Arnold (1740-1802)GigaFrom Lesson in C Op.12 No.2

5

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Be careful not to make the piece bottom

heavy. Play the left hand lightly at the tips of

the keys especially when playing the chords

• Shape the phrases gracefully. Be careful not to

accent the beginnings of the phrases when

played by the right hand thumb

DID YOU KNOW?

• A German Dance is generic term for a rather

lively dance usually in triple time popular in

Germany during Classical era

• Its style is similar to Waltz that was popular in

Vienna during that time

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Ludwig van Beethoven was a German pianist

and composer of the Classical period

• He composed countless masterpieces for

piano many of which remain popular today like

“Moonlight” and “Fur Elise”

• Beethoven started to become deaf in his early

30s but continued composing great

masterworks like the famous “Ode to Joy” from

his Symphony No. 9

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) German Dance WoO 8 No.1

7

TIPS AND TRICKS

• The phrases in this piece begin mostly on

upbeat quavers that are easy to accidentally

accent. Think of them of as going louder

towards the first beats

• Be careful not to hammer the left hand chords

too excitedly. Play them lightly with a little bit

of spring to them

DID YOU KNOW?

• A March is a piece with strong steady rhythm

that can be marched on. Its time signature is

usually in 2s or 4s

• There are actually various types of marches

e.g. military march, royal march, funeral

march, etc

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Louis Köhler was a German composer, critic

and piano teacher of the Romantic period

• He mostly wrote educational piano pieces and

music theory books

Louis Köhler (1820-1866)Birthday MarchFrom Practical Piano Method Op.300

9

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Play the notes lightly just halfway down the

keys. Imagine the sound of a harp

• The bottom notes played by the left hand can

actually be played longer to aid pedal change

• Try not to depress the right pedal fully to

prevent the piece from sounding like being

underwater

DID YOU KNOW?

• The title “Prelude” is non-descript, but it is

usually used for a piece that feels

improvisatory

• In the past it was customary to begin a recital

with a Prelude-like piece

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Ludvig Schytte was a Danish composer and

pianist of the Romantic period

• He studied piano with Franz Liszt and wrote

mostly educational piano pieces

Ludvig Schytte (1848-1909)Little Prelude

12

TIPS AND TRICKS

• While it is possible to just play the repeated

notes using the same finger in this piece, I

recommend to try to follow the suggested

fingering. Keep your hand still and imagine you

are scratching the keys

• The cadenza at bar 20 is your chance to show

off! Play it freely with great flourish. Imagine

the rope dancer doing a small celebratory

dance after successfully crossing over to the

other side

DID YOU KNOW?

• This fun little piece is a character piece

describing a balancing act of a rope dancer

that you usually see in a circus act

• The passage with mostly small notes at bar 20

is called a cadenza. It is usually played freely

and brilliantly to show off the performer’s

technical and musical prowess

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Cornelius Gurlitt was a German composer,

organist, and teacher of the Romantic period

• He was a prolific composer in virtually all

genres but was mostly known nowadays for his

educational piano music

Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901)The Rope DancerFrom Little Studies Op.130

15

TIPS AND TRICKS

• The semiquaver note could easily be

misplayed as a triplet quaver. Try to think of it

as happening just before the next note

• Despite playing parallel throughout, you should

play the left hand softer and lighter otherwise

the piece would sound heavy

• Keep the beat steady throughout. Imagine

little toy wooden soldiers marching

DID YOU KNOW?

• Schumann composed Album for the Young for

his three daughters

• A March is a piece with strong steady rhythm

that can be marched on. Its time signature is

usually in 2s or 4s

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Robert Schumann was a German composer

and music critic of the Romantic period

• He permanently injured his fingers training to

be a concert pianist

• His wife, Clara Schumann, was the first

concert pianist to perform solo recitals

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)Soldiers’ MarchFrom Album for the Young Op.68

18

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Play the melody in the right hand with

beautiful singing sound. Rest your fingers on

the keys and just rock your hand left and right.

• Keep the dynamics relatively soft throughout.

The accents just need a little bit more volume

to them

DID YOU KNOW?

• The pieces in the collection For Children are

based on actual folk tunes

• This piece originally did not have a descriptive

title, but “Sad Song” is commonly used

nowadays in editions of this piece

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Bela Bartok was a Hungarian pianist,

composer, and ethnomusicologist of early

Modern period

• He had a lifelong project of documenting and

cataloguing Easter European folk songs

Bela Bartok (1881-1945)Sad SongNo.3 From For Children Sz 42

21

TIPS AND TRICKS

• It might be helpful to ignore the printed

dynamics at first and just practice the melody

loud and the accompaniment as soft as

possible first

• Plan how long exactly the staccato

crotchets/quarter and quavers/eighth

accompaniment notes need to be. I

recommend playing them half of their original

lengths

• Try not to play the staccato notes bouncily; rest

your fingers on the keys and just let the keys

release and rise themselves

WHAT DOES THIS ETUDE IMPROVE?

• Dynamics balance between melody and

accompaniment

• Playing staccatos evenly

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Theodore Kullak was a German pianist,

composer, and teacher of the Romantic period

• He had a successful career as a teacher to

many royals and concert pianists

• He composed prolifically for piano but is

mainly known nowadays for his educational

pieces

Theodore Kullak (1818-1882)No.11 fromMaterials for Early Pianoforte Instruction

23

TIPS AND TRICKS

• It might be helpful to ignore the printed

dynamics at first and just practice the right

hand loud and the accompaniment as soft as

possible first; keep the chords especially light

and shallow

• Play the right hand passageworks with flowing

dynamics shaping. You can safely follow the

direction of the notes. If they rise, go louder. If

they descend, go softer.

WHAT DOES THIS ETUDE IMPROVE?

• Dynamics balance between melody and

accompaniment

• Scales passageworks

KNOW THE COMPOSER

• Jean Baptiste Duvernoy was a French pianist,

composer, and teacher of the Romantic period

• He is mainly known for his educational piano

pieces

Jean Baptiste Duvernoy (1802-1880)No.1 fromElementary Studies Op.176

25

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