close

Haydn, Franz Joseph : Sonate für Klavier Nr.14 Mov.3 Menuet - Trio

Work Overview

Music ID : 32144
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:sonata
Total Playing Time:3 min 00 sec
Copyright:Public Domain

Commentary (1)

Author : Ooi, Kazurou

Last Updated: June 17, 2024
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Understanding Suspensions

First, let's learn about the musical term kakeiryuuon. This is a type of non-harmonic tone. It is a technique where a single note from a previous measure or chord is sustained and included in the subsequent chord. In English, this is called a suspension. The term "kakeiryuuon" might sound a bit complex, so we will use "suspension" here. This Minuet contains many suspensions. Since these suspensions are non-harmonic tones, they must always resolve to a harmonic tone. This act of resolving is called resolution.

Let's look at an example. In measure 9, beat 3, there is a G-B-C# chord. The C# in this chord is sustained into the chord of the next measure (measure 10) and becomes an embellishment. Although measure 10 is originally a D-F-A chord, C# is present. This is a suspension.

As a performance tip:

  • Give a slight accent to this C#.
  • Reduce the volume of the D compared to the C#.
  • Play it so that it fades away, barely audible.
  • Absolutely ensure that the D is never accented.

Such passages appear frequently throughout the piece. Please play them in the same manner.

In measure 16, upon analysis, one might consider the first beat as C-E-G and the second beat as G-B-D. While this interpretation is not incorrect, if you assume the entire measure 16 to be a G-B-D chord and consider the E in the treble clef and the C in the bass clef as suspensions, you will realize that the second beat should be played softer than the first beat. Please examine the score with this perspective.

Writer: Ooi, Kazurou