- rudyapffelmusic
Czerny Op 740 #36, 3 Versions
On the page #36 certainly looks like a barcarolle, but Czerny’s tempo is much faster than the typical19th Century “boat music.” If you can get the RH up to Czerny’s tempo (avoiding the end-of-bar collisions with the LH) you’ve got gorgeous music for bourees, chainees, maybe ronds de jamb en l’air, etc. Luckily, this very beautiful study works at slower tempos. A small detail: I like how Czerny resists the expected cliche of the B section (starting m 17) moving into a stormy relative minor; he moves to the dominant-of-the-dominant, and the piece keeps its happy song going right to the vivacious little coda.
Op 740 #36 1st Version: smooth rippling 6/8 arpeggios, 8 sets of 8
This is my performance of #36 with the dotted quarter @48. It sounded, to my ears, that Czerny’s mm 17-20 “want” to be repeated, and so I reshaped his closing material (m 21 ff) to get a squared-off exit. I let the music become more lively as it goes along, imagining that it could support balances across the floor.
Op 740 #36 2nd Version: long 3/4 Adagio, 8 sets of 8
This is my performance of my 1st Version simply slowed further to the quarter @100 and renotated in 3/4 for a long Adagio.
And #36 can be slowed even more with quite nice results...
Op 740 #36 3rd Version: Offenbach’s Barcarolle, 8 sets of 8
This is my performance of the Offenbach Barcarolle (Tales of Hoffman) using Czerny’s RH as accompaniment (the harmony altered to accomodate the Offenbach). I supply a score about which I must admit in full disclosure that my LH part is “aspirational;” you can get away with a much simpler execution of Offenbach’s tune (I usually do).