Listening Guide

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❈ German Composer and Pianist (1770-1827) ❈ Composed Symphonies, Chamber Music, Concerti, Piano Sonata’s, etc… ❈ Struggled with personal life, illness (chronic abdominal pain, deafness) Age 13 Age 19 Age 33 Age 45 Age 53

   Piano work written in 1810

Not published until 1865

Official Title: Bagatelle in A Minor

WoO 59

Bagatelle something of little value or significance; trifle  Bagatelle (music) written for piano a short light piece of music, usually  Rondo Form

A A’ B A C A

A * Iconic opening minor theme * Flowing sixteenth note arpeggiations

A’ * Extends theme in major for a brief moment * Only time this part is heard or played in the piece

B * Arpeggiation continues in the left hand with some chords introduced for the first time * Right hand melody is scalar and has some significant leaps * Thirty-second notes appear in the right hand melody

A * Iconic opening minor theme * Flowing sixteenth note arpeggiations

C * Repeated sixteenth note pedal in the left hand with some chords * Right hand is slower rhythmically and features chords for the first time * Arpeggiated and scalar sixteenth note triplets in the right hand melody

A * Iconic opening minor theme * Flowing sixteenth note arpeggiations

 http://www.forelise.com/bagatelle  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bagatelle