Classical piano course for beginners
How to play piano : Solgeffietto, CPE Bach
*This course is available only in French
Beginner’s Level, lessons 109 to 117 (roughly 2-3 years of piano with the Bernachon Method):
Solfeggietto (H 220, Wq 117. 2) is a short piano piece in C minor by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. He was a composer, musician, and very famous musicologist during the second half of the 18th century, recognized by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. CPE Bach was the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach and his godfather was Georg Philipp Telemann (whose work is briefly touched on in the beginner’s course, with a piece studied in lessons 54-58).
Solfeggietto is one of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s best known works. Played at a tempo of Allegretto (or perhaps Presto to Prestissimo), it requires a particular finger technique and lots of practice to be able to interpret it at a constant rhythm. We have chosen Solfeggietto as the second-to-last work in the beginner’s level (lessons 109-117) because for many pianists it represents an important step because of the agility of the fingers that it requires. The piece contains a series of arpeggio minors and rapid notes. Solfeggietto requires an understanding of the keyboard and the ability to locate the keys on the keyboard while changing the keys of the left hand. The fingers must stay regular with each change of hand. This piece will permit students to develop speed, velocity, and regularity in fingers work. Some piano solistes use Solfeggietto as a warm-up exercise.