Siciliano

Description

August Eberhard Müller (1767-1817) was a German organist, flautist and composer. From 1804 he served as Kantor of St Thomas's Church in Leipzig, the post of Thomaskantor, and later became court Kapellmeister in Weimar. He is also known for his keyboard tutor and left short pieces for learners to play.

This is a siciliano in A minor and 6/8. The siciliano, a gentle dance thought to have Italian origins, typically repeats a long-short-long dotted rhythm in 6/8 or 12/8 and has a pastoral, slightly wistful character in a minor key. It lasts about fifty seconds with 263 notes, and the range covers about three and a half octaves, from C2 to A5.

It is rated intermediate, at about five and a half notes a second. In a siciliano the dotted rhythm should not be made too sharp; let it lilt softly within the broad two-beat sway of 6/8. Lower the playback speed to get the shape of the rhythm into your ear, and use the hand colours to see how melody and accompaniment are divided. As the piece is short, looping the whole thing with A-B repeat and listening again and again is also useful. A 61-key keyboard covers the whole range.

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