Gondellied

Description

Dora Pejačević (1885-1923) was a composer born into the Croatian noble family of the counts Pejačević. She also wrote orchestral works, including a symphony and a piano concerto, and is counted among the pioneers of modern Croatian music. Gondellied, Op. 4, is, as its opus number suggests, an early work.

The gondola song is a type of Romantic piece in which a melody sings over a gently rocking accompaniment recalling the songs of Venetian gondoliers; the Venetian Gondola Songs in Mendelssohn's Songs without Words are the best-known examples. This one is in E minor and 3/4. It lasts just over four minutes with 646 notes, about two and a half a second on average, a calm piece with few notes. The range spans exactly four octaves, from G1 to G5.

It is rated intermediate. With so few notes, the task is to keep the sway of the accompaniment steady while shaping the melody above it into a long line. Check how melody and accompaniment are divided with the hand colours, and explore how far to join the sound with the pedal while listening at full speed. Repeating the places where the mood changes with A-B looping is also helpful. The lowest note, G1, lies below a 61-key keyboard as written, but an octave shift fits every note on 61 keys.

A broad collection of standalone piano pieces not belonging to any specific set, offering hundreds of varied character pieces to explore and compare.