La Traviata - N1 Introduzione

Description

Verdi's La Traviata, with a libretto by Piave after La Dame aux camélias by Dumas fils, was first performed at La Fenice in Venice in 1853. This series sets the opera's numbers for the piano, and No. 1, the Introduzione, belongs to Act I: the evening party at the house of the Parisian courtesan Violetta. As the guests gather, Alfredo is introduced to Violetta and the story begins to move.

It is written in 4/4 and is a long piece of 3,343 notes. In the opera, the guests' conversation is carried by chorus and soloists over festive, dance-like orchestral music. In the piano version, melody and accompaniment are combined, with the right hand layering melody and chords over the left-hand accompaniment. The range is very wide, from F1 to C-sharp 7, and does not fit on a 61-key keyboard.

It is rated intermediate, but its length and note count call for the stamina to stay focused to the end. Work through it scene by scene with the A-B loop and then join the sections. Lower the playback speed and use the hand colours to find which voice in the right hand carries the melody, so you can bring the vocal line forward as you play.

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