La Traviata - N2 Brindisi

Description

In the Act I party of Verdi's La Traviata (first performed in 1853), Alfredo proposes a toast and begins to sing, Violetta answers, and the guests join in chorus: this is the Brindisi. The word means a drinking song, and the melody that opens with the call to drink, Libiamo, is among the best-known in all opera. In this series it is No. 2.

It is in B-flat major and 3/8. This quick, waltz-like metre is felt in one beat to the bar; the melody springs up from an upbeat, and the two soloists and the chorus pass the same tune back and forth. In the piano version the vocal lines and the orchestral accompaniment are gathered into the two hands, 2,053 notes in all. The range covers five octaves, from B-flat 1 to B-flat 6, 61 keys, but no octave shift fits it on the C2 to C7 of a 61-key keyboard.

It is an advanced piece that calls for the technique to handle melody and accompanying chords with both hands while keeping the light spring of 3/8. Lower the playback speed and practise feeling each bar as one large beat. Check which hand carries the melody with the hand colours, and compare the accompaniment as it changes with each repetition using the A-B loop; the build-up of the scene becomes clear.

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