Sunburst Sonatina [HL:406608]

Description: Sunburst Sonatina has three movements. The first one is an allegro movement in the key of C Major. The second movement is in A Minor built around the arpeggiated A Minor chord. The third movement is a spirited tarantella written in 6/8 meter.

Purpose: Sunburst Sonatina was written to encourage young students to develop an interest and enthusiasm in studying music written in the classical style. The sonatina offers the student the opportunity to develop in their technical and interpretative skills. There are no large interval skips; therefore the piece is suitable for younger students or those with smaller hands.

Suggestions for Instruction: In the first movement, play the RH along, taking care to rotate the wrist in order to keep quarter notes even. In the second movement, take care to cross the hands smoothly, so the listener cannot “hear” the changes. In the Tarantella, practice each hand separately, using suggested fingerings. Again, it is important to rotate wrists, in order to play a smooth allegro tempo. Let the dynamics enhance the delightful presentation of the classical style.

Key: C Major and A Minor