Lesson 18: Prelude in G major

Muzio Clementi · Level 3 (Late beginner) · Classical · Piano

From Clementi’s Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte Op. 42 (1801), a method gathering his own preludes and easy arrangements of works by great masters. G major, 3/4, 5 bars (about one minute), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Clementi insists on legato and an even touch: listen to the end of each note before playing the next one. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together. Start hands separately in Wait mode, then put hands together at a slow tempo before speeding up gradually.

More pieces by Muzio Clementi

• Lesson 10: Sarabande (after Corelli)
• Lesson 11: Gigue (after Corelli)
• Lesson 16: Allemande (after Corelli)
• Lesson 17: Sarabande (after Corelli)
• Lesson 19: Air “Triste raison”
• Lesson 20: Air “Fal lal la”
• Lesson 21: Larghetto (after Pleyel)
• Lesson 23: Variation 1 (after Pleyel)

Source : Mutopia Project · CC BY-SA 4.0