Check out my EASY ARRANGEMENT of this piece: sonatasecrets.gumroad.com/l/schubert-impromptu3 💲 Get 15% off with the discount code: "secretseeker" More SIMPLE SOLUTIONS arrangements: sonatasecrets.gumroad.com/
Dare I say that this impromptu is on my personal shortlist for the best piece of keyboard music ever written? The highlight of the whole video for me came at 11.13, where you clearly acknowledged the sublime beauty of the passage as it reaches the climax at E flat against the deep harmony of C flat. I've heard and played that passage hundreds, probably thousands of times, yet that moment never fails to send shivers down my spine, and for me represents the pinnacle of all keyboard music. I'm glad you mentioned that the piece is difficult and not one for beginners. I've been struggling to play it even amateurishly for many years. I'm 77 now, and am getting tantalisingly close, and can see that I might achieve that goal within the time that remains for me. Your inspiring video will assist. I am so much enjoying your videos, which I only discovered a couple of days ago (Pathetique sonata initially which is also on my current list). Please keep up the great work you are doing.
Thanks for sharing. It is extraordinary, Schubert's way of going through harmony and melody. I have some places I feel like that in his Bb major sonata D.960 as well. I'm sure you will be able to play it. I don't know if this will help but some practice tips for when you have a texture like this is to practice only two voices at a time out of the three (bass in LH, melody and accompaniment notes in RH). So only bass and accompaniment; only accompaniment and melody (that is just RH); and then for only melody and bass you can add the accompaniment as still chords in RH as well.
Just remember this about the G flat Schubert the greatest joy of it is the learning and discovering what you can do each time you play it. It is magical because I can play the same measure over and over again and never get tired of playing nor hearing it because each time I discover something more beautiful and magical about it.
I like it that you present without a hint of self-aggrandizement, or the kind of 'sniffing snobbery' (subtle name-dropping etc.) that can so often permeate these kinds of analyses. Very honest and with love of the music - not the self - evident at every turn. Well done.
After watching your wonderful analysis of Franz Schubert’s Impromptu Opus 90 No 3 in G flat Major, I went searching on UA-cam for another performance of it. I found one of the greats-Vladimir Horowitz in Vienna in the late 1980s. As usual, there were virtually no body movements, hands sat on the keys almost flat but curved when necessary and played so beautifully. I wanted to see how he attacked the ‘pinkie’ of the right hand with some force with the fingers of the right hand playing pianissimo. Boy did he nail it just as you, Henrik, said it should be played. Some of the notes in the higher register were played so softly and with such tenderness I could almost feel his compassion he had for this Impromptu. It was so beautifully and tenderly played. The performance was in a word, otherworldly. Sublime, passionate, loving, kind, beautiful, etc. It really seemed as though Schubert was at his Steinway playing his own composition. I don’t know on what level Schubert played the piano because we cannot hear his playing as we cannot hear Chopin and Liszt. But I would bet my bottom dollar that Horowitz’ performance was never bested by any other pianist except maybe by Arthur Rubinstein or Sergei Rachmaninoff. Henrik, if you had his beautiful Steinway your performance would be fairly equal to his I am pretty sure. Horowitz’ Steinway is one of the best Steinway’s I have ever heard on a live stage. I would bet that it is a Hamburg Steinway.
I have played this piece for decades and I love your Insight that the opening and closing are the dream and the middle section is real life. Thank you so much for that!
Amazing video. I watched this after watching Andras Schiff's documentary on Schubert's life and music. His music has a special incomparable harmonic uniqueness that was shaped partly by the events in his life
HENRIK - nice to know that people with the "same" name as mine are as SMART as YOU (Spanish version of your name.) :) But seriously - your analysis was EXACTLY what I was searching for today. I ALSO find that Schubert's chord changes are one of the hallmarks of his genius. When I start thinking that I might be a composer, and then I think about Schubert, I am ready to give up because HIS GENIUS is one of the unshakable mountains in classical music. Thank you, my friend, for explaining to us what my tiny brain could not conjure up. :) Much health to you. ♥♥♥♥
Thank you for this Herr Kilhamn. When I start a new piece, I like to look for your analysis on your channel. I was happy to see this one and will watch it again. Your analysis and support is so helpful to me. Now to go to work to figure it out. Pls keep up the good work.
Cannot love your analyses more. Schubert is often overlooked by so many. His key changes are among the best (perhaps Haydn rivals him) for such early classical composers. Bravo! That neopolitan chord!
This is my favorite Schubert impromptu! As usual, you played it so beautifully. The comments are so interesting, and the emojis are so much fun to see. Thank you!!
This is my favorite composition for piano. I played it since my 14th, and now being 57 it starts to get some where, although this process will go on I think. I like your interpretation very much, and also the vivid and clear comments you use to teach with are very supporting. 🙏❤️
This piece has so many great moments. I love the bass trills. Some parts remind me of Ave Maria, but this one is way more beautiful. Thank you very much for showing us the theoretical background why we get goosebumps from classical music.
Yes, definitely similar to Ave maria (which is beautiful in its own right but without as much melancholy and drama as this). It's something with the accompaniment movements over the simple chords that echoes in both...
@@SonataSecrets ... thanks ... i subscribed and I’m binge watching your videos now ... please go on doing this, i love it ... started playing in 2017 and learning so much here
I stumbled upon your channel looking for an analysis of this piece and I'm very glad I did! Your videos are very well-made :) I like how you brought attention to those almost "magical" modulations and major-minor changes which give Schubert's music its "wandering" or searching quality. His music really takes you on a journey with many turns and twists, like here but also in the late piano sonatas or the Winterreise
Thanks! It's so beautiful and cannot describe it with words. I'm so glad to have met sonata secrets! I'm so inspired and will go back to my practice. Someday I maybe able to play this piece....
I always enjoy your videos (thanks for sharing your wisdom). For this one, your dreams vs. reality interpretation advice helped me find a new angle on this piece. Also, I did a foreign exchange in Gothenburg back in college, good memories! Such a great city.
It’s really great pleasure to listen to your analysis of this piece so that i can get better understand of it. As a self-taught piano person and classical music enthusiast, i appreciate for your video.
Just what I was looking for, my harmonic analysis is weak so thank you! This piece is so brilliant in how it uses such simple ideas, even in the first two measures, starting on the 3rd but moving to the tonic, but instead swapping that tonic to be the 3rd of the minor 6 to introduce the key. The piece is full of such simple motions that do so much to alter the character of the material. I also love the little plagal mini-cadences right at the end, as if Schubert is snuggling into the blankets!
Interestingly enough, I think the emojis are a very fun way to show the emotion, rather than just words. I can just imagine a whole piece written out with emoji markings
One of my all-time favourites! I've been playing and practicing this for years, but it feels as if I've not yet uncovered and fully mastered all the musical depth this piece have to offer. If you want even more to explore from this piece, try transposing it to E-flat major. The same music, but completely different at the same time, still sounding wonderful.
I was looking for the expression of the feeling that I get when I listen or play this music. I love all of your explanation. Especially your interprenation is amazing. I couldn't help stop smiling. You catched amazing interprenation and expression... Thank you to broaden my view of this amazing work.
Thank you for introducing this gorgeous piece of music to me. Its opening measures, stationary, placid will soon climb to the top of Mt. Everest, challenge us and bring us home, glad to be in Shubert's company.
Your videos do give great insights into the abstract world of Classical Music.On the context of Schubert,kindly post a video of his Piano Sonata in B-flat major D.960
Hi Henrik I think Schubert wants the pianist to reach deep inside the listener and touch that part that a comment below says just makes you cry. If you can reach that part then you coax all the emotion into tears :).
It seemed such a simple piece, until I watched this analysis! I didn’t play it so often, but now it seems a lot more interesting and I’ll enjoy playing it regularly from now on. So thanks! :)
I have cherished this piece for quite some time. Your passionate explanations of shifting harmonies, the roles of different keys, modulations and the over riding melody in each hand are beautifully articulated. Thank you for this! Is there a way that I can donate to your channel?
Wonderful explanation and tutorial. Thank you 🙏🏻. This piece is way over my technical skills - I am just a beginner but it is so amazingly beautiful. I hope one day I can reach for it. Your videos are fantastic. You explain phrases very clearly and you provide musical insights that are really helpful. Merci !
Cheeky chord is a #5 chord..lol this piece is a singing lesson for the pianist and a singing pinky using arm weight helps. I enjoy your analysis as its important to follow the harmony. Theory is valuable in understanding of what one is playing and keyboard harmony along with improvisation go hand in hand.
This is awesome! As a Kanye music fan, it was great to hear your interpretation including the 'Stronger' bit! I just printed out the sheet music for this piece and am excited to think of that every time I play, thanks!
Bravissimo seguo con molta attenzione e sono affascinata dalla chiarezza della Sua magistrale spiegazione. Grazie.Io molto tempo fa ho studiato il n.3,4 e il tema con variazioni.Vorrei ritornare indietro per avere un Maestro così.
Glad that I found this while starting the piece (that is anyways rather a stretch goal than what I should learn next) - segmentation and interpretation, for sure also the performance - come very handy now - thank you for shedding some light onto the piece. I will never be able to not understand the start and end as the dream state and the middle as the reality . never .
I did not know that about it being transposed to G. I am so glad it was returned to Gb major. Gb major has a completely different character than G major. Eb minor is a great key too!
My favorite channel! I get so inspired to practice every day after I watch your videos. Even though I'm still a long way away from this piece's skill level, it's very motivating. I very much look forward to expressing myself through this.
Before you read, i am really sorry about my english i am German. I love your Videos to classical music and your cool Charakter. I just wanted to ask if its possible that you can make a Video to Beethovens sonatine in g Major From opus 79. I learn it for my Exam to study music for getting an Music - teacher. Wow this language was really horrible but its late at night. Whatever it would me a Honor if u Think about my asking :)
Thank you, I appreciate your comment! Unfortunately, that sonata is not in my repertoire that I plan on doing in the nearest future. However, I go through Sonata form in Beethoven in my videos on the Pathetique sonata 1st mvt, and Op 111, 1st mvt (late Beethoven there) - some of that might be applicable to op 79 as well.
I am glad you said ”... Enjoy my performance”: I heard YOU PLAY this beautiful music, tears gathered in my eyes!!!! p.s., My husband, world-renowned Food Microbiologist, Professor Dr. Daniel YC Fung, played this piece: HE PLAYED ITS RECORDING OVER AND OVER THROUGH many EVENINGS. I am a Psychological (add neuro-- THE GUT-- Immunological) Scientist, Ph.D., prepared to be a piano-performer in my teen-years. I am DANCING under and through Water Splash this summer because SWIMMING POOLS ARE CLOSED-- You will see us in 4 videos
Honestly the only reason I chose cello over violin is because violin always is like EEEEEAGEEEEHHAHAHAHAHAEEEE. VERY high and squeaky. The cello has a nice bass range, and it can also do high, violin notes. The best of both worlds!!
I have really tried to play it and even uploaded a short of me palying it. But I hit a wall after quite some time. I ll probably have to practice for 10 more years or so untill I can truly Master it.
No, I do not want Daft Punk in my Schubert, thank you. But... that's a super effective way to think about that passage so you get a pass :) bravo I love these vids! EDIT: I am SO glad you allowed yourself to omit the Db on that final chord. I had a heck of a time making it fit and just could not.
Lovely. Listening to certain parts of the melody, I am vaguely reminded of the song Ave Maria. Which of course Franz Schubert composed. Thank you. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Schubert)
This was great! Oh I’d really like to see your remarks on Schubert’s Aug dem Wasser zu singen, bet it would be pretty awesome... like your channel a lot!!!
I don't listen to much Schubert, but you are right that his melodies are similar to Mozart. The immediate minor major switch and the way he develops those melodies though and his short but extreme crescendos remind me of Beethoven. I love this piece by Schubert that you played and analyzed. I analyze pieces as well, but my analysis tends to be a lot more detailed than yours I've noticed. When I analyze a piece, I tend to focus on 2 things, the form(like not just the large scale, but also like the phrase structure) and the harmony. Whereas I have noticed that while you get a bit into formal analysis and harmonic analysis, you mainly focus on the way the piece feels. Every analyst has his/her own way though, and your view of the piece through the emotion helps me know why I feel certain emotions from certain keys and just have another perspective on the piece.
Thanks Carrots! I think I agree on all points. That's a pretty good analysis you make of my analysis style ;) It's exactly what I think - I do some kind of "emotional analysis", and try to lay out how it emerges from the underlying elements like harmony, intensity and other musical properties. A more traditional approach to analysis is perhaps even more focused on harmony and structure, but ultimately all analysis aim to enhance our understanding of a piece (although they may take different routes...).
Love this episode. Has really opened up a new perspective of this piece for me. The contrast between the two sections is so great. When the minor section hits I really feel overtaken by the emotion. Can't wait for the next one.
lol. not related with this but almost all pop songs and electronic music are exerpts of some piece from past and samples or inspirations from true musicians that were gifted with true inspiration from God. but fake and disrespectful clowns got the most attention in our time today. and that is ok 😌🧘♀️🧘🧘♀️
I feel there are a lot of parallels of moonlight sonata 1st mvt. and this piece: driving rhythm and melody on right hand (pinky weight just as important); descending themes into the lower register; even the very end of the piece, the motif on the left hand. Thoughts?
Hi Henrik! I am Frits Vink and I live in the Netherlands. Thank's a lot for this great video! Since the beginning of the corona time in March I am studying this piece every day. I am now at bar 75, so I am almost there! I have a question for you: When I listen to the famous Horowitz version (recorded in Vienna), I have a question about Bar 5 and Bar 59. When I listen to Horowitz; - I hear on the left hand after two times Ges and Des, at the 3th time: F and D (and not Ges and Des as stated on the sheet music). - I hear on the right hand the last five notes are not Bes, Des, Ges, Des, Ges but: Bes, D, As, D, Bes What is your idea about this? Am I wrong, or is this just free interpretation of Horowitz? Best Regards, Frits
Hi Frits, and thank you for the comment! Wow, I had not listen to that recording before and I didn't know about this variation that Horotiz plays, but you are right, he does exactly as you describe. Musically, it's very similar to what happens as the transition to the middle section that starts in Eb minor, where it functions as a Bb7+5 dominant. But where Horowitz inserts it, it just goes back to Gb major again. I listened to some other Horowtiz recording(s) on Spotify, and there he doesn't do the variation. So my guess is that he tried it out at that performance (and maybe others), as a very free idea. Another explanation would be that he mixed up the places in his mind, but I don't think that's very likely. But I have never seen it as an alternative by Schubert's hand in that place. Henrik
It is played also like this by some other pianists, Kissin comes to mind. Its origin is in the first publication in G major, which was delivered by Liszt. Probably he made this alteration, to me it sounds Lisztian. I can't say I like it and I never play it this way. In Schuberts manuscript it is not present, so I go by that.
Hi, Fritz. I too started this a year ago, thinking I at last I had the time to do justice to this piece. I knew it would be way more difficult than it sounds, especially regarding tone. It didn't matter; its challenges and compelling beauty kept me interested and calm throughout our stormy year. I'm just now starting to really play it as a whole with some balance, so grateful am I to Schubert.
@@pattitus1398 thx for you response! I studied last " corona-year" every single day this song at least 20 minutes. Note for note, bar for bar. You must know that I almost cannot read the notes (!). So I bought the sheet paper and wrote down at every note with pencil the note: D, Bes, As, Es....etc. And now one year later, I can play it without sheetpaper and almost with my eyes closed. I also watched the Horowitz recording on UA-cam more than 300 times!! So beautiful!! So now I am practicing for weeks to bring the nuances in the song just like Horowitz. Playing some notes softer or Lauder and sometimes faster or slower is what brings the beauty. The two most beautiful notes are for me the first note in Bar 33; the Es in the right hand and the first note in Bar 49; the G in the right hand. For me it's like heaven!! this note is softer and plays in a fraction of slow motion (if you know what I mean). Especially the way Horowitz play it, it is sooo beautiful!! If you want to, check the video of Horowitz playing this song in Vienna; ua-cam.com/video/FxhbAGwEYGQ/v-deo.html (2:28 and 3:41) The notes are saying: no worries, everything is gonna be okay
I have always loved this beautiful Impromptu by Schubert. This piece above all others by Schubert and almost all other pieces by all other composers is one of the three most beautiful pieces of music EVER written. It’s a shame that this talented composer lived only to age 31 or so years. Just imagine how many more works he could have written with his beauty and style only he could produce. Although his music was never popular at least in the United States until the end of WWII, it is now being performed more and more by symphonies and other artists the world over. The only piece that he wrote that he was bested on was his ‘Ave Maria.’ I am afraid that the Bach/Gounod ‘Ave Maria’ is far better than his. His is a little too schmaltzy for me. But all his other music is superb.
Fantastic video! I agree with your interpretation. For me the calm first and last sections bookending the song is like a junkie injecting heroin for the blissful relief from the emotional torment of the middle section. I can't read music so I learned the notes with synthesia. Your explanation helped me to interpret the song emotionally, so please accept my heartfelt gratitude.
Check out my EASY ARRANGEMENT of this piece:
sonatasecrets.gumroad.com/l/schubert-impromptu3
💲 Get 15% off with the discount code: "secretseeker"
More SIMPLE SOLUTIONS arrangements: sonatasecrets.gumroad.com/
Dare I say that this impromptu is on my personal shortlist for the best piece of keyboard music ever written? The highlight of the whole video for me came at 11.13, where you clearly acknowledged the sublime beauty of the passage as it reaches the climax at E flat against the deep harmony of C flat. I've heard and played that passage hundreds, probably thousands of times, yet that moment never fails to send shivers down my spine, and for me represents the pinnacle of all keyboard music. I'm glad you mentioned that the piece is difficult and not one for beginners. I've been struggling to play it even amateurishly for many years. I'm 77 now, and am getting tantalisingly close, and can see that I might achieve that goal within the time that remains for me. Your inspiring video will assist. I am so much enjoying your videos, which I only discovered a couple of days ago (Pathetique sonata initially which is also on my current list). Please keep up the great work you are doing.
Thanks for sharing. It is extraordinary, Schubert's way of going through harmony and melody. I have some places I feel like that in his Bb major sonata D.960 as well.
I'm sure you will be able to play it. I don't know if this will help but some practice tips for when you have a texture like this is to practice only two voices at a time out of the three (bass in LH, melody and accompaniment notes in RH). So only bass and accompaniment; only accompaniment and melody (that is just RH); and then for only melody and bass you can add the accompaniment as still chords in RH as well.
I too love this piece - even when I’m trying to write my own parts to songs my fingers always come back to this melody.
Just remember this about the G flat Schubert the greatest joy of it is the learning and discovering what you can do each time you play it. It is magical because I can play the same measure over and over again and never get tired of playing nor hearing it because each time I discover something more beautiful and magical about it.
I like it that you present without a hint of self-aggrandizement, or the kind of 'sniffing snobbery' (subtle name-dropping etc.) that can so often permeate these kinds of analyses. Very honest and with love of the music - not the self - evident at every turn. Well done.
Completely agree.
If we can bring more people to playing and listening to classical music the world would be a better place. Thanks for making a difference!
I’m binging on all your analysis now! Thank you for your beautiful commentary
After watching your wonderful analysis of Franz Schubert’s Impromptu Opus 90 No 3 in G flat Major, I went searching on UA-cam for another performance of it. I found one of the greats-Vladimir Horowitz in Vienna in the late 1980s. As usual, there were virtually no body movements, hands sat on the keys almost flat but curved when necessary and played so beautifully. I wanted to see how he attacked the ‘pinkie’ of the right hand with some force with the fingers of the right hand playing pianissimo. Boy did he nail it just as you, Henrik, said it should be played. Some of the notes in the higher register were played so softly and with such tenderness I could almost feel his compassion he had for this Impromptu. It was so beautifully and tenderly played. The performance was in a word, otherworldly. Sublime, passionate, loving, kind, beautiful, etc. It really seemed as though Schubert was at his Steinway playing his own composition. I don’t know on what level Schubert played the piano because we cannot hear his playing as we cannot hear Chopin and Liszt. But I would bet my bottom dollar that Horowitz’ performance was never bested by any other pianist except maybe by Arthur Rubinstein or Sergei Rachmaninoff. Henrik, if you had his beautiful Steinway your performance would be fairly equal to his I am pretty sure. Horowitz’ Steinway is one of the best Steinway’s I have ever heard on a live stage. I would bet that it is a Hamburg Steinway.
I second your assessment of Horowitz' performance. It seems that age of the pianist adds something special to this music.
Your passion for the music really shines in your analysis - Thanks for sharing :)
So beautiful!
I'm very inspired! Thank you.
The way you explain makes this piece easy to learn and remember.
I have played this piece for decades and I love your Insight that the opening and closing are the dream and the middle section is real life. Thank you so much for that!
I'm austrian and i like Schubert of Course!
Un magnifique professeur! Sensibilité, joie du partage, grande clarté.
Merci, cher Henrik Kilhamn!
Jacques Gonnet
Merci beaucoup!
Amazing video. I watched this after watching Andras Schiff's documentary on Schubert's life and music. His music has a special incomparable harmonic uniqueness that was shaped partly by the events in his life
Thanks! Yes, it is indeed unique.
(If you want more I actually have a video on the Eb impromptu cued up for this saturday!)
This is such a joy to be part of. You are a wonderful teacher and encourager. Thank you for inviting us to join you at the piano !
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it!
HENRIK - nice to know that people with the "same" name as mine are as SMART as YOU (Spanish version of your name.) :) But seriously - your analysis was EXACTLY what I was searching for today. I ALSO find that Schubert's chord changes are one of the hallmarks of his genius. When I start thinking that I might be a composer, and then I think about Schubert, I am ready to give up because HIS GENIUS is one of the unshakable mountains in classical music. Thank you, my friend, for explaining to us what my tiny brain could not conjure up. :) Much health to you. ♥♥♥♥
Thank you for your kind words, Enrique! I'm glad you liked the video. Schubert is a giant for sure.
Dear Henrik your Channel is amazing! Thank you for the videos. I will let many people know about your channel. Keep up with your great work!!!
Thank you so much Scott for spreading the channel!
Thank you for this Herr Kilhamn. When I start a new piece, I like to look for your analysis on your channel. I was happy to see this one and will watch it again. Your analysis and support is so helpful to me. Now to go to work to figure it out. Pls keep up the good work.
Cannot love your analyses more. Schubert is often overlooked by so many. His key changes are among the best (perhaps Haydn rivals him) for such early classical composers. Bravo! That neopolitan chord!
" So much pressure on the pinky "...just loved that thought. You Sir, are a great communicator and a fine pianist as well. Many thanks for sharing.
This is my favorite Schubert impromptu! As usual, you played it so beautifully. The comments are so interesting, and the emojis are so much fun to see. Thank you!!
How utterly beautiful! Both the piece and the analysis. Thank you! ❤
Thanks for sharing. Your explanation made more clear how i should look in this piece .it definitely will improve my practicing of this piece
This is my favorite composition for piano. I played it since my 14th, and now being 57 it starts to get some where, although this process will go on I think. I like your interpretation very much, and also the vivid and clear comments you use to teach with are very supporting. 🙏❤️
This piece has so many great moments. I love the bass trills. Some parts remind me of Ave Maria, but this one is way more beautiful.
Thank you very much for showing us the theoretical background why we get goosebumps from classical music.
Yes, definitely similar to Ave maria (which is beautiful in its own right but without as much melancholy and drama as this). It's something with the accompaniment movements over the simple chords that echoes in both...
@@SonataSecrets ... thanks ... i subscribed and I’m binge watching your videos now ... please go on doing this, i love it ... started playing in 2017 and learning so much here
You're welcome to the channel Ute! I should have about 23 hours or so by now :)
Very enjoyable analysis and playing. You transmit the joy of understanding music and are pushing me to learn more.
I stumbled upon your channel looking for an analysis of this piece and I'm very glad I did! Your videos are very well-made :)
I like how you brought attention to those almost "magical" modulations and major-minor changes which give Schubert's music its "wandering" or searching quality.
His music really takes you on a journey with many turns and twists, like here but also in the late piano sonatas or the Winterreise
Thank you nic, I'm glad you liked it! :)
Schubert's music is so rich, especially the larger works take you on long exploration adventures.
Thanks!
It's so beautiful and cannot describe it with words.
I'm so glad to have met sonata secrets!
I'm so inspired and will go back to my practice.
Someday I maybe able to play this piece....
I love this piece, and play it nearly everyday. Thanks!
I always enjoy your videos (thanks for sharing your wisdom). For this one, your dreams vs. reality interpretation advice helped me find a new angle on this piece. Also, I did a foreign exchange in Gothenburg back in college, good memories! Such a great city.
Thank you! I'm happy you found it helpful.
That's great that you studied here, I love Gothenburg too :)
It’s really great pleasure to listen to your analysis of this piece so that i can get better understand of it. As a self-taught piano person and classical music enthusiast, i appreciate for your video.
Just what I was looking for, my harmonic analysis is weak so thank you! This piece is so brilliant in how it uses such simple ideas, even in the first two measures, starting on the 3rd but moving to the tonic, but instead swapping that tonic to be the 3rd of the minor 6 to introduce the key. The piece is full of such simple motions that do so much to alter the character of the material. I also love the little plagal mini-cadences right at the end, as if Schubert is snuggling into the blankets!
A lovely and joyous appreciation of this beautiful piece of music! Thanks!
Thank you!!
Such a beautiful rendition, and great analysis.
Interestingly enough, I think the emojis are a very fun way to show the emotion, rather than just words. I can just imagine a whole piece written out with emoji markings
One of my all-time favourites! I've been playing and practicing this for years, but it feels as if I've not yet uncovered and fully mastered all the musical depth this piece have to offer. If you want even more to explore from this piece, try transposing it to E-flat major. The same music, but completely different at the same time, still sounding wonderful.
I was looking for the expression of the feeling that I get when I listen or play this music. I love all of your explanation. Especially your interprenation is amazing. I couldn't help stop smiling. You catched amazing interprenation and expression... Thank you to broaden my view of this amazing work.
Thank you. You play this so beautifully.
Very nice video. I've been practicing this piece for quite some time recently and I really appreciated your analysis and your interpretation!
Glad it was helpful! :)
Very enjoyable video and beautiful performance
Thank you for introducing this gorgeous piece of music to me. Its opening measures, stationary, placid will soon climb to the top of Mt. Everest, challenge us and bring us home, glad to be in Shubert's company.
Beautiful Henrik você é muito simpático e, explica muito bem. Muito obrigada
Beautifully played! Thank you.
Your videos do give great insights into the abstract world of Classical Music.On the context of Schubert,kindly post a video of his Piano Sonata in B-flat major D.960
Hi Henrik I think Schubert wants the pianist to reach deep inside the listener and touch that part that a comment below says just makes you cry. If you can reach that part then you coax all the emotion into tears :).
It seemed such a simple piece, until I watched this analysis! I didn’t play it so often, but now it seems a lot more interesting and I’ll enjoy playing it regularly from now on. So thanks! :)
I have cherished this piece for quite some time. Your passionate explanations of shifting harmonies, the roles of different keys, modulations and the over riding melody in each hand are beautifully articulated. Thank you for this!
Is there a way that I can donate to your channel?
Thanks, I'm glad you like it!
Yes, I have both Patreon and Paypal links you can find in the "About" section on the channel.
Obrigada..belíssima interpretação..🤗
Wonderful explanation and tutorial. Thank you 🙏🏻. This piece is way over my technical skills - I am just a beginner but it is so amazingly beautiful. I hope one day I can reach for it. Your videos are fantastic. You explain phrases very clearly and you provide musical insights that are really helpful. Merci !
Cheeky chord is a #5 chord..lol this piece is a singing lesson for the pianist and a singing pinky using arm weight helps. I enjoy your analysis as its important to follow the harmony. Theory is valuable in understanding of what one is playing and keyboard harmony along with improvisation go hand in hand.
my favourite channel
This is awesome! As a Kanye music fan, it was great to hear your interpretation including the 'Stronger' bit! I just printed out the sheet music for this piece and am excited to think of that every time I play, thanks!
Bravissimo seguo con molta attenzione e sono affascinata dalla chiarezza della Sua magistrale spiegazione. Grazie.Io molto tempo fa ho studiato il n.3,4 e il tema con variazioni.Vorrei ritornare indietro per avere un Maestro così.
Superb! Can you do more of Schubert's piano works?
The Daft Punk reference made my day (13:05)
Thank you so mush. Please add to your tutorials how to work with the pedal.
Glad that I found this while starting the piece (that is anyways rather a stretch goal than what I should learn next) - segmentation and interpretation, for sure also the performance - come very handy now - thank you for shedding some light onto the piece. I will never be able to not understand the start and end as the dream state and the middle as the reality . never .
I did not know that about it being transposed to G. I am so glad it was returned to Gb major. Gb major has a completely different character than G major. Eb minor is a great key too!
OK...
I'm gonna embarrass myself here but never listened to his music before but this is great. Beautiful lyrical melody
My favorite channel! I get so inspired to practice every day after I watch your videos. Even though I'm still a long way away from this piece's skill level, it's very motivating. I very much look forward to expressing myself through this.
I'm so happy to hear that :) Good luck with the piece!
Schubert also may have chosen such a time signature simply so that the middle voice doesn't look as scary and/or use up as much ink on beams.
Before you read, i am really sorry about my english i am German.
I love your Videos to classical music and your cool Charakter. I just wanted to ask if its possible that you can make a Video to Beethovens sonatine in g Major From opus 79. I learn it for my Exam to study music for getting an Music - teacher.
Wow this language was really horrible but its late at night.
Whatever it would me a Honor if u Think about my asking :)
Thank you, I appreciate your comment!
Unfortunately, that sonata is not in my repertoire that I plan on doing in the nearest future. However, I go through Sonata form in Beethoven in my videos on the Pathetique sonata 1st mvt, and Op 111, 1st mvt (late Beethoven there) - some of that might be applicable to op 79 as well.
I am glad you said ”... Enjoy my performance”: I heard YOU PLAY this beautiful music, tears gathered in my eyes!!!!
p.s., My husband, world-renowned Food Microbiologist, Professor Dr. Daniel YC Fung, played this piece: HE PLAYED ITS RECORDING OVER AND OVER THROUGH many EVENINGS. I am a Psychological (add neuro-- THE GUT-- Immunological) Scientist, Ph.D., prepared to be a piano-performer in my teen-years. I am DANCING under and through Water Splash this summer because SWIMMING POOLS ARE CLOSED-- You will see us in 4 videos
Honestly the only reason I chose cello over violin is because violin always is like EEEEEAGEEEEHHAHAHAHAHAEEEE. VERY high and squeaky. The cello has a nice bass range, and it can also do high, violin notes. The best of both worlds!!
I have really tried to play it and even uploaded a short of me palying it. But I hit a wall after quite some time. I ll probably have to practice for 10 more years or so untill I can truly Master it.
impressive analysis and of course incredible playing- keep up the great work!!
Thank you Sean, will do!
No, I do not want Daft Punk in my Schubert, thank you. But... that's a super effective way to think about that passage so you get a pass :) bravo I love these vids!
EDIT: I am SO glad you allowed yourself to omit the Db on that final chord. I had a heck of a time making it fit and just could not.
Thank you for the great work !
It's my pleasure!
Lovely. Listening to certain parts of the melody, I am vaguely reminded of the song Ave Maria. Which of course Franz Schubert composed. Thank you. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Schubert)
Nice job! Nice pinkeys :)
at 8:28 the notes in the left hand are the same as in the parasite soundtrack. I suddenly got a flashback to that movie while watching your video. :o
7:25 just note that Mr. Zimerman use to do the same gesture🤩 It would be a positive attitude😂 anyway... great job man👏
Oh, that's nice! :) Thanks!
This was great! Oh I’d really like to see your remarks on Schubert’s Aug dem Wasser zu singen, bet it would be pretty awesome... like your channel a lot!!!
Thanks! That's a beautiful song, so of course there is a Liszt piano transcription for it... maybe something for the future...
I don't listen to much Schubert, but you are right that his melodies are similar to Mozart. The immediate minor major switch and the way he develops those melodies though and his short but extreme crescendos remind me of Beethoven.
I love this piece by Schubert that you played and analyzed. I analyze pieces as well, but my analysis tends to be a lot more detailed than yours I've noticed.
When I analyze a piece, I tend to focus on 2 things, the form(like not just the large scale, but also like the phrase structure) and the harmony. Whereas I have noticed that while you get a bit into formal analysis and harmonic analysis, you mainly focus on the way the piece feels.
Every analyst has his/her own way though, and your view of the piece through the emotion helps me know why I feel certain emotions from certain keys and just have another perspective on the piece.
Thanks Carrots! I think I agree on all points. That's a pretty good analysis you make of my analysis style ;) It's exactly what I think - I do some kind of "emotional analysis", and try to lay out how it emerges from the underlying elements like harmony, intensity and other musical properties. A more traditional approach to analysis is perhaps even more focused on harmony and structure, but ultimately all analysis aim to enhance our understanding of a piece (although they may take different routes...).
Love this episode. Has really opened up a new perspective of this piece for me. The contrast between the two sections is so great. When the minor section hits I really feel overtaken by the emotion. Can't wait for the next one.
@@jonnierman3954 if you are not already familiar with it, try the trio section of the next impromptu (#4)
It’s sooo beautiful!
Thanks!
Thank you! :)
Thank you for sharing your analysis. Your video is very helpful. Is op.90 -4 in A flat major on the list, too ?
Yes I think so.
i love your videooos!!!!!
Fantastic! Thanks
Beautiful
Thanks Michael!
1:54 LOL, nice one. By the way, love those smileys :))
I Died when he compared it with harder better stronger song, lmao. Great analisis Henrik, as always, really enjoyed it
lol. not related with this but almost all pop songs and electronic music are exerpts of some piece from past and samples or inspirations from true musicians that were gifted with true inspiration from God. but fake and disrespectful clowns got the most attention in our time today. and that is ok 😌🧘♀️🧘🧘♀️
I feel there are a lot of parallels of moonlight sonata 1st mvt. and this piece: driving rhythm and melody on right hand (pinky weight just as important); descending themes into the lower register; even the very end of the piece, the motif on the left hand. Thoughts?
How have I use the right pedal in this piece? Could you help me? Amazing work!
Please analyze the four impromptu op.90!
Its so beautiful... and hard!
great. I play this! By the way there is a GREAT book out called Schubert's Beethoven project! I am reading it now...
Thanks for the tip.
Hi Henrik!
I am Frits Vink and I live in the Netherlands.
Thank's a lot for this great video! Since the beginning of the corona time in March I am studying this piece every day. I am now at bar 75, so I am almost there! I have a question for you:
When I listen to the famous Horowitz version (recorded in Vienna), I have a question about Bar 5 and Bar 59. When I listen to Horowitz;
- I hear on the left hand after two times Ges and Des, at the 3th time: F and D (and not Ges and Des as stated on the sheet music).
- I hear on the right hand the last five notes are not Bes, Des, Ges, Des, Ges but: Bes, D, As, D, Bes
What is your idea about this? Am I wrong, or is this just free interpretation of Horowitz?
Best Regards,
Frits
Hi Frits, and thank you for the comment!
Wow, I had not listen to that recording before and I didn't know about this variation that Horotiz plays, but you are right, he does exactly as you describe. Musically, it's very similar to what happens as the transition to the middle section that starts in Eb minor, where it functions as a Bb7+5 dominant. But where Horowitz inserts it, it just goes back to Gb major again.
I listened to some other Horowtiz recording(s) on Spotify, and there he doesn't do the variation. So my guess is that he tried it out at that performance (and maybe others), as a very free idea. Another explanation would be that he mixed up the places in his mind, but I don't think that's very likely.
But I have never seen it as an alternative by Schubert's hand in that place.
Henrik
@@SonataSecrets thx for your response!! 👍😃
It is played also like this by some other pianists, Kissin comes to mind. Its origin is in the first publication in G major, which was delivered by Liszt. Probably he made this alteration, to me it sounds Lisztian. I can't say I like it and I never play it this way. In Schuberts manuscript it is not present, so I go by that.
Hi, Fritz. I too started this a year ago, thinking I at last I had the time to do justice to this piece. I knew it would be way more difficult than it sounds, especially regarding tone. It didn't matter; its challenges and
compelling beauty kept me interested and calm throughout our stormy year. I'm just now starting to really
play it as a whole with some balance, so grateful am I to Schubert.
@@pattitus1398 thx for you response! I studied last " corona-year" every single day this song at least 20 minutes. Note for note, bar for bar. You must know that I almost cannot read the notes (!). So I bought the sheet paper and wrote down at every note with pencil the note: D, Bes, As, Es....etc. And now one year later, I can play it without sheetpaper and almost with my eyes closed. I also watched the Horowitz recording on UA-cam more than 300 times!! So beautiful!! So now I am practicing for weeks to bring the nuances in the song just like Horowitz. Playing some notes softer or Lauder and sometimes faster or slower is what brings the beauty. The two most beautiful notes are for me the first note in Bar 33; the Es in the right hand and the first note in Bar 49; the G in the right hand. For me it's like heaven!! this note is softer and plays in a fraction of slow motion (if you know what I mean). Especially the way Horowitz play it, it is sooo beautiful!! If you want to, check the video of Horowitz playing this song in Vienna; ua-cam.com/video/FxhbAGwEYGQ/v-deo.html
(2:28 and 3:41) The notes are saying: no worries, everything is gonna be okay
Ignore all those flats, read and play as if the key signature is D Major, and relax.
This is one of my very favorite pieces to play.
But did you say Schubert wrote it the year after he died? That sounds unlikely. :)
lol, can't believe I didn't catch that in the editing!
@@SonataSecrets I think you were voicing that he died a year after writing the music, but it didn't quite come out right :)
I have always loved this beautiful Impromptu by Schubert. This piece above all others by Schubert and almost all other pieces by all other composers is one of the three most beautiful pieces of music EVER written. It’s a shame that this talented composer lived only to age 31 or so years. Just imagine how many more works he could have written with his beauty and style only he could produce. Although his music was never popular at least in the United States until the end of WWII, it is now being performed more and more by symphonies and other artists the world over. The only piece that he wrote that he was bested on was his ‘Ave Maria.’ I am afraid that the Bach/Gounod ‘Ave Maria’ is far better than his. His is a little too schmaltzy for me. But all his other music is superb.
In my edition there is Bb 7 chord in 5th bar on 4th beat
That rhythm, long, short, short, long, is very old indeed. It's the canzona. You can hear it in Gabrielli in the 17th c. and even before.
begining sounds like love dream 3 by liszt ;)
nice job man
bruh
Although Schubert was first ;)
this masterpiece must have inspired Franz Liszt Liebestraum no 3
Just attempting to play this gives me gas.
The pop song by Daft Punk?
I play it in G Major. It sounds beatiful any way. G flat major is a pain in the .......
i just sit back and enjoy you explaining these beautiful pieces beautifully
Beethovens Moonlight Sonata switches from major to minor "just like that" too
Fantastic video! I agree with your interpretation. For me the calm first and last sections bookending the song is like a junkie injecting heroin for the blissful relief from the emotional torment of the middle section.
I can't read music so I learned the notes with synthesia. Your explanation helped me to interpret the song emotionally, so please accept my heartfelt gratitude.
Horowitz did a wonderful version as well.
subtìtulos en español por favor