Expertly arranged Piano music by Anton Diabelli from the Kalmus Edition series. This collection includes Opus 151 and Opus 168. These Sonatinas are from the Classical and Romantic eras.
An attractive collection of 28 duets in which both hands of the primo part remain in set five-finger positions. Secondo parts are appropriate for more advanced students of the teacher. The keys employed are limited to those three sharps and flats.
Anton Diabelli was an Austrian publisher and composer, immortalised in the piano repertoire as the composer of an inconsequential waltz theme transformed by Beethoven in his mighty set of variations. With their graceful melodies and clear harmonic structures, these works have always been popular examples of the classical sonatina.
At about the same time as 1783-85, a version for piano duet was made which rearranged the movements of the five Divertimenti as '6 Viennese Sonatinas'. Our new edition is based on the piano version of 1803 but also takes into account the original wind divertimenti and attempts to combine the original phrasing and part-writing with an idiomatic pianistic style.
Beethoven valued these pieces highly and wrote in a letter to his pupil Ferdinand Ries that the first six pieces belonged together and the last five together. Editor Willard A. Palmer provides excellent background information on Beethoven and the origin of the "Bagatelles." Based on his careful study of Beethoven's letters and other historical references, Palmer gives pianists detailed performance tips on the use of legato, staccato, the slur, ornamentation, pedaling and rubato. Editorial fingerings and articulation are printed in light gray to distinguish them from those found in Beethoven's original manuscripts making this Alfred edition suitable for students and teachers alike.