Joseph Nowakowski

Etude-Trille op. 53

Étude-trille, Op. 53 was written in 1859 and is a concert etude in the Romantic style. The main technical difficulty, emphasised by the title, is articulation connected with the use of trills, and the musical idea itself seems to be inspired by the finale of the Sonata in C major, Op. 53 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The etude presents a form which is typical of Nowakowski's piano works; namely, developing the theme in the gradual way in terms of texture and dynamics. Fingering included in the notation is the proposition of the author of the edition. It should be mentioned that the concept was not to follow the typical schemas for the piano fingering in the 1st half of the 19th century, but - due to the greater weight and depth of the keys of a modern piano - the basic idea was to suggest solutions that would enable the pianist to comfortably perform the figures while playing contemporary instruments. The pedalisation in the score is the original concept of the composer.

Marek Szlezer
translated by Jolanta Bujas-Poniatowska

Softcover.