Sonatina in C major, Op. 36 No. 1: I. Spiritoso

3.8 Balance melody and accompaniment

Study the first movement of Clementi’s Sonatina in C, Op. 36 No. 1. Find the first theme, the second theme in G (from bar 8), the short development (from bar 16) and the return of the opening (bar 24). In bars 9 and 11 the left hand plays an Alberti bass, low–high–middle–high: keep it softer than the melody. Reinecke’s Sonatina Op. 136 No. 1 is the alternative; its accompaniment is broken chords rather than Alberti figures. At the keyboard: keep Alberti bass softer than the melody.

Ideas

• Sonatina form
• Accompaniment patterns
• Classical style

Theory cards

• Sonatina form
• Alberti bass

Technique

• C major scale, hands separately, 2 octaves