Tarantella from Italian Dances Op.5 No.1 (Sort of Complete)

Ciao,

This is the first of four or five short pieces for Violin and Piano inspired by the Folk Music of Italy. This is sort of complete, with the Melody and Harmony and tempo having been decided on, but I have decided to leave out the Articulations and Dynamics for now, as I havent really got a clue on what I want them to sound like. 

The piece is in Ternary form (A-B-A). The melody follows the Tarantella rhythm for the A section, whilst following a different rhythm for the B section. The B section is in the  Subdominant key (A minor).

I hop you enjoy it,

Arriverderci,

Arjuna

Hey @expert21,

First your title should be "Tarantella"!

5 hours ago, expert21 said:

but I have decided to leave out the Articulations and Dynamics for now

I think the dynamic can be more contrasted with forte and piano alternating in this simple folk dance! The slurs can be linked for three notes each for signifying the compound meter?

For b.7 second beat and similar places I will prob. used V11 chord of B, F#,A and E. For section B I hope the left hand piano won't follow the violin but provide richer harmony, like in b.20 there's a bare fifth with no third, not sure if you intend that! In b.32 first beat you should end with an A to have a perfect authentic cadence to end the section!

I am not sure you should use the D.C al Coda at all since the reprise only contains one sentence. You can just repeat it and it will be fine.

Thanks for sharing and hope to see your next pieces!

Arriverderci!

Henry

I have a few comments:

(1)        Dotted rhythms, as heard in bars 17-18 and other similar passages, are rarely used in the tarantella. A typical tarantella rhythm usually goes like this:

To emphasize the tarantella's signature rhythmic style even further, you may also consider the following variants:

These variants involve shortening the first and fourth beats, enhancing the character of the music. However, you may still use dotted rhythmic patterns in the tarantella if that is your intent - it is pretty subjective.

(2)       The violin part is played in the upper register throughout the piece, making the music a little bland. Perhaps you may also consider utilizing the lower register in the violin part to add more exciting material to the music.

Overall, this work still has room for improvement. Thanks for sharing this piece!

Hi expert21, I corrected the typo in the title (it was a typo, right?). 

As a tarantella enjoyer (and writer, lately) I would say that I expected a bit more of vivacity on this one, rhythmically speaking (basically what @Carl Koh Wei Hao has pointed out to be the typical rhythm but for the piano specifically). Likely, some phrasing using slurs for the violin would not hurt either, as well as perhaps some articulation and dynamics but in any case I found your piece decent, solid and —I insist— surprisingly "bloodless" which I had pleasure listening.

Kind regards,
Daniel–Ømicrón.

Powerful score you have composed I enjoyed listening to it. I couldnt help but dance too!

Henry