I am playing a piece where the final chord is written in a way that I have never seen before. I am working with a teacher, but I won't see her until next Friday.

The chord is comprised of F A and D. The note heads for F and A are smaller than is the note head for D, but they all have the same value. All notes are connected to the same stem.

What is this called? And perhaps more importantly how do you play this chord.

Thank you very much in advance for any help that you can give.

It's called "some notes in the chord have smaller heads"!

These smaller heads are sometimes called "cue-sized" notes, as they are often used in orchestral parts to indicate a cue indication of what ANOTHER instrument is playing. You'll find them in song books, indicating variations required by different lyrics in different verses. They can indicate an optional harmony line, or an optional high final note!

In this case they might just indicate an optional "filling in" of the final chord.

What sort of music is this? A "classical" (I use the term loosely) piece, or a songbook?

Most likely, I'd treat these as optional notes. If you're GOING to include them, play them exactly the same as you'd play any other notes.

http://youtu.be/Fhw2jSIUfBU

Here is someone playing it. To my ear it sounds as though the final chord is played as an apreggiated chord.

The F and A were added by an editor, but fit within the style. Corelli only wrote the D, but being a baroque work, it was customary to add the other notes of the chord in the final cadence.

The large notehead is what the composer originally wrote, the smaller notes show how the piece is to be played. While somewhat unusual in a solo work, this style of notation is common in modern editions of baroque chamber music.

Oh, and the arpeggiation has nothing to do with the style, it's a baroque convention.

Thank you very much, this is extremely helpful!!!

I think the piece was written in just two parts. The pianist has filled in full chords at a couple of cadence points - quite likely as a contemporary performer would have. Your edition is also suggesting that you do this, the small notes indicate that it's an editorial addition, not Corelli's original notation.

He has also chosen to arpeggiate the chords. This, also, is probably authentic. But it isn't suggested by the notation in your copy.

What instrument do you think Corelli expected to play this piece of keyboard music? Do block chords played unspread sound good on all instruments? Should we therefore imitate a style appropriate to one instrument when playing another?

Do you like the performance you found on YouTube? I find his phrasing rather annoying.

I actually like the recording I posted VERY much. The phrasing is perfectly consistent with the way that the piece is written (in the copy I have).

That is an interesting comment though, how would you play it differently?

Generally, I think he's over-doing the "expression" and letting it break (rather than bend) the flow of this simple dance movement. I wouldn't hesitate before bar 4 amd bar 8. I think the final 8 bars are shaped much better though.

Here's another Corelli piece, given a very pianistic reading. I like the rhythmic flow. What do you think?
http://youtu.be/TnryICzOfyY

Thank you for sharing how you would play it. I will give it a try both ways and see which way I like the best (once I actually get the notes down, that is!!).

I really love Cubus (the pianist you posted). I discovered him a while ago and have been inspired to learn many of the pieces (the easier ones) he has posted. Two in particular are Tchaikovsky's Old French Song, and MacDowell's To a Wild Rose. I am always fascinated by his hands too. Sometimes I watch him play and think that my teacher would be tempted to correct him, but it does always look quite lovely.