I wonder if someone could explain to me what the harmonic progressions are in this part. I am no stranger to analysis but this beats me. Reason I want to know is that I keep misremembering notes and hope that understanding the structure will help.


(From Prokofiev op 103 mov 4)

It's not harmonic, it's contrapuntal.

Bass Part:

Chromatic ascending line from D-F, then again from F-Ab.

Treble Part:

Chromatic descending line from F#-C, then down to A, then again from A-Eb, then down to C.

The eighth notes in the RH always start a major or minor 6th above or below the chromatic line.

Sorry the pattern's not so simple. I struggled with the same kind of thing in the first movement of the 8th sonata and second theme of the first movement of the 7th. Once you get them, though, they tend to stick. Just hang in there and you'll have it.

Thanks. Yes, it's the eighth notes in the RH that gives me trouble. Ah well, back to slow exercise measure by measure.

Try this:

Isolate the voices. As you see from the way the stems go, there are two voices in the RH part. Play the passage without the lower voice, then without the upper voice. That will clarify the texture and hopefully the way you hear the piece. Ultimately, it should help the memory, too!

Sounds reasonable, I shall try it. Thanks again!

Hi Trog ,

A little while (~6 weeks) ago in the Members Recording Forum, you may remember my writing the following : the parts I find the most challenging are the quick opening and closing of the right hand (chromatic minims alternately with thumb/fifth finger, with stepwise quaver figure with the 'spare' fingers) in the development section, and the left hand quintuplet accompaniment under the reprise of the 1st movement theme is quite difficult to control at the marked dynamic and speed."

Good to see you are getting your teeth into it.. so how's that LH in the coda coming along?

-Michael B.

Hi Michael! Yes I remember what you said. At first I couldn't believe this part is particularly challenging - it is not very fast - but the problem is in memorizing.

The quintuplets are doing nicely, thanks, - at very low speed. This will take some time. Holiday breaks are soon over and then it is back to a couple of half-hours per week. What fingering do you use for the first pair of quintuplets? I use 41414 for the lower and 21212 for the upper. Of course, taking it slow I can use any fingering but I am worried that when speed increases I won't be able to control the lower if I use 43 there.