Essential Keyboard Repertoire, Volume 3 (Sonatinas): Piano Book & CD

This collection pairs carefully selected sonatinas with authoritative recorded performances that illuminate the formal architecture of each work. Hearing how a skilled pianist shapes phrasing, handles tempo transitions, and articulates rapid passagework gives students a sonic roadmap they can internalize during practice. The inclusion of both Baroque-influenced writing (Haydn, Clementi) and 20th-century approaches (Bartók) expands students' stylistic vocabulary within a single focused volume.

These sonatinas strike a balance between accessibility and musical substance. You'll encounter the clarity and elegant phrasing of Classical form, moments of genuine virtuosity in the figuration and hand work, and the satisfaction of understanding how a piece holds together across multiple contrasting sections. The 20th-century works bring unexpected harmonic color and rhythmic sophistication to the traditional sonatina blueprint.

This book serves intermediate pianists (ages 12 and up) who are ready to explore multi-movement forms and understand how composers organize material across sections and contrasting themes. It works equally well for private students building toward high school auditions or conservatory entrance exams, and for ensemble pianists who need reliable sonatina literature for recitals.

• Study the introduction before diving into individual sonatinas. Olson's practice suggestions provide specific strategies for navigating the formal conventions that recur across the collection, saving practice time and deepening understanding of sonatina structure.
• Listen to a complete recorded performance without the score first. This trains your ear to recognize the overall arc and formal sections before you begin detailed technical work on individual passages.
• Isolate the rapid finger work passages and practice them at a tempo where you can execute clean articulation and even tone, then gradually increase speed. Many of these sonatinas demand facility without sacrificing clarity.
• Pay attention to the varying tempos within each sonatina, particularly at the transitions between sections. Recording a practice run and listening back helps ensure you're making the tempo changes musically rather than mechanically.

Feature individual sonatinas on student recitals as standalone pieces or paired with other repertoire from the same era. The range of composers and styles makes it easy to build a coherent program that showcases different aspects of early- to late-intermediate technique. For students preparing for festival competitions or auditions, this collection provides high-quality, performance-ready sonatinas at exactly the right difficulty level.

• Understanding sonatina form (exposition, development, recapitulation) across multiple works
• Rapid scalar and figurative passagework with clarity and even tone
• Tempo flexibility and expressive phrasing within Classical and early Romantic idioms
• Stylistic contrast between 18th-century, Romantic, and 20th-century compositional approaches
• Two-hand coordination in longer multi-movement pieces
• Interpretation guided by recorded model performances