Palmer-Hughes Accordion Course Recital Book, Book 2: Accordion Book

This collection pairs immediately rewarding melodies with the skills students are building in Book 2 of the method, creating natural momentum without overextending technique. The repertoire spans folk material, opera excerpts, and salon pieces that students actually want to play, making practice sessions feel purposeful rather than obligatory. Accordion recitals need accessible but genuine literature, and Palmer delivers both here.

A tour through late nineteenth and early twentieth century popular and classical favorites, all sized for growing hands and developing technique. Each piece carries its own character, from the elegant waltz and march rhythms to the intimate, singing quality of Liebestraum and the driving energy of "My Wild Irish Rose." The collection feels like a celebration of what the accordion can express when technique and repertoire align.

Accordion students working through Book 2 of the Palmer-Hughes Course who are ready to explore repertoire beyond the method book's integrated lessons. These solos work equally well for students preparing recital programs or festival performances, including those entering the 2016-2024 Federation Festivals competitions.

• Shape the phrasing in classical excerpts like Dvorak's Largo and Liszt's Liebestraum by controlling the bellows to create a natural arc; avoid letting the bellows stall or rush between phrases.
• Approach the dance pieces (Starlight Waltz, Ideal March) with a clear internal pulse but allow the bellows slight breathing room at section breaks to give dancers (or listeners) a sense of completion.
• Let "My Wild Irish Rose" breathe as a vocal melody; don't let the steady accompaniment flatten the tune's natural rubato.
• In the Patriotic Medley, mark transitions cleanly with bellows closures so each section registers as distinct rather than flowing into a muddy chain.

Build a recital around these pieces as the backbone, pairing easier selections with a more challenging solo from a different source to show range and growth. Alternatively, thread two or three selections through a program thematically (a salon piece, a folk melody, a character dance) to create coherence without relying on extended multi-movement works. The Patriotic Medley works beautifully for community and educational concert contexts.

• Controlling bellows pressure and breath across sustained melodic phrases
• Playing with consistent tempo in waltz and march rhythms
• Balancing melody and accompaniment across the keyboard
• Interpreting dynamic and articulation markings in vocal-style melodies
• Reading and performing dotted rhythms and syncopation (in jazz-inflected pieces)
• Shifting between contrasting musical characters within a single recital