Sonatinas, Book 6: Piano Book

A capstone to serious sonatina study. These pieces balance structural elegance with genuine compositional personality; you encounter the expected classical architecture but also discover individual voices, including women composers whose work deserves the same attention as their male contemporaries.

Advanced and early advanced pianists who have mastered fundamental sonatina form and are ready to explore the repertoire with more sophistication and historical context. This book works equally well for independent study or in a structured curriculum using the FJH Pianist's Curriculum Correlation Chart.

• Study the historical and formal notes provided in each sonatina before you begin learning the piece. Understanding the composer's period and the expected structural arc transforms how you shape phrasing and navigate transitions.
• Pay attention to articulation markings as period indicators. Classical composers were precise about touch; slurs, staccatos, and legato all signal the musical gesture they intended.
• Balance technical clarity with the melodic line. Even in passages with running figuration, the tune must sing through the accompaniment.

Position this as the culminating sonatina collection in your curriculum, often alongside advanced repertoire from Succeeding at the Piano or The Festival Collection. Many students use Book 6 for competition programming or as the final piece work before moving into full sonatas and contemporary concert literature.

• Recognizing and executing formal structures in three-movement and sonata-allegro forms
• Period-appropriate phrasing and articulation in Classical-era keyboard writing
• Stylistic interpretation informed by historical context
• Technical facility in scalar passages, arpeggios, and hand-crossing when present
• Understanding the development of the sonatina form across different composers