Pratten: Music

Sidney Pratten

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Sheet Music

Eventide can be considered a nocturne. An introduction with subtle harmonic development leads to a romantic theme which in the end dies in the same kind of subtleties as te beginning. It is quite important to add color and dynamics to this music, else it might become dull.

Sheet Music

The title of this piece -Sehnsucht (passion)- shows the descent of the composer. Mrs. Sidney Pratten, also known as Catharina Josepha Pelzer (1821- 1895) came from Germany.

In the Victorian age, passion was an emotion which should be kept hidden, let alone the physical passion which was practiced in the back rooms and the luxury brothels of the upper class. The atmosphere of this piece is a quiet melancholic longing rather than pure passion. It’s a Valse Triste. The main theme appears three times, with an intermezzo and a coda in the end.

Sheet Music

Again, a very romantic piece from the Victorian era by Mrs. Sidney Pratten, also known as Catharina Josepha Pelzer.

In this piece she exceeds the mediocrity in her compositions which was expected by her pupils. The piece starts with a prelude section in D minor. Pratten has looked a bit at Bach so it seems. After the prelude there is again a Valse Triste in D major, just to satisfy the title, I guess. But then, as a welcome change, a joyful piece in A major with quite some more technical challenge. Probably the pupil who she wrote the piece for was technically more skilled. The score mentioned Fine with the last measure of the A major section. What to do now? Well, I considered it the best solution to repeat the Valse Triste.

Sheet Music

Again, a very romantic piece from the Victorian era by Mrs. Sidney Pratten, also known as Catharina Josepha Pelzer.

After a short introduction with the character of a prelude, the piece reflects the main title, which is Forgotten. It sounds like a Valse Triste. This piece reflects the fact that Pratten composed with her customers in mind. Guitaristic devices like chromatically shifting chords can be heard in many of her pieces. Well, for her pupils she should not compose too complex, wasn’t it?

Sheet Music

Weary is a Song without Words with a somewhat held back melancholy. The outer movements are a bit overcast, in the middle section we hear the mood of a watery sun. Obvious to me was the weird structure of this middle section, it seems to end one measure too early. My main puzzle was how to play this piece coherently. Well, keep the pulse, take some liberty and emphasize the mood change.