Children's Album, Book I – Etude

Instrumentation

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Musical Terms (7)

• Allegro brillante Italian
  Fast and brilliant, with dazzling, virtuosic character. The finale marking of the Piano Concerto.
  The brilliance is as important as the speed. Project the melodic line above the accompaniment even at full tempo; octave passages should sound incisive rather than muddy.
• Andante sostenuto Italian
  Walking pace, sustained. A moderate tempo with each note held to its full value, creating a connected, flowing texture.
  Khachaturian uses this for his most introspective writing. Let the melody sing without hurrying; the sostenuto quality means avoiding any gap between notes — finger legato rather than pedal is preferable for clarity.
• con anima Italian
  With soul, with feeling. A direction asking for deeply expressive, soulful playing.
  In the slow movement of the Piano Concerto this calls for warm, singing tone and generous rubato. Allow the Armenian melodic character to breathe — avoid metronomic rigidity in the lyrical lines.
• marcato Italian
  Marked, stressed. Each note or chord is given a clear accent, standing out from the surrounding texture.
  Khachaturian's percussive piano writing — especially in the Toccata — relies on marcato for its driving, hammered quality. Use firm finger-tips and a slightly detached touch to give each note definition without banging.
• marziale Italian
  Martial, in a military style. Indicates a strong, decisive, march-like character.
  Used in the Children's Album to suggest soldierly energy. Play with a firm, evenly-weighted touch and a strict pulse — like a march, the rhythm should feel inevitable.
• orientale English/French
  In an Oriental or Eastern style. Refers to the modal, exotic-sounding scales and ornamentation characteristic of Armenian and broader Middle Eastern musical traditions.
  In Oriental Dance and similar pieces, the modal inflections (often augmented seconds) are the essence of the style. Bring out these characteristic intervals; avoid smoothing them into diatonic patterns.
• Presto Italian
  Very fast. The fastest standard tempo marking, indicating the maximum sustainable speed.
  In the Sabre Dance arrangement, Presto demands both physical speed and rhythmic precision. Practise hands separately at a tempo where every note is clean before combining — muddiness at speed is harder to fix than slowness.