Bavardages, Plaisanterie (leicht - mittel)

8 p. + parties séparées, Niveau 2

(?) Suited to Grade 3 or thereabouts, there are some excellent performance opportunities if the dynamics are followed enthusiastically and there are good teaching opportunities for those learners who, having played it in first position, want to take it up the neck. The parts keep to a tune, harmony and bass structure throughout and part three is a little easier, though with one or two phrases that will make the other players jealous. Parts one and two are quite similar musically, technically and rhythmically, so with only two pupils, the teacher might feel happiest on line three, providing the musical glue to hold the trio together.
Bavardages ('chatterings' according to my Internet translation engine) is a lively piece in E major and E minor with plenty of major sevenths giving an airy feel. Surprisingly rich in key changes the piece has a fresh and very appealing character about it that I'm sure has that first-time impact that a performance piece needs. For learners, playing in four sharps can involve a lot of little finger work on the bottom three strings, and it's good to see that the bass part only becomes strenuous when the music moves to the minor key.
Plaisanterie begins much as Bavardages ended and there's no doubt that the two pieces would go nicely end to end. To my mind, harmonically not as effortless, the piece makes up for it with a real scattering of different rhythms, nothing too scary, that move from player to player, and a real sense of musical conversation comes out.
When the pieces are taken together, this book contains some pleasant music that will appeal to learners of all ages and I'm sure a lot of teachers will enjoy this book as much as their pupils do.
(Derek Hasted, Classical Guitar Magazine)