Charles Camille Saint-Saëns ： Six Bagatelles Poco sostenuto adagio Op.3-6

No. 6 from Saint-Saëns’s Six Bagatelles is a miniature inviting an intimate, lyrical character under a marking that suggests a slow and quiet pace. Rather than pressing forward with dramatic gestures, it can be understood as music that carefully reveals the changing contours of short phrases and the shading of its harmony. At the opening, maintain a calm sense of breath and let the melody sing smoothly while keeping the inner voices and accompaniment discreetly balanced. Use the pedal sparingly, changing it sensitively in response to harmonic shifts. Even within a restrained dynamic range, giving slight direction to the peaks of phrases and the resonance at cadences allows a rich expressive quality to emerge from the stillness.