Polovetzian Dance, anyone?

So February's piece around the circle is the theme from Alexander Borodin's Polovetzian Dance from the unfinished opera, Prince Igor.

There are two versions of the download here, one with melody only, in the treble clef and in all keys.

The other is on the grand staff with 2-5-1-4 major and 2-5-1 minor diatonic 7th chords in the key of the piece. In layman's terms, there is a chord for each note of the scale, they have 4 notes per chord, and they follow a pattern.

Here's the single line melody download:

First Theme from Polovetzian Dances in all minors without chords and single staff - Full S

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Download • 104KB

The way I teach it is:

1. 3rd finger of the left hand and 5th finger of the right on the key of the piece, one octave apart.

2. Play the minor scale ascending and descending to get the feel and sound of the natural minor scale. (some students use the natural key finder minor cards, some don't)

3. Play the piece.

4. Turn the page to the next key around the circle and repeat steps 1-3.

5. Once a student has played through the whole circle, we roll a 12 sided die and play the piece in what key turns up on the die.

   
   

Some of the benefits of playing in this way for ALL students regardless of level

• ear training

  • getting comfortable with the natural minor scale

  • perfect 4ths and 5ths - each line starts with one or the other

  • crossing the midline- when the melody shifts between hands, crossing the midline can be a challenge for some students

  • overholding, hearing and shaping the melodic line

• each minor scale contains 2 5-note minor scales. The 3-5 finger placements prepare students to play the melody single handedly with the right hand.

• connecting this piece to others, play this piece a few times and then teach Burgmuller's Arabesque.

Here's the same piece with the chords and the grand staff.

First Theme from Polovetzian Dances in all minors - Full Score

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Download PDF • 133KB

As mentioned earlier, this uses the diatonic 7th chords. Coincidentally, they are the same chords in exactly the same order as Autumn Leaves, the jazz standard.

I use pieces like this to prepare students for playing jazz, playing in their jazz bands, and for improvisation.

That said, this piece is much harder because of the added burden of learning the chords. Of course, there are piano key finder cards that fit the bill on the chords, which my students love. The sounds are way more sophisticated than traditional triads, and playing hands together is much more satisfying for advanced students.

What a lot of students are seeing after playing these types of pieces in all keys is how many of the other pieces they play use the same harmonies, both blocked and broken. And, they are often surprised by how many times they play things like f sharp minor 7th chords. Previously, they didn't have a name for what they were playing, now that they do, their inner musical life has become richer.

Finding pieces to play in all keys which have hidden benefits as one does them can be a challenge, if you have any pieces that you think may fit the bill (and are in the public domain) send me an email. My goal this year (2025) is to have a different piece or two for each month, and at the moment I have 10 more to go.

Happy Playing!

Sarah