The London Sketchbook

A notebook of contrasting possibilities

The London Sketchbook offers 43 numbered pieces rather than one continuous sonata. Its variety is part of the attraction: short dance-like gestures sit beside more active keyboard writing, and the final number explores a fugue. Three numbers remain fragments, so the collection should not be heard as 43 fully finished compositions. Each piece offers a different small space in which to listen, read and shape a musical idea.

At the keyboard

Begin by choosing two contrasting numbers instead of working through the whole book in one sitting. Compare their pulse, texture and the role of the lower part. Practise a clear opening and a considered ending for each completed piece. In a fragment, follow the surviving music to its actual stopping point rather than inventing a cadence and presenting it as Mozart’s.

Music in this edition

1. The London Sketchbook