pf

Allegro
Lento
Sforzando
Rubato
Rallentando
These are the instructions which
A young pianist must obey;
A smattering of Italian, ma non troppo,
Will come in handy un bel giorno;
As well as the descriptive terms
You need to know the name of
Each type of note and its symbol
As it clings to the horizontal staves
Like a crow on a gamekeeper's fence;
Breve
Semibreve
Crotchet
Quaver
Semiquaver
Demisemiquaver
Hemidemisemiquaver
Then the groups of notes ~
Scales, major, minor,
Harmonic and chromatic,
Practised for an hour a day
From the familiar soundscapes
Of C and G major via the sonority
Of E and A flat major to the downright
Sinister C sharp minor;
Let us not forget the elegant
Spread of the arpeggio which
Tests the childish hand to the limit;
Mastery of this knowledge is tested
By the Royal College of Music with
Their carefully graded theory and
Practical exams from Grade I to
Grade VIII
I gave up after reaching
Grade V...
Subito
Triste