Music! Its Role and Importance in Our Lives

Chapter 17: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Music

From the Top

Name: Erin Sculley
Age: 15
Instrument: Recorder
Hometown: Rowley, MA

Erin Sculley on performing Handel's Sonata in C Major, Larghetto and Allegro on the From the Top radio show:

Q: What are your thoughts and feelings about this piece of music?

A: Honestly, I was never really all that crazy about this sonata. I mean, I like it, but it's never been one of my favorites. I especially like all the sixteenth note runs in the allegro movement, but all the measures of dotted quarter notes really slow the piece down. Now, any time I play this piece, it reminds me of being on From the Top. (As it should, seeing how much I practiced this piece just for the show!)

Q: What is unique or special about this piece of music?

A: The hardest thing to do in this piece is to play it without just rushing through it. It's the kind of piece that's easy to rush—lots of runs right up or down the scale, long notes that are easy to chop a few beats off of, etc. The hardest thing to nail is keeping the allegro movement really upbeat, especially on the longer notes. It's easy to let it get dull on the sustained stuff. Other than that, this piece isn't too hard to play.

Q: What was it like preparing for and appearing on From the Top?

A: It was really cool being on From the Top, but it was one of those experiences that you don't realize just how cool it is until it's over. I really didn't expect to get on the show, so preparing for it wasn't anything more than a little extra practice. Being on the show seemed like just another concert at the time. It wasn't until I actually listened to the show on the radio that I began to realize just how big a thing this really was. And when I started telling other people what I was doing they'd just stare at me with a dazed look on their face. Since I did it, I really don't think of it as a big deal. It was just one really cool weekend.