Piano lessons in Bath

Tag: Edward Bettella

Sight Reading for Singers

A new course that is aimed primarily at improving sight reading for singers. Bath is full of wonderful choirs and has a long tradition of choral singing. The great thing about singing  is that anyone can get involved and find their place in a choir, regardless of musical ability.

However, at some point it is normal for many singers to aspire to improve their music reading abilities. It seems a daunting task at first, but the rewards for learning even a basic level of sight reading are huge! You will be able to look at your music before singing a note and have a rough idea of the shape of a musical line, or perhaps even take your starting note from the accompaniment. These are all invaluable tools that give you not only an head start on your music, but give you more satisfaction from learning and performing.

I teach sight singing courses over 4 week blocks, with a 1 hour lesson per week. Lessons take place during the daytime at Nexus Methodist Church, Claremont. Booking is essential to secure a place on the course.

Topics covered include:

  • Hearing a note and singing the same note back at correct pitch
  • Basic music pattern recognition
  • Music theory to understand what all the different symbols are telling you
  • Note reading on the staff and strategies to learn these notes quickly

This course is aimed specifically for singers who have very little music reading abilities. If you already have some understanding of sight reading, but want to develop your skills further  to more advanced levels, you can get in touch with for a 1 to 1 lesson, or organise a group of similar level singers to book an intermediate to advanced level course.

Booking now for March 2018: special introductory rate of £30 for 4 weeks.

Click this link to get in touch via the contact form and book your place today!

How to get to Nexus Methodist Church

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Nexus Methodist Church, Claremont, Eastbourne Avenue, Bath, BA1 6EN

  • On foot: At the eastern end of Camden Road, on the corner opposite Fairfield Park Health Centre.
  • By bus: The number 6 bus route both leave from Bath town centre and take you almost exactly opposite Nexus Methodist Church. From the town centre the bus takes approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on traffic.
  • Car parking: Street parking (please note Camden Road operates a Resident Parking Permit scheme from 8am – 7pm every day)

Cello Sonata Premiere Saturday 18 November 2017

Edward Bettella’s new piece Cello Sonata No.1  will be premiered in concert on Saturday 18 November 2017 at St Michael’s Without Church in Bath. Edward will be performing with his regular duet partner, cellist Jonathan Stabler.

The evening will be a celebration of music arranged for the intimate setting of cello and piano, featuring an eclectic program, starting with Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, followed by a variety of short pieces by composers from Henry Purcell, Morfydd Owen and Stevie Wonder.

Introductions will be provided for all the pieces, so you don’t need to come armed with an extensive knowledge of music history! Just come to relax and enjoy some wonderful pieces, old and new, capped by a performance of an entirely new work. A bar will be open for all your beverage requirements.

Tickets are £5 on the door; further information can be found at www.edwardbettella.com

Concert Poster 18/11/2017

Concert Poster 18/11/2017

Sunset Fan/Sunset Flood Premiere in Bath

I have finally had a chance to write something about the premiere of my new work, Sunset Fan/Sunset Flood, which premiered at the end of August in Bath. It was a magical evening that I will remember for a long time. I have included here an extract of the blog from my composition site, and the live recording from the concert. Enjoy and please take a moment to visit my composition website and read the full blog.

‘Sunset Fan/Sunset Flood is a suite in 4 movements for piano and cello, inspired by the words of writer James Roy Blair Anderson. I have previously collaborated with James on ‘Dust‘, a short choral piece set to the words of his poem of the same title. This time, I took two of James’ poems, ‘Sunset Fan‘ and ‘Sunset Flood‘, and composed a musical depiction of the words.

The final suite can be performed both with or without the words being read in between the movements. In rehearsals for the concert we decided to read the poetry in between each movement, and I think the overall experience was truly heightened.

My musical partner in crime for this was cellist Jonathan Stabler, an experienced musician who revels in the challenges of performing new music. In addition to my new piece, we put together a program of music that included a diverse range of repertoire for cello and piano, with duets and solo pieces respectively.

This program would take the audience on a musical journey from the Baroque period to present day. We had put in a lot of work in rehearsals and of course the admin and promotion that’s required for putting on a concert! We were very lucky to have in Bath St Swithin’s church in Walcott. A 5 minute walk from the centre of town, this beautiful example of Georgian church architecture also happens to have excellent acoustics and a very fine Yamaha G5 grand piano. Simply not having to worry about the hire of a grand piano was a massive relief, and to find that the piano was also very nice to play, takes even more stress off you as a performer.’

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