Hello,

I'm just casually learning this piece for leisure, outside of lessons. I brought the "Liszt Easy Piano Pieces and Dances" book (which was recommended on the ABRSM Syllabus) and it has no fingering marks in. I've had a look round and it seems to be quite a rare little piece which hasn't been included in many collections. I'm just really struggling to distinguish between what each hand should be playing. Here's the score:-
http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/...169_Romance.pdf

If you at for example, bar 3. Should the RH be playing that G and B above the bass clef, or should the LH arpeggiate upwards and take all those notes, whilst leaving the RH to concentrate on the main crotchet melody? Or in bar 7 with that melody (F# - G - B - A) in the RH, should the LH carry those underneath notes (C - F#) See what I mean? It's pretty much like this for the first two pages. How do you guys play it? I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense, I've explained it as clearly as possible!

Thanks for your help!

Playing the notes on my work desk, ( ) I see no reason why you can't take those notes with the right hand. Take it slowly and try and make it sound as smooth as you can.

This is where the notion of practising each hand separately starts to crumble. It is sometimes helpful to photocopy the music and then colour in with blobs the notes that you have allotted to each hand. (Sorry if it sounds a bit Primary school but I do this!)

I don't know the piece but I would say that you should play it in whichever way is most comfortable for you. As long as you can play it musically does it really matter which hand takes which notes? After all, it isn't a technical exercise. Personally I think I would take the upper notes in bars 3 and 7 with the right hand as I think it would make the piece smoother and would avoid having to cross over fingers in the left. I would let the left hand play the first 3 notes of the arpeggio and then let the right hand play the others. Having said that, I have yet to try it in practice, so I might change my mind.

Yes I dont think it matters, I would tend to use RH where both hands are scored playing the same note.
A similar situation occurs in eg some Chopin Nocturnes (and many other pieces), where its sometimes easier (though not really correct), to take the top note or two of a rising LH arpeggio with the RH thumb or whatever. I am certainly guilty of this.

What makes you say that it's "not really correct"? With regards to the OP's question, I would definitely use the RH for the last three notes of m. 3.

Left hand is playing part of a quaver arpeggio, right hand is holding a crotchet. But of course it will be held for a crotchet anyway. But there no point in both hands playing the note, and its clearly easier for this to be the right hand as its a crotchet

The score has been written following the convention that notes written in the bass clef are for the LH and those on the treble clef are for the RH. Whether this is how Liszt himself arranged it, or whether it is the work of the copyist/editor/engraver is not clear.

It seems like a sensible and comfortable division of labour, lots of pieces with arpeggiated accompaniment are played in this way, but only for a relatively large hand, because it leaves the RH to take some 9ths and 10ths with ease. If you can manage the division suggested in the score, then it definitely makes performing the piece more secure, as the LH does not have to keep re-finding the same position in the bass.