What Child is This early intermediate piano sheet music solo

This hauntingly beautiful What Child is This early intermediate piano sheet music solo is an accessible arrangement for most Level 3 students.

Left hand patterns focus on fifths while the right hand has the melody. The arrangement builds to a dramatic second verse and ending, making this sound harder than it really is.

A look inside the arrangement…

This arrangement begins with right hand eighth notes, highlighting a repetitive D while the left hand plays single notes for a strong foundation. The motive is repeated an octave higher with the left hand playing in broken fifths.

When the melody begins, the right hand has single notes while the left hand has a broken fifths pattern. There are a few embellishments in the first chorus in sixteenth notes which requires the pianist to bring out the melody. While the right hand has more of a focus, the left hand has plain open fifths.

The interlude has broken thirds in the right hand and broken fifths in the left hand working together to build to a climatic second verse where the left hand plays open fifths repeated an octave lower. The melody starts with single notes and continues into accented thirds.

The ending is similar in motion as the interlude and ends with a dramatic 8va staccato.

My intention in arranging this was to make the left hand easy to read but have a good depth of sound. Because of this, there is a strong focus on fifths in the left hand. If there are not fifths represented, there are just single notes. This creates a very pattern-rich piece for students to learn.

For church services, recitals, and Christmas-themed music events, this Away in a Manger intermediate piano solo will capture the listeners with lush chords and delicate tones.

Similar in level to most Level 3 piano curricula and ABRSM Level 3.

The basic format of What Child is This early intermediate piano sheet music solo is: introduction, verse, interlude, verse, ending.

4 pages. Key of D minor.

Approx. 2.5 minute performance time.

Musical Elements In What Child is This early intermediate piano sheet music solo

• Key of D minor
• Time signature: 6/8
• Note values: dotted half, dotted quarter, quarter dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth
• Note reading: right hand reads treble clef A3-D6, left hand reads bass clef A1-E4 and treble clef G3-A4 (low bass clef notes are repeated fifths from an octave higher)
• Left hand in treble clef
• Repeated patterns
• Ties
• 8va
• Staccato
• Dynamics
• Fermata

Practice Tips for What Child is This early intermediate piano sheet music solo

Focus on finding the patterns in this arrangement. It will make note reading for the left hand much easier, as pages 3-4 repeat the same fifth an octave lower or higher.

The most complicated right hand section is on page 2 (measures 25-31) as the melody is woven in the middle of a pattern. Some of the measures repeat, making this section easier to learn.

© 2023 by Amanda Tero