Recommendations for upbeat/fun intermed. pieces

Edited: March 30, 2021, 10:51 PM · Hi,
I am looking for recommendations for intermediate, upbeat pieces in the style of “Souvenir de Sarasate” by Potstock or “The Boy Paganini” by Mollenhauer or Hungarian Dance no. 5. Just *anything* fun and engaging. I’ve googled so much and scoured YouTube to no avail. And I currently have no teacher or hobby musician friends I could ask.

I picked up the violin again after a long time, so at the end of all the scales, Kreutzer, double stops and positions, I just like to play something fun and not too crazy that will motivate me. Any ideas greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!

Replies (13)

Mike Liu

March 30, 2021, 11:27 PM · Sarasate Introduction and Tarantelle. All the passages have very violinistic patterns in fingerings. It also basically phrases itself. In your post you said "so at the end of all the scales, Kreutzer, double stops and positions, I just like to play something fun and not too crazy that will motivate me.", so if that means that you have a great command of every position, it'll be fun and not crazy.

jean dubuisson

Edited: March 31, 2021, 4:53 AM · Just a few suggestions: "Tambourin" by Leclair, you can find it in the album "Wundergeige" on IMSLP. Also the album "Violin pieces the whole world plays" also on IMSLP contains a few "fun" pieces. Also many of the Corelli sonatas op.5 are truly fun, for example no.11 in E major has a really fun Allegro. Allegro by Fiocco is also "fun", etc etc, endless possibilities!

J I

Edited: March 31, 2021, 7:10 AM · It ain't necessarily so - Gershwin, arr. Heifetz
The ragtime dance - Joplin, arr. Perlman
Schön Rosmarin - Kreisler
Waltzing Matilda - Traditional, arr. Koncz
Humoresque no 4 G minor - Sibelius
Mazurka no 1, op 81 - Sibelius
Zapateado - Sarasate

Sarasate might be a bit tough but rest should be accessible

Bob Brothers

Edited: March 31, 2021, 7:10 AM · One of my favorite "fun" pieces is Komarovski's Violin Concerto No. 2.

Performance:
I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZTR2815QKY&list=RDGMEM8h-ASY4B42jYeBhBnqb3-w&index=1

II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlCbcysG9iI

III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoxyfdeW4K8

Sheet Music:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_No.2_(Komarovsky%2C_Anatoly)

Lydia Leong

March 31, 2021, 8:12 AM · You could pick up Barbara Barber's Solos for Young Violinists; I think the Potstock is in volume 3. You're basically at Accolay level, to judge by those two pieces of repertoire, so Mike Liu's suggested Sarasate is too difficult for you.

The easier Kreisler encores should be within your abilities. You're essentially looking for ABRSM grade 5 or 6 repertoire; you might want to check those repertoire lists.

Mary Ellen Goree

March 31, 2021, 8:12 AM · The Heifetz arrangements of Gershwin are quite difficult, just saying.

Peter Wlodarczak

March 31, 2021, 8:24 AM · Wieniawskis Kujawiak in a minor is fun to play.

Katarina B.

Edited: March 31, 2021, 10:00 AM · - Edmund Severn, Polish dance
- Hermann Clebanoff, Millionaire's Hoedown

Mary Ellen Goree

Edited: March 31, 2021, 10:09 AM · This is a fun piece: https://imslp.org/wiki/Mazurka_No.1_(Mlynarski%2C_Emil)

In case you can’t get the link to work, it is Mazurka by Emil Mlynarski.

Bridget L

March 31, 2021, 12:33 PM · Thank you all for your ideas! Can't wait to go through them tonight and take a listen!!

Paul Deck

March 31, 2021, 3:34 PM · I second the Mlynarski Mazurka. That's also in one of the Barbara Barber books.

Maybe Melodie by Tchaikovsky would also be fun to play. And if you have not done the Allegro Brilliante by Ten Have, that is a "fun" piece for sure. It even has left-hand pizzicato in it, I believe, which puts it immediately on the same musical level as the Sibelius and Beethoven violin concertos.

John Rokos

March 31, 2021, 6:01 PM · Dvorak Sonatina?
Csardas?
Handel Sonatas?

Mary Ellen Goree

April 1, 2021, 12:57 AM · No left hand pizzicato in the Ten Have Allegro Brillante but I agree it is a fun piece.