Dancla 6 Petites fantaisies faciles Op. 126 Book 3 for Violin & Piano

Charles Dancla's 6 Petites Fantaisies faciles, Op. 126 give a Grade 5 violinist proper concert pieces without asking for more than first and third position, and Book 3 brings together No. 5, the Bolero, and No. 6, the Marche, for violin and piano.

The Bolero opens with an Andante con moto in G major, a long dolce melody that needs a singing tone and careful bow distribution across its slurred phrases. It then turns to a Bolero proper, in G minor, marked de la pointe, with crisp accented notes and grace-note figures at the point of the bow, before closing with an Allegretto in 2/4 marked "with the point of the bow and very delicately": light, slurred semiquaver patterns, a dolce e con eleganza episode and a forte Risoluto ending. The Marche frames a Moderato maestoso in D major with an Andante cantabile in A major at either end. The march itself asks for firm down-bow strokes marked Risoluto e largamente, quick up-bow triplets and some chords at the close of each phrase, with a broad Cantabile section in the middle.

Between them the two pieces cover a lot of bowing: sustained cantabile playing, light work at the point, and strong, weighted strokes in the march. A player with third position settled gets plenty to practise in the right arm while the left hand stays in familiar territory, and two melodies in the slow sections that are a pleasure to play.

Together the two pieces last about seven minutes. Each works on its own as a concert or recital item, and as a pair they give a Grade 5 player a varied, well-contrasted set: the Bolero for lightness and charm, the Marche for a confident, full-toned finish.

See and hear the difference

Check the score and parts preview images above, then watch the complete score video below. They'll give you a clear picture of the engraving quality and overall difficulty before you buy.

Key features

• Instrumentation: violin and piano; full piano score with separate violin part
• Difficulty: approximately ABRSM Grade 5, first and third position throughout
• Duration: approximately 7 minutes for both pieces complete
• Style focus: cantabile tone and bow distribution, light bowing at the point, firm down-bow strokes and chords in the march
• Format: PDF download, full score and all parts

This suits a Grade 5 violinist who wants two characterful pieces that stretch the bow arm, or a teacher looking for a contrasting pair for an exam recital, a festival class or an end-of-term concert. Either piece stands alone, and together they make a complete seven-minute set from one purchase.