Primo

What it means

Primo designates, in four-hand piano writing, the player who takes the upper half of the keyboard and sits on the right. As a rule the melody falls to this player, while the partner — the secondo — carries bass, harmony, and rhythmic support. The division is not a hierarchy but a division of labour: without the foundation of the lower part, the upper voice hangs in the air.

In the notation

Four-hand editions are usually set so that both parts stand side by side on a double page — secondo on the left, primo on the right — so that each player has their own page in front of them and both can turn the page at the same time. Each part has its own system of two staves. Notes concerning the other part are shown in smaller print, for instance cue notes for a shared entry. In some editions it is additionally noted which player operates the pedal; usually the secondo takes it on, because it belongs to the harmonic foundation.

Musical use

Four-hand playing at one instrument was, in the nineteenth century, the most widespread form of domestic music-making; through arrangements for four hands, many people came to know symphonies and operas at all. Alongside this, original literature for this scoring arose. Four-hand playing at one piano is to be distinguished from playing at two pianos, in which both parts have the full range available and the question of seating arrangement does not arise.

Primo, in four-hand music, usually plays the higher registers and the melody.

Performance practice

Before playing, watch the seating arrangement and make sure both can comfortably reach their area; at close passages the primo gives way upward with the hands, not the secondo downward. Breathe together for the entry — four-hand playing stands or falls with the shared beginning. Clarify beforehand who turns pages and where, and practise the page-turn along with it. And listen to each other rather than to your own line: the melody carries only if it lies over a calm foundation.