By Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79667716
Always with Me Youmi Kimara ABRSM Grade 3 2025 – 2026
Mood/character of the music – the footnotes for this piece are excellent as they discuss that the film this song is from has been very influential. Spirited Away tells the story of a young girl, Chihiro from her point of view. The themes are youth and adulthood, ancient and contemporary values and the world in which she is living. Chihiro overcomes many obstacles and worries – growing up, her parents dying, being left alone, the unknown and being judged. This song ‘Always with Me’ is sung at the end of film as Chihiro finds the correct way forward. Knowing the lyrics for the song will of course be valuable.
Form – the first section of the music starts at the beginning and finishes at bar 17. The second section continues from bar 17 until the end of the piece. The piece commences in the key of F major, and it remains in this key throughout providing the music with definition and stability.
Main part of the music – the loudest part of the music should occur at the end of bar 29 at a forte level. The player should ensure that they do not remain at this dynamic level for too long. Considering that this piece has two sections, the first section should have a main part too and this should occur in bar 11.
Phrasing – there are four phrases in each section with each set of two phrases balancing each other. This is another way the music conveys stability and decisiveness on the part of Chihiro. Most of the phrases are four bars long and all commence with an upbeat of one beat. The player must consider how the use of the upbeat affects the character of the music. The phrases move easily from one to the following and the player should lift off neatly at the end of the phrases so that it is obvious for the listener.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the footnotes advise the player that the tempo of c.112 crotchet beats should be applied and this is very sensible advice. This speed provides the music with the room to ‘breathe’, too fast a tempo will affect the cheerful and optimistic character. There is a danger that the music may become gradually slower as it is being played. It is interesting to note that the composer has not written the music in quadruple time, rather it is in triple time. To a certain extent it conveys the feeling of a lullaby. The player should not find any of the rhythmic patterns used in this music intimidating in any way. However, the placement of the dotted crotchet/quaver patterns at the end of the bar could cause a little concern. The rests must be clearly acknowledged in the second section as these provide the music with a skipping quality and help to lighten the music.
Touch/Articulation – clearly a cantabile touch is required when playing this music although the weight provided should be light rather than heavy. The music will need to sound bright and slightly intense. Here the player must consider how to play the repeated R.H notes; the player must ensure that their fingers remain as close as possible to the keys thus providing the music with as a legato sound possible. The L.H. is an integral part of the music and resonance must be provided on the L.H. minims and dotted minims throughout There are numerous slurs in this music as these must be followed as shown. There are more lifts in the second section being a result of the repeated notes. However, as already mentioned, when playing these repeated notes, the player should lift with the fingers touching the keys.
Dynamics – the range of dynamics utilised in this piece should range from pianissimo to forte with the dynamic level primarily at a mezzopiano and mezzoforte level. Dynamics that are either too loud or remaining too loud for too long are not appropriate for this piece. Tone-matching is an important skill when playing this piece. The highest note of a melodic pattern is not necessarily the loudest. The L.H.’s dynamics are extremely important as a small change in the L.H.’s dynamics will make a considerable difference to the dynamics overall.
Balance between the hands – clearly this is to the R.H. but as always is the case, the L.H. as an important role to play providing resonance for the music as well as providing a little momentum on a few occasions. Considering that the L.H. plays in a rich register of the piano the player will need to listen carefully to the balance between the hands and make any adjustments if necessary.
Pedal – it would be unthinkable to play this piece without the use of pedal. A little blurring will inevitably occur where there are scale patterns however the use of flutter pedal will ensure that blurring will be kept to the minimum. In the second section where the L.H. plays for the most part on beats one and two, the pedal should be depressed on beat one and lifted at the start of beat three as this will help to enhance the L.H. two-note slur. There is a danger when playing this piece that the pedal is depressed too soon.
Agogic effects – some use of rubato is necessary when playing this piece. Nevertheless, this should be kept to a minimum as the composer has ‘written in’ some rubato. For example, there is easing in the tempo to a certain extent in bars 16 to 17 and the final two bars.
Considerations when playing this piece
· There is a danger that the player may ‘thump’ the high notes of a melodic pattern. This must be avoided.
· Bring out the top note of the last R.H. chord.
· This piece potentially could be the first one played in the exam; the player could move slightly to the right to make it a little more comfortable.