Noctave
The piece
Of the four Impromptus D. 899, only the first two appeared during Schubert’s lifetime; the other two were not published until 1857, and this one long circulated transposed into G major, with its bar length halved. The score used here returns to the G-flat major and the 4/2 time signature of the autograph. A single texture holds the whole piece: a long melody in slow note values, above a continuous flow of arpeggiated eighth notes and a low bass.
What makes the writing unusual is that the right hand plays both the melody and the arpeggio accompaniment, which is where its 215 leaps come from. Let the melody sing with your outer fingers, giving it more weight, and keep the arpeggios in the thumb and middle fingers pianissimo, steady as a murmur. Some chords, ten in all, stretch as wide as 17 semitones: spread quickly any that your hand cannot cover. The six flats of the key signature slow down reading at first. Finally, let the pedal follow the harmony, and never hurry the tempo.