No.2 L'Arabesque
Description
An arabesque is the interlacing ornamental pattern of Islamic art, and the title describes the way the small notes here weave without a break. This is the second study of Burgmüller's Op. 100 and the best known in the set — a frequent choice for short recital slots and, for many players, the door into the collection.
A fast stream of sixteenth notes in the right hand alternates with short answering chords in the left, and the roles then swap. The duple-time A minor opening gives way to a middle section that brightens into A major before the minor figuration returns and dashes to the end. Into under thirty seconds it packs a density of more than ten notes a second.
What it trains is evenness in fast passagework and accuracy in the handover between the hands. The harder it is pushed, the more the notes stumble, so the sixteenths have to be made perfectly even at a slow tempo first. Keeping the left-hand chords short and light so they do not obstruct the right-hand line is what makes the pattern legible.
A set of beginner études by Burgmüller, each bearing an evocative title, offering a classic way to develop technique and musical expression together.
Browse all songs in 25 Easy and Progressive Studies Op.100 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
What this piece teaches
Quick groups of sixteenth notes against crisp staccato in the other hand. The lesson is evenness of the fingers.
How to practise it
- At 0.5x, make every sixteenth the same weight and the same distance apart. Speed comes afterwards.
- The hands swap roles at points. The colours of the falling notes show whose turn it is.
- Raise the speed in small steps - 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x - and it will hold together.
Practice guides using this piece
Slow practice: playback speed and the A-B loop
How to slow a hard passage down, loop it and bring it back up to tempo in steps - and when to change the note speed instead.
About the Composer
Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806-1874)
Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmuller was born in Germany and spent much of his career in Paris, where he composed the ballet La Peri. He is best remembered today for his pedagogical piano collections, especially the 25 Etudes faciles et progressives, Op. 100, whose accessible, tuneful pieces remain popular with beginning pianists. This site includes Nos. 1 to 18 of the 25 Etudes, Op. 100, beginning with "La Candeur" and "Arabesque."
View all works by Burgmüller →