No.15 Ballade
Description
Named after the poetic form of a narrative song, this is the most often played of all twenty-five studies — No. 15 of Op. 100. In the same years that Chopin was writing large-scale ballades, Burgmüller compressed the same idea into under ninety seconds so that a learner could experience the act of telling a story.
The right hand steals in above a low repeated note in the left, then breaks loose and climbs into the treble. The C minor tension of this 3/8 opening gives way in the middle section to the major, which opens out, before it returns. Its 750-odd notes make it one of the fuller pieces in the set.
The difficulty is in the changes of scene rather than in the fingers: keeping the quiet opening genuinely quiet, finding weight in the climax without hitting, and changing colour for the major middle section. Telling the story through dynamics alone, without pulling the tempo about, is what makes it sound like a ballade instead of an étude.
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
A ballade in C minor. It opens with the melody low in the left hand under staccato chords in the right - the left hand sings, and the middle section in C major brings the contrast.
How to practise it
- At the start the left-hand colour carries the tune. Keep the right-hand chords short and light so they stay out of its way.
- The opening theme returns later. Loop the middle section separately and the contrast becomes clear.
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 →