Tambourin (after Rameau)
Muzio Clementi (1801)
Description
A piece after the Tambourin from the harpsichord collections of Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). A tambourin is a Provençal drum, and the convention of the dance is a bass that repeats one note to imitate it. The original is still known as one of the emblematic small pieces of the French baroque.
In E minor and cut time: 653 notes inside a minute, by far the densest piece in this method. The right hand runs in sixteenths while the left keeps striking its drum-like bass. Where the rest of the collection is rated for beginners, this one alone is intermediate, and the speed and the note count are why.
An intermediate piece. Played at whatever speed the fingers allow, the drumbeat washes away and the frame of the piece goes with it. Keeping the left-hand bass at a constant weight comes first; the right hand's small notes ride on top of that. Steady the pulse with the left hand alone before putting the two together.
A piano method Clementi published in 1801, comprising 50 lessons that arrange famous Baroque and Classical works for solo piano.
Browse all songs in Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte Op.42 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Muzio Clementi was born in Rome and moved to England while still young, building a career in London as a pianist, composer, and instrument manufacturer. Often called the "father of the pianoforte," he wrote the study collection Gradus ad Parnassum and numerous sonatinas that remain staples of piano pedagogy. This site includes pieces from his Op. 42 tutor, built on "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" and melodies by Haydn and Mozart, along with movements from the Sonatina, Op. 36, No. 1.
View all works by Clementi →