Description
What the right hand keeps turning over in sixteenth notes is a figure in thirds, B-flat, D, C, E-flat, D, F, climbing gradually (B-flat major, 4/4). From the middle of the piece the figure moves higher, rising scales join in, and the line reaches F7 at its peak. The left hand plays a light accompaniment in eighth and quarter notes, placing chords off the beat. It lasts about 34 seconds, with 161 notes.
It is the second in the B-flat major group, and where No. 11 dealt with repeated octaves, the task here is keeping the right-hand fingers moving. Like every piece in the eight-bar Op. 821, it narrows its focus to one technique.
This beginner-level exercise has one key point: a figure in thirds is easier for the fingers to learn if the fingering stays the same every time. The same figure appears in different registers, so compare the two in the score view while practising. Slowing the playback to hear how the hands fit together also helps keep the off-beat left-hand chords from lagging. The range runs from B-flat 2 to F7, so a 61-key keyboard lacks the highest notes.
A set of 160 short studies by Czerny, each condensed into just eight measures so a single technical point can be worked on quickly. Their brevity makes them well suited to beginners building basic piano technique efficiently.
Browse all songs in 160 Eight-Measure Exercises Op.821 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Carl Czerny (1791-1857)
Carl Czerny was a Viennese pianist and composer who studied under Beethoven and later taught Franz Liszt. He is best known for his enormous output of piano etudes, which remain widely used in piano pedagogy around the world today. This site includes selections from the 160 Eight-Measure Exercises, Op. 821, and the 50 Progressive Studies in All Keys, Op. 840.
View all works by Czerny →