Description
Double thirds in sixteenth notes, F-sharp with A, E with G, D with F-sharp, keep the right hand busy throughout. It is in D major and 3/4. Some passages strike the same third several times, others move the thirds up and down like a scale, and most of the right-hand notes come in pairs. The left hand supports it with quarter-note bass notes and chords, mixed with some sixteenth-note motion. It lasts about 14 seconds, with 165 notes.
It is the only piece in D major among the Op. 821 numbers on this site. The collection runs to 160 pieces, so No. 19 is still near the beginning.
It is rated beginner, but fast double thirds are among the harder skills in piano playing. If the two notes do not sound together, the result is muddy, so keep the fingers level. Start with the playback slowed down a lot, and check each hand separately. Looking at the run of thirds in the score view makes it easier to plan the fingering. The range runs from A2 to A6, which fits a 61-key keyboard.
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 →