No.18 Inquiétude
Description
In "Anxiety," the eighteenth study of Op. 100, restlessness becomes continuous motion with almost no rests. That an abstract feeling is translated into the repetition of a concrete figure is exactly why this set amounts to more than a list of technical tasks.
Small figures run up and back down and a short motif repeats insistently. Over 320 notes are packed into twenty-seven seconds of E minor duple time, putting the note density near the highest in the collection. The harmony keeps avoiding resolution and the piece ends still unsettled.
Here the job is to sustain fast motion while shaping the quality of the tension. Volume alone does not create it; holding the speed at a restrained dynamic produces far more of that inward tautness. Support from the arm rather than locking the wrist, and resist pushing the volume up at the end. It is short enough to need the concentration to play it in a single breath.
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
"Disquiet." In E minor, restless short figures convey unease. The two-note slurs and staccato from earlier, now at a quicker tempo.
How to practise it
- The end of a slur and a staccato are both short, but not the same. Try them at 0.75x and hear the difference.
- Go back to "La Candeur" now and notice how differently your hands move.
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 →