No.17 La Babillarde

Description

Unstoppable fast talk is set to music in "The Chatterbox," the seventeenth study of Op. 100, with small notes following one another without a breath. Caricatures of human behaviour were a staple of nineteenth-century salon music, and this set has several — "The Little Gathering" and "Anxiety" among them.

Short figures repeat without a break, fitting nearly 290 notes into under thirty seconds. Written in F major, its short 3/8 bars go by quickly, which in itself creates the impression of something that never pauses. The piece spans nearly four and a half octaves.

Every note has to stay distinct inside fast motion. Pushed for speed, the notes clump together and the chatter becomes a mere buzz. Keep the fingers low, moving in small, certain motions close to the keys. Build the outline of each note at a slow tempo first, then raise the speed gradually — that is the reliable route.

A set of beginner études by Burgmüller, each bearing an evocative title, offering a classic way to develop technique and musical expression together.