No.9 La Chasse

Description

Hunting horns sound from the outset in this hunting scene, the ninth study of Op. 100. Since the eighteenth century, hunt music has been written in one unmistakable way — horns in open fifths and thirds over the galloping pulse of 6/8 — and Burgmüller takes that tradition over wholesale.

A forceful dotted figure repeats while double notes and accents suggest horses at full stride. The C major gallop in 6/8 settles briefly in another key in the middle section before the hunt returns. Over five hundred notes in under a minute make it the most active piece in the first half of the set.

It is the first study here rated intermediate, and what it wants is a firm touch and exact rhythm. Feel the 6/8 in two large beats, and produce the accents with arm weight rather than by hitting. Forcing the volume from the fingertips alone hardens the sound and costs the hunt its momentum.

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