No.14 La Styrienne
Description
The styrienne is a triple-time folk dance from Styria in southern Austria, plain in its tread, and it gives this fourteenth study of Op. 100 its title. Salon miniatures built on regional dances like this were widely liked in nineteenth-century Paris.
A springing rhythm runs through the whole piece while the melody proceeds by repeating short motifs. Though in G major and triple time, it does not glide like a waltz: the weight in the beat, as of someone treading firmly step by step, is what gives the dance its character. The whole is over in under forty seconds.
Rated intermediate, the study puts its work into characterising the rhythm. Three even beats produce nothing but triple time. Put the weight on the first beat and give the second and third back lightly — whether the melody can still sing while that balance is held is what separates a good performance here. It sounds more like a dance when it is not taken too fast.
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
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 →