No.12 L'Adieu
Description
"The Farewell" watches something recede rather than sinking into grief, and it has one of the widest emotional ranges in the set. Romantic music returns to partings again and again; in this twelfth study of Op. 100 the melody is embedded inside continuously moving figuration, which creates that sense of distance.
The right hand keeps up unbroken small-value figuration with the melodic notes emerging from within that flow. Some six hundred notes fall in a little over fifty seconds of A minor common time, a high density for the collection. The middle section turns to the major and softens before the minor current returns.
Making the melody audible inside the moving figuration is the core of it. Play every note at the same weight and the tune disappears into the background. Give only the melodic notes a shade more weight and let the rest run lightly as accompaniment. Once that separation works, the repeating figure stops being an exercise and becomes the accompaniment to a song.
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
"Farewell." Over a flowing accompaniment in A minor, the melody has to stand out clearly - practice in giving notes different weights.
How to practise it
- Pick out and play the melody notes alone first, so your hand knows which they are, then add the accompaniment. The score view shows them.
- There are many more accompaniment notes than melody notes; keep them quiet or they will cover it.
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 →