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Burgmuller
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Burgmüller - 11. La Bergeronnette (The Wagtail) in C Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
La Bergeronnette (The Wagtail) depicts a genus of bird that constantly moves its tail; Burgmüller captures this flickering, fluttering movement by the prevailing rhythmic figure we hear right at the start – two semiquavers and a quaver under a slur. It is important that the first note of the slurred group is lightly stressed, and the last note released without an accent. Make sure to retain this strong-weak emphasis even in the crescendos (from bar 19, and from bar 26), where each three-note group is stronger than the previous one. The leggiero marking invites us to use a light touch... Read >>
Burgmüller - 13. Consolation in C Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
The thirteenth étude, Consolation (Comfort), returns to the familiar key of C major. Marked dolce lusingando (sweetly and caressingly), it calls for careful control of tone as we balance melody and accompaniment not only between the two hands, but also within each hand. There are many beautiful, expressive moments in this etude that we need to enjoy and savour as we play them. The harmonic progression in bars 5 and 6 that enhances chord ii in what would otherwise be a standard sequence of chords is one example, the modulation to E minor (bars 14-15) another. The semibreves in the... Read >>
Burgmüller - 24. L’Hirondelle (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
Charming to the ear, L’hirondelle (The Swallow) is one of my favourite études in the set. It is packed with great teaching value, demanding attention to quality and beauty of sound. The main technical features are crossing the LH over the RH in wide jumps (excellent for eye-hand coordination), and skilful timing of the pedal (so that the short LH notes are caught in the pedal with the RH harmonies). Careful LH separate practice at a slow tempo but with fast, precise movements will prepare the ground. Practise also a blocked version hands together where the RH chords come on... Read >>
Burgmüller - 4. La Petite Réunion (The Little Party) in C major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
The LH is the leader in the introduction. Let the melody sing out as it invites us to the party. Imagine the RH as excited chatter or laughter from the other guests, who are excited to be at the gathering. I recommend small forearm bounces close to the keys, the wrist unbending. For stability in the hand, practise repeating each chord two (or more) times. Thinking of the double notes in two parts (soprano and alto), first play each part by itself, making sure to use the fingering you will use when playing both parts together. Tapping the... Read >>
Burgmüller - 1. La Candeur (Openness) in C major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
Cultivate a singing style in the RH (legato cantabile), shaping the line expressively with nuances. The short phrase marks (slurs) do not necessarily imply a lifting of the hand at the ends but show how the notes are to be grouped (in the manner of string bowing). Interpret these with a slight emphasis on the first note of each group and a subtle diminuendo towards the end of the group. A chord legato wherever possible in the LH progression ensures the smoothest connections and the best control of sound: Crescendo means soft! Start... Read >>
Burgmüller - 2. L’Arabesque (Arabesque) in A minor (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
Allegro scherzando tells us to play fast and playfully. Keep the LH chords close to the keyboard, the fingertips firm and somewhat active, the wrist loose but relatively still. You’ll need to organise a good fingering for the LH chords (I give some tips on this in my video below). RH semiquaver patterns are played using a drop-roll (down-up) movement generated from the upper arm, the arm and the wrist assisting the fingers. Lateral adjustments (lining up) in the wrist keep us free and loose and help control finger articulation in the fast notes. The first note of each RH... Read >>
Burgmüller - 5. Innocence in F Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
Beginning at a gentle p dynamic (as so many of the études do), the tempo is moderato (not too fast) and the mood grazisoso (graceful). The composer leaves it to us to decide the dynamic level at the end of the crescendo in the first half of this binary piece. My sense is that it should not rise above a mf, in order that the crescendo to f in bar 13 (where we find the highest note in the piece) marks the climax. On the final chord, also marked f, we find the lowest LH note (bass F). Play this... Read >>
Burgmüller - 6. Progrès (Progress) in C Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
We return to C major for this lively, cheerful piece entitled Progrès (Progress). With touches of laughter (the staccato quavers in bars 3, 4 and 7), this study celebrates the pleasure in making progress - we have come a long way on our journey already! This study features scales in parallel tenths, a contrary motion scale, changes of touch from legato to staccato, rapid changes in hand position with jumps in both hands, and syncopated slurs. The general rule that the first note of a slur should take the accent, no matter which beat it falls on, is reinforced by... Read >>
Burgmüller - 25. La Chevaleresque (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)
We arrive back where we started in the key of C major for the final étude in the set, La chevaleresque (Trotting). We can see the little horse trotting - maybe in a circus or maybe showing off at a dressage event. Either way the moves are highly organised, elegant and controlled. Sometimes translated as “The Spirit of Chivalry” the title has connotations of gallantry (courtesy between men and women). There are four 8-bar sections, the first three of which are repeated. If we play all of Burgmüller’s repeats as marked, we have a recital piece of substantial length and... Read >>