What is the story the player wishes to convey to the listener?
This is an excellent piece where the player’s imagination could ‘run wild’. Burgmüller has provided the word scherzando at the beginning, which provides a clue as to the character of the music. A good starting point would be to consider there being two people playing a game of hide and seek with the semiquaver patterns as the person who is running off to hide. When the music slows, down the other player in the game could be looking for the person who has hidden. At the end the players decide to run off and start another game somewhere else.
Portrait of Friedrich Burgmüller when a young man, from British Museum Collection, in Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.
What is the structure of the music?
The music is written in ternary form, with an additional two bars at the beginning as an introduction and a coda containing six bars.
Main part of the music
The main part of this piece is at the end as Burgmüller has given the instruction of risoluto and f in the penultimate bar. And, in the final bar Burgmüller has written sf on the final chords. However, in addition to this, the player could draw the listener’s attention to bars 16 – 18, because the listener may not expect the return of the original music in bar 19. This area, the player could highlight by using a little rubato and playing with a diminuendo.
Phrasing
Most of the phrases in this piece are four bars long, however the introduction is two bars long and the coda is six bars long.
Metronome mark, time signature and rhythm
There are many different tempo suggestions for this piece, some in my opinion are too fast and therefore, some of the details are not conveyed to the listener as a result. Nevertheless, too slow a tempo will not portray the vitality, energy and momentum of the piece. Burgmüller has written the word allegro at the beginning of the piece. The marked speed of 152 crotchets beats per minute is too fast, a speed of 132 crotchet beats per minute is appropriate.
The use of the duple time signature contributes to the energy and urgency that the music conveys.
Some players may find the playing of the semiquaver patterns a little difficult to maintain evenness. And, in most cases the player will find the LH semiquavers a little more demanding to play. There is a tendency for many players to commence playing this music too fast, so thinking through the speed of the semiquavers before beginning is wise.
The player will need to be comfortable changing between semiquaver and quaver patterns with ease.
Unexpected moments
There are two areas in this music where there are unexpected moments and the player should highlight these. Firstly, the melodic patterns contained in bars 16 – 18 are different in comparison with the rest of the music. And, the final two bars are not completely expected especially with the raped change of hand position in the penultimate bar.
In addition to these areas, the LH’s playing of the semiquaver pattern versus the RH melody should sound to the listener as if there is a contest happening. Here the listener may be given the impression that neither hand is paramount.
Beginning and ending
As stated before, the player must be accurate in how fast they play the first two bars. These two bars set the ‘scene’ and should portray an air of expectancy. Before commencing, the player should think through the speed of the LH semiquavers and also ‘feel’ the movement in their hands. There could be a danger that the player begins the music too quietly and the chords are either not heard at all or only some of the notes are heard.
At the end, the character conveyed should be one of triumph and victory. Here the player can finish with a flourish and with flamboyance. Once the final chord is played, the player should bring their body and elbows gradually up so that the chord is held sufficiently long enough before the hands are lifted off. In recognition of the fermata over the final chords, the player should let some of the sound die away before lifting off using the wrists, shoulders and elbows.
All the above covers are in the Public Domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
Details and considerations
Musical Period and composer
Burgmüller was a German composer and pianist born in 1806. Both his father and brother, Norbert, were composers. In 1832 he moved to Paris where he lived until he died in 1874. He composed many piano salon pieces, two ballets, songs and piano etudes. The piano etudes were written for children to play. His 25 Études faciles et progressives, Op. 100 and 18 Études, Op. 109 are well-known and are often played to this day.
An arabesque is a melody that creates the atmosphere of Arabic architecture, an artwork or structure that is decorated with numerous flowing lines. The title is derived from the Western understanding of what Arabic music sounded like at the time. It is also a dance step in ballet, a pose that is held for a time with the limbs extended. The ABRSM Grade 2 examination book’s footnotes for this piece state “an arabesque is an ornament found in Arabic art, so in music it refers to decorative writing. In this piece, the arabesque is a quick, short, light semiquaver figure that dominates the RH of the outer sections, and the LH of the middle section”.
The 25 Études faciles et progressives, Op. 100 contain short compositions with descriptive titles. In each piece the player is faced with a different technical challenge, which is accompanied by a range of dynamic, phrasing and articulation features.
Balance between the hands
For the most part the balance is to the RH. However, in bars 11 – 18 the hands should sound more equal in balance as if the hands are in competition with each other. In bars 17 and 18, the hands should blend together in sound before returning to RH balance in bar 19. And, at the end in bars 30 and 31 the hands should blend together.
Articulation
As the RH is lifting off at the end of the semiquaver/quaver patterns, the finger that plays the quaver should stay in contact with the key and the lift is achieved by the use of the elbow and shoulder. This will ensure that the sound of the quaver is not too abrupt. Burgmüller has provided a few staccato marks in bars 7, 23 and 25 and these notes should be played with crispness as a contrast to the other notes that are marked staccato. The accent markings and sf marked in the final bar should not be too loud. The player should play these notes with considerable elbow and shoulder use with weight provided by the shoulder. The LH staccato chords should be played with strong fingers with energy into the keys. The fingers should not be lifted too far off the keys in between each chord and the shoulder should support the arm and hand so that these chords can be played with ease. The player should ensure that the elbow is held away from the body so that the hand has room to move.
Dynamics
This piece presents the player with the opportunity to play with a wide variety of dynamics. Burgmüller has written in many dynamic markings and these should be followed throughout. The player should ensure that the fs and sfs are not too loud, as it would affect the lightness that the music requires. There are some long crescendos in this music, discuss with the player how to player a crescendo in stages. It would be wise for the player to ensure that not all of the final notes of melodic patterns are played the loudest of the set. A small change in the LH’s dynamics will make a considerable difference to the RH’s dynamics.
Rubato
In my opinion there should only be a little rubato used in this music. At the end of the first section, there could be a slight hesitation before playing the high C in bar 10. Nevertheless, the quaver rest should be strictly observed. And, as Burgmüller suggests a poco rall in bar 18 is appropriate to help the listener adjust to the return of the original music in the subsequent bar. However, this should not be overstated, there should only be a slight easing of the tempo. There should be no rubato in the final two bars, as this will affect the energy and momentum of the final phrase. A very small pause at the end of the bar 2 could be considered too.
Use of the LH
The playing of the LH chords has been discussed above. As with the LH, the finger that plays the quaver in the semiquaver/quaver patterns should stay in contact with the key as it is lifted off. The LH should become more legato in bars 16 – 18. In the final bar, the player should be encouraged to highlight the A in the chord. There could be a tendency for some of the notes of the LH to not be heard. This is especially true for the repeated chords. The player needs to play with strong and upright fingers, with a relaxed wrist with energy into the keys with a strong upward motion. Nevertheless, there should only be a small gap between each LH chord.
Use of the RH
There are two instances of tied notes in the RH that the player must ensure they match the tone of the subsequent note to. This is also the case in regards to the dotted crotchet and quaver patterns where the quaver note should not be played any louder than what the dotted crotchet has faded to. Burgmüller has added the word leggiero in bar 3, which emphasises the fact that the RH should be played with lightness and delicacy. The fingers should be played with strength and in an upright position with energy into the keys. The player should feel as if they are playing staccato within the legato. In bars 7 – 10 the music becomes more cantabile, so the RH should be played with some weight from the shoulder. The RH remains cantabile in bars 11 – 18 until it returns to the leggiero touch in bar 19. Note Burgmüller’s use of dolce in bar 23. The player should be encouraged to highlight the top note of the final chord.
Pedalling
A touch of pedal would be appropriate on the final chords however it is not a concern if pedal was not used at all.
Bars 1 – 10
start the music as suggested at a p level.
let the peak for the phrase be at mf level in bar 8.
the player should observe the p in bar 7, as this is unexpected and will add drama to the music.
in bar 7 the player needs to play the RH very carefully so that it is a little less in dynamics in comparison to the LH. After the first note in the RH, it can become louder than the LH.
the accent in the RH in bar 8 should be played in regards to the context of the music.
the rests should be strictly observed. This is one of the ways that Burgmüller uses to contribute to the energy of the music.
the accent used in the RH in bar 8 is a little unexpected so the player should take the trouble to highlight this. The player should play this note with a little weight from the shoulder using elbow movement.
the listener should be made aware of the fact that the character changes at the beginning of bar 5 to a more lyrical character.
encourage the player to highlight either the top or bottom notes of the LH where appropriate if possible.
Bars 11 – 18
start this section at mp level.
let the peak of the section be at the beginning of bar 15 at f level.
the player needs to show the listener that a change of character has occurred at the beginning of this section.
as stated before, this section is interesting in that the RH and LH have melodies that are in a sense, competing with each other. The player must ensure that they adhere to the articulation suggested in the music because · this will help the listener be aware of the independent melodic material in this section.
in bars 16 – 18 the melodic material becomes more similar between the hands and on bars 17 and 18 the hands should blend together in sound. During these two bars encourage the player to focus on the LH and let the RH (providing it is well-known) play by itself. There is a danger here in these bars that the notes are not played together with precision. Using time names and ensuring that all fingers are equally curved will help this.
in bars 17 – 18 Burgmüller has written quavers rather than semiquavers and as a result, the music loses some of its energy and momentum. The player needs to ensure that the dynamics do not drop too soon and that the ritardando is only slight.
Bars 19 – 27
start this section at mp level.
let the peak for this section occur at the end of bar 22 at mf level.in comparison with the first section, there is one bar less in this section. This reduction in length is deliberate in that it heightens the tension and drama at this point. The player needs to maintain quiet dynamics in bars 23 – 25, as this will add a dramatic touch too. Burgmüller has added dolce on the first RH note of bar 23 and this reinforces the reason for maintaining the quiet dynamics.
Bars 28 – 32
start this section at mp level. This will be at the same level that the previous phrase finished with.
let the peak for the phrase be in the final bar as suggested using a sf. The dynamics in the penultimate bar could be at ff level.
there is a danger, that since the dynamics are becoming louder that some harshness may occur. Encourage the player to use shoulder weight and fluid elbows when playing the final bars.
some players may find the last two bars a lightly difficult to execute. It is suggested that in bar 29 the player looks to the area where the LH has to move to. At the beginning of the penultimate bar, the LH moves to where the eyes are looking and then the RH can be quickly moved into position an octave above the LH. However, both hands should move simultaneously as it looks untidy for the observer when the hands move at different times. Apply the same principle when moving higher for the last bar.