25 Easy Studies, Op. 100: La Styrienne

About this work

Three small notes set the dance in motion before the right hand states its tune. To keep that opening buoyant, the bass marks the first beat while the next two chords grow lighter; the 3/4 can then move forward without becoming stiff or slow.

The middle section moves from G major to C major and takes on a more decisive character. The return still needs the same suppleness: accents, short slurs and changes of dynamic reshape the phrase without weighing down the pulse. The left-hand clef changes also show that the accompaniment is more than a mechanical bass pattern; some sustained notes must remain audible beneath the chords.

Practise the left hand first while thinking “bass, light, light”, then play the melody alone and locate its upbeats and appoggiaturas. Combine the hands at a moderate tempo without pedal. A short pedal on the first beat can then support the harmony, provided it is renewed before the chords become blurred.


What the document contains
Scoring: piano solo. The one-page PDF contains the complete study, including its repeats, C-major section, fingering, dynamics and articulation.
Files: the PDF is accompanied by a MIDI file for listening to the piece as a continuous performance. Every page links back to LesPartitions.info.
Source and rights: Bas Wassink’s engraving for the Mutopia Project is based on the nineteenth-century Collection Litolff. The work and this edition are in the public domain.