Deuxième Arabesque (L. 66, No. 2)

Background

Claude Debussy's two Arabesques were published together in Paris by Durand in 1891, and they have been played as a pair ever since. The first, in E major, flows in long, smooth curves (see the Première Arabesque). The second, in G major, is its lively, witty companion, marked Allegretto scherzando: moderately quick and playful, scherzando coming from the Italian word for joking.

Both pieces come from Debussy's late twenties, before he found the bold harmonies of his mature style, and they are some of his most approachable music. The idea of the arabesque, a decorative line that twists and curls, is just as present here as in the first piece, but now the curls are quick, sharp little turns that flick from one beat to the next. It is a piece of humour and lightness rather than dreaminess.

How to practise it

Almost everything grows from one tiny figure in the right hand: a quick three-note turn squeezed into the first half of a beat, followed by a single eighth note. It appears in the very first bar and returns on page after page.

Practise the figure slowly in rhythm: "tri-pl-et, AND". The turn should be crisp and even, with the fingers close to the keys, and the eighth note after it short and light. Keep the same fingering every time; a reliable pattern is what lets this figure go fast later.

Under the first four bars, the left hand holds soft chords that change by one note at a time:

Then the left hand begins to bounce, with short chords and bass notes on the beats. From bar 5 some of its chords spread just over an octave, from a low G to the B above; roll these quickly from the bottom if your hand cannot hold them.

Other things to learn as separate exercises:

• Bars 15 to 18, where the right hand dips low and the quick notes pass between registers.
• The quieter middle section, beginning around bar 38, where the music moves through other keys in smooth scale patterns.
• The return of the opening from bar 62, and the closing bars on G.

A tempo ladder: each hand alone at 60 beats a minute, hands together at 60, then 84, 104 and the full 120. Use the pedal very lightly, changing it on each beat, so the music stays crisp and dry, and keep the dynamics mostly soft so the louder moments sparkle.

Above all, keep it playful. The fingers should feel as if they are tiptoeing, never pressing, and the turns should sound like quick laughter rather than hard work.