Pianuvo

Old French Song (Album for the Young, Op. 39 No. 16)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)

A graceful, wistful melody in G minor over a gentle accompaniment, from Tchaikovsky's Album for the Young.

Play it in Pianuvo Free in your browser. Watch the notes fall, then play along on a piano, a MIDI keyboard or the screen.

About this easy piano piece

Composer
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Level
Easy · Stage 3: Little Classics
Difficulty
3.5 on Pianuvo’s scale (1 is your first notes, about 9 is Debussy)
Length
about 55 seconds, 33 bars
Hands
Both hands
Time and tempo
2/4 at about 72 BPM
Range
G2 to F5

Background

In 1878 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Album for the Young, Op. 39, twenty-four short pieces for children to play. A group of them is named after the songs of different countries: there is a Russian song, an Italian song, a German song, a Neapolitan song and this Old French Song, No. 16 in the usual order. Together they make a small musical tour of Europe for a young pianist.

The piece itself is in G minor: a plain, wistful tune over a quiet accompaniment, with the feel of a song that has been sung for centuries.

How to practise it

This arrangement has 32 bars in 2/4, plus a one-note upbeat. It falls into four eight-bar phrases: the tune, the tune again, a middle section, and the tune a third time.

The upbeat D leads up into the first phrase. A good fingering at the start saves trouble later:

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The upbeat and bars 1 to 4: tuck the thumb under for B flat, and the hand then stays in place

In bar 6 the tune turns on a quick pair of sixteenth notes, E flat and D. Count "1 e & a 2 &" and play the sixteenths on "&" and "a". Then the line steps down to a long A; cross finger 3 over the thumb to reach it, and let the phrase settle quietly on G.

In the opening phrases the left hand has two layers of its own: a low G held down with finger 5 for several bars while the upper fingers play the notes above it. Practise it alone and check that the held G really lasts.

The middle section changes the accompaniment. From bar 17 the left hand plays broken chords in eighth notes that spread over more than an octave, so let the hand travel with them rather than trying to stretch.

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Bars 17 and 18, left hand: wide broken chords, so the hand moves as it plays

A practice plan:

  1. The first phrase in the right hand only, at 40 beats a minute, singing the line as you play.
  2. The same phrase in the left hand, holding every long note.
  3. Both hands, a couple of bars at a stretch, until the whole phrase holds together.
  4. Learn the middle section the same way, then raise the speed through 56 to the full 72.

Listen for the phrases as questions and answers: bars 1 and 2 rise, bars 3 and 4 reply, and so on. Keep the left hand softer than the right, so the tune sounds like one voice singing over a quiet accompaniment.

The same key, and a similar mood, return in the Minuet in G minor.

Quick tips

  1. Sing the right-hand line and keep the left hand softer. Notice how the phrases rise and fall like questions and answers.
  2. It covers a wide G2 to F5, so look ahead for the big moves and keep your arms relaxed. Both hands play: learn each hand on its own first, then put them together slowly. In G minor every B and E is flat: play B♭ and E♭, the black keys below B and E.
  3. Written at about 72 BPM, but start near 50 BPM (70% speed) and speed up only when two clean plays in a row feel easy. Count 1-2 in a steady, marching pulse.

In the Academy

Not yet part of the Academy course. You can still play it any time from the song path. See the Academy course outline for what Year 1 covers.

More songs to try

Source. The music is in the public domain. This version is from Mutopia Project (typeset by David McNamara), released as Public Domain (source page).