Burgmüller's 25 Etudes, Op. 100

Introduction

This etude, long cherished and known as Burgmüller's 25 Etudes, originated in France in the mid-19th century. The title of the collection, translated directly from its original French, is 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes for Piano – Clear Structure and Fingering for Expanding Small Hands, Op. 100.

Composer's Background

The composer, Friedrich Johann Franz Burgmüller (1806–74), was born in Regensburg, Germany, grew up in Düsseldorf, and moved to France at the age of 26, where he became active in Paris. Paris at that time was an international city bustling with industrial and railway infrastructure development and vibrant artistic activity. As a foreigner, Burgmüller rose to prominence as a piano teacher, composer of salon music, and ballet music composer, seemingly riding the wave of the local musical culture. Judging from the publication status of his works at the time, comments from the ballet world, and the naturalization permit granted to him by King Louis-Philippe I, it can be inferred that his consistent work earned him the trust of the Parisian people.

Creation and Characteristics of Op. 100

The etudes "25 Etudes," Op. 100, were published in 1851. This was when he was 45 years old, having already gained a certain reputation as a composer through the success of his ballet music, and having reached the level of a veteran piano teacher. Since most of his legacy, including his autograph manuscripts, does not survive, the exact circumstances or purpose behind the creation of these etudes are not clear. However, during the peak of 19th-century piano culture, when numerous character pieces and etude collections emerged, Burgmüller undoubtedly aimed to create high-quality etudes for beginners that would convey the essence of the popular musical styles of the time while simultaneously improving fundamental piano playing techniques. He incorporated titles characteristic of the latest Romantic piano pieces, such as "Arabesque" (following Schumann) and "Ballade" (following Chopin and Liszt), and applied various ingenious adaptations to dance forms and character pieces like "Styrienne", "Tarantella", and "Barcarolle", making them accessible even to piano learners with "small hands."

Key characteristics include:

• No piece requires one hand to span an octave or more.
• Key signatures are limited to four accidentals (with "Barcarolle" in A-flat major being the most).
• In the first edition, all pieces are contained within two pages.
• Based on his many years of experience as a piano teacher, the phrasing and fingering are tailored to the customs of the time and the characteristics of the instrument.

Publication History

The first edition was released in 1851 by Benoît aîné in Paris, and the following year, in 1852, it was also published by Schott in Mainz, Germany. Today, these first edition scores can be easily accessed in online digital libraries.

Related Works

Furthermore, Op. 100 constitutes the first volume of a set of etudes conceived as a three-volume collection. Volume 2 is "18 Etudes, Op. 109" (1858), and Volume 3 is "12 Etudes, Op. 105" (1854). "18 Etudes" in Volume 2 is dedicated to the contemporary French composer Stephen Heller, and "12 Etudes" in Volume 3 is dedicated to D.F.E. Auber, who was the director of the Paris Conservatoire at the time.

Incidentally, Burgmüller had already published a three-volume introductory method book across Europe as early as 1838. It should also be noted that this text was designed for absolute beginners, and "25 Etudes" follows it in terms of difficulty level.