Dumka, Op. 59
Tchaikovsky's Dumka, Op. 59 (1886), subtitled a Russian rustic scene, is an advanced piece in C minor, Octotune grade 7 of 8: a melancholy song and a whirling dance in turn, with chords, runs and leaps across the whole keyboard.
At a glance
| Composer | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Advanced: grade 7 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭) |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 60 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 146 measures, about 9:33 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | G1 to G7 |
| Left hand | B♭0 to D7 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Dumka, Op. 59 | 7 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Dumka, Op. 59, in 1886, and subtitled it a Russian rustic scene. A dumka is a Slavic folk ballad that swings between melancholy song and lively dance, and this one does both, at length. It is in C minor (three flats) and one of the most demanding pieces in Octotune.
How it is built. It opens with a slow, sad song in chords, the tune on top, over a deep bass. Later the music gathers speed into dances, with quick runs, repeated chords and leaps across the whole keyboard, from the very bottom to the very top. The meter changes for a moment, and runs sweep up and down like improvised flourishes.
The tricky parts
- Chords everywhere. Three and four notes in each hand. Learn them as shapes.
- Leaps. The hands jump several octaves at times. Look ahead and move early.
- Fast runs and ornaments. Octotune plays the ornaments but doesn't wait for them.
- Length and accidentals. Nine minutes at the app's pace, with accidentals throughout.
Practice plan
- Listen to the whole piece first in Listen, following the sheet.
- One section at a time, the loop set to it, hands separately in Wait for me, at 40–50% speed.
- Join sections only when each is secure, and raise the speed slowly.
Before you start: the whole Octotune path, then intermediate pieces such as Tchaikovsky's own Old French Song and the Chopin preludes.
Questions
What is a dumka?
A Slavic folk ballad, and a form of music that swings between slow, melancholy song and quick, lively dance. Tchaikovsky subtitled his Dumka a Russian rustic scene.
Is Tchaikovsky's Dumka hard?
Yes. It is an advanced piece, Octotune grade 7 of 8, and about nine minutes long at the app's pace: full chords, wide leaps across the keyboard, fast runs and many accidentals.
Credits and license
- Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
- Typeset by Vassily Checkin for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece