Hungarian Melody, D. 817
Schubert's Hungarian Melody in B minor, D. 817 (1824), is an intermediate piece in 2/4, Octotune grade 6 of 8: a melancholy tune in snapped Hungarian rhythms and grace notes over a left hand of steady broken chords.
At a glance
| Composer | Franz Schubert (1797–1828) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 6 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 2 sharps (F♯, C♯) |
| Time | 2/4 |
| Tempo | 76 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 103 measures, about 2:43 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | D♯3 to D6 |
| Left hand | B1 to A4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Hungarian Melody, D. 817 | 6 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Franz Schubert wrote this short piece in 1824, while he was music teacher to the Esterházy family at Zseliz, in what was then Hungary. It has the sound of the Hungarian music he heard there: melancholy, proud and full of snapped rhythms. It is in B minor (two sharps) and 2/4.
How it is built. The left hand plays steady broken chords in eighth notes, B F sharp B D, for measure after measure. Over them the right hand's tune moves in snapped rhythms: a very short note on the beat, then a long one, F sharp B, F sharp B. Grace notes and quick turns decorate it, and the tune gathers into chords as it grows.
The tricky parts
- The snap. Short, then long: the reverse of a dotted rhythm. The short note is on the beat, very quick.
- Grace notes. Octotune plays them but doesn't wait for them. Learn the plain tune first.
- Accidentals. A sharp, B minor's leading note, and many others as the harmony shifts.
- An even left hand, soft and steady under the tune's free-sounding rhythm.
Practice plan
- Left hand alone in Play along, until the broken chords are automatic.
- Right hand alone in Wait for me, then clap its rhythm.
- Both hands at 50% speed with the loop on the hardest measures, then Play along.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches F sharp. The C sharps and other accidentals go well beyond it.
Questions
Is Schubert's Hungarian Melody hard?
It is an intermediate piece, Octotune grade 6 of 8. The left hand is steady; the right hand's snapped rhythms, grace notes and many accidentals are the challenge.
When did Schubert write the Hungarian Melody?
In 1824, while staying with the Esterházy family at Zseliz, in what was then Hungary.
Credits and license
- Music: Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
- Typeset by Felix Braun for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece