La Pastorale, Op. 100 No. 3
La Pastorale, No. 3 of Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, is a gentle piece in G major and 6/8, Octotune grade 5 of 8: a shepherd's tune over soft, repeated chords, with small ornaments like a pipe.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 1 sharp (F♯) |
| Time | 6/8 |
| Tempo | 100 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 29 measures, about 51 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | E4 to G6 |
| Left hand | G2 to A♯4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| La Pastorale, Op. 100 No. 3 | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
La Pastorale is No. 3 of Friedrich Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100. A pastorale is country music: shepherds, pipes, a calm hillside. It is in G major (one sharp) and a rocking 6/8, and lasts under a minute.
How it is built. The right hand begins alone, with a simple tune in eighths, G B C D B E. Then the left hand enters with soft chords, G B D, repeated and held, a drone like a shepherd's bagpipe. The tune moves over them in eighths and dotted quarters, decorated with small ornaments like a pipe's trills. In places it climbs high above the staff.
The tricky parts
- 6/8. Two beats in a measure, each of three eighths: let it sway gently.
- Singing over chords. The chords are quiet; the tune sings above them. Hold every chord for its full length.
- Ornaments. Octotune plays them but doesn't wait for them. Learn the plain tune first.
- High notes. Read them from high C, two ledger lines above the staff.
Practice plan
- The tune alone with the Melody level, in Wait for me, then Play along.
- The left hand alone at the Full level, listening to how quietly it can play.
- Both hands at 60% speed, then raise it until it sways.
Also in the book: La Candeur and Arabesque, Nos. 1 and 2.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 11, which teaches F sharp and chords. The highest notes and a few accidentals go beyond it.
Questions
Is Burgmüller's La Pastorale hard?
It is an early-intermediate piece, Octotune grade 5 of 8. The tune is simple; the skill is a singing line over the left hand's held chords, with small ornaments, in a gentle 6/8.
Credits and license
- Music: Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874)
- Typeset by Bas Wassink for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece