Le Courant limpide, Op. 100 No. 7
Le Courant limpide (The Clear Stream), No. 7 of Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, is a quick study in G major and 4/4, Octotune grade 5 of 8: rippling right-hand triplets over a plain, steady bass.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 1 sharp (F♯) |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 176 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 16 measures, about 22 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | A3 to G6 |
| Left hand | G2 to G4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Le Courant limpide, Op. 100 No. 7 | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Le Courant limpide, "The Clear Stream", is No. 7 of Friedrich Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100. You can hear the water running: quick, clear and light, in G major (one sharp), and only about half a minute long.
How it is built. The right hand plays triplets, three notes to every beat, the whole way through. The first note of each group is held a little longer, as a quarter note, so a slow tune is hidden inside the ripples; the other two notes flicker above it. The patterns climb from below middle C to high above the staff. The left hand is plain: quarter notes, G and D, rocking under the stream.
The tricky parts
- Even triplets. Three equal notes per beat, never two quick and one slow. Count "1-trip-let 2-trip-let".
- The hidden tune. Hold each first note for its full beat while the other two move.
- Moving the hand. The patterns shift up and down the keyboard; keep the wrist loose and the motion smooth.
- C sharp, written in where the music leans toward D major.
Practice plan
- Right hand alone in Wait for me, slowly, until the shapes are familiar.
- Play along with the right hand at 50% speed, then higher.
- Both hands together; the left hand is easy, so let it keep time.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches F sharp. The highest notes and the C sharps go beyond it.
Questions
Is Le Courant limpide hard?
It is an early-intermediate piece, Octotune grade 5 of 8, and short. The right hand ripples in quick triplets across the keyboard; the left hand is simple. Evenness at speed is the whole study.
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