Les Sauvages
Les Sauvages, by Jean-Philippe Rameau, is a harpsichord piece in G minor and cut time, Octotune grade 5 of 8: a rondeau whose bold opening tune keeps returning, inspired by dancers Rameau saw in Paris in 1725.
At a glance
| Composer | Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 2 flats (B♭, E♭) |
| Time | 2/2 |
| Tempo | 120 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 80 measures, about 2:40 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | G3 to C6 |
| Left hand | G1 to A4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Les Sauvages | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Jean-Philippe Rameau was the leading French composer of his generation, for the harpsichord and for the opera stage. Les Sauvages comes from his Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin of the late 1720s. He wrote it after seeing dancers from Louisiana perform in Paris in 1725, and later reused it in his opera-ballet Les Indes galantes.
How it is built. It is a rondeau: the opening section, the refrain, comes back after each new section, or couplet. It is in G minor (two flats) and cut time, two big beats in a measure, and it should feel like a firm, stamping dance. Each hand plays mostly one line, in eighth notes and quarters, and the bass leaps widely.
The tricky parts
- Accidentals. F sharp, G minor's leading note, is everywhere; E naturals and others come and go.
- Leaps. The left hand jumps more than two octaves at times. Look ahead.
- Repeated notes. Pairs of eighths on the same key; keep them crisp and even.
- Ornaments. Octotune plays the short trills but doesn't wait for them. Learn the line first.
Practice plan
- The refrain first: hands separately in Wait for me, then together. Once it is secure, a good part of the piece is learned.
- Each couplet on its own, with Loop this measure on the leaps.
- Play along at 50% speed, then raise it to a strong two in a measure.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches B flat and F sharp. The E flats and the lowest bass notes go beyond it.
Questions
Is Rameau's Les Sauvages hard?
It is an early-intermediate piece, Octotune grade 5 of 8. The notes are mostly single lines in each hand, but it is quick, with leaps and many accidentals, and the rhythm must stay firm.
What inspired Les Sauvages?
Rameau wrote it after seeing dancers from Louisiana perform in Paris in 1725. He later reused the music in his opera-ballet Les Indes galantes.
Credits and license
- Music: Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764)
- Typeset by Ludovic Sardain for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece