Minuet in E-flat, WoO 82
Beethoven's Minuet in E-flat major, WoO 82, is a stately minuet in 3/4 with a trio in A-flat major, Octotune grade 6 of 8: full chords in both hands, three flats, then four, and a graceful, measured dance.
At a glance
| Composer | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 6 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭) |
| Time | 3/4 |
| Tempo | 112 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 122 measures, about 3:16 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | G3 to F6 |
| Left hand | B♭1 to D♭5 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Minuet in E-flat, WoO 82 | 6 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
A minuet for piano by Ludwig van Beethoven, published without an opus number (WoO means Werk ohne Opuszahl, "work without opus number", the same list that holds Für Elise). It is stately and warm, in E-flat major (three flats) and 3/4, with a trio in the middle.
How it is built. It starts on a pick-up, a low B flat. The minuet is written in chords: the right hand often plays two to four notes at once, the tune on top, while the left hand plays bass notes and octaves. The trio changes key signature to four flats, A-flat major, and then the minuet returns.
The tricky parts
- Reading chords. Read from the bottom note up, and learn each as a hand shape.
- Flats. B, E and A flat in the minuet; D flat too in the trio. Play each key's scale first.
- Voicing. The tune is the top note; let it sing above the chord.
- Steady three. A minuet is a dance: a clear first beat, lighter second and third.
Practice plan
- The tune alone with the Melody level.
- Each hand alone at the Full level in Wait for me, a phrase at a time.
- Both hands at 50% speed with Loop this measure, then Play along.
Also by Beethoven: the Tempo di Menuetto of the Sonata Op. 49 No. 2, another minuet.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 11, which teaches B flat and chords. The other flats go beyond it.
Questions
What does WoO mean?
Werk ohne Opuszahl, German for work without opus number: the catalog of Beethoven's works that he did not publish with an opus number. WoO 82 is this minuet; Für Elise is WoO 59.
Is Beethoven's Minuet in E-flat, WoO 82, hard?
It is an intermediate piece, Octotune grade 6 of 8. Both hands play chords, with three flats in the minuet and four in the trio, but the tempo is moderate.
Credits and license
- Music: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
- Typeset by Stelios Samelis for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece