Rondo
Ignaz Pleyel's Rondo in C major is a graceful piece in 3/4, Octotune grade 4 of 8. The right hand plays the tune in pairs of notes, sixths and thirds, over a light left hand, and the opening tune keeps coming back, as in every rondo.
At a glance
| Composer | I. J. Pleyel |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 4 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: no sharps or flats |
| Time | 3/4 |
| Tempo | 104 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 32 measures, about 55 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | D4 to A5 |
| Left hand | C2 to G4 |
| On the path | Unit 12, Sight-reading |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Rondo | 4 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Ignaz Pleyel studied with Haydn and was one of the most popular composers of his day; later, in Paris, he founded a famous piano-making firm. This short rondo is in C major and 3/4: an elegant, dancing piece of about a minute.
How it is built. A rondo is built around one tune that keeps coming back, with other sections in between. Here the tune is in the right hand, played in double notes: first sixths (E and C together, then D and B), then thirds (F and A, C and E). The left hand is light, often with a little turn of eighth notes, G F sharp G.
The tricky parts
- Double notes. Both notes of each pair must sound exactly together. Keep the top note, the tune, a touch stronger.
- Reading sixths and thirds. A third is line to line (or space to space); a sixth is a line and a space, farther apart. Learn the two shapes by sight.
- Accidentals in the sections between the returns of the tune.
- Keeping it light. Three beats in a measure, with the lift of a dance.
Practice plan
- The tune alone with the Melody level, in Play along. This is how Unit 12 plays it: in time.
- The right hand's double notes at the Full level in Wait for me, which waits for both notes.
- Both hands at 50% speed, then Play along.
In the path: Unit 12 for grown-ups plays its tune in time, as sight-reading practice.
Questions
Is Pleyel's Rondo easy?
It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 4 of 8, in C major. The right hand often plays two notes at once, in sixths and thirds, which is the main thing to practice.
Who was Ignaz Pleyel?
An Austrian-born composer (1757–1831) who studied with Joseph Haydn and later settled in Paris, where he founded the piano-making firm that bears his name.
Credits and license
- Music: I. J. Pleyel
- Typeset by Bas Wassink for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece