Tendre Fleur, Op. 100 No. 10
Tendre Fleur (Tender Flower), No. 10 of Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, is a Beginner piece in D major and 4/4, Octotune grade 4 of 8: flowing eighth notes that climb far above the staff, over a light left hand.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 4 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 2 sharps (F♯, C♯) |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 152 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 24 measures, about 37 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | D4 to F♯6 |
| Left hand | E3 to B4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Tendre Fleur, Op. 100 No. 10 | 4 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Tendre Fleur, "Tender Flower", is No. 10 of Friedrich Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100. It is delicate and flowing, in D major (two sharps, F sharp and C sharp), and lasts well under a minute.
How it is built. The right hand plays almost nothing but eighth notes. It climbs a D major chord, D E F sharp A, A D, D F sharp, then keeps rising, far above the treble staff, to an F sharp more than an octave above its top line. The left hand is light: long notes and short, soft groups of eighths.
The tricky parts
- Very high notes. Read them up from high A (one ledger line above the staff) or high C (two). Where the sheet writes them lower under an octave line, 8va, play them an octave higher.
- Shifting the hand. The line spans more than one hand position; move smoothly, never with a bump.
- Legato and shape. Each phrase should rise and fall, like the flower's stem bending.
- Two sharps, and a few G sharps written in.
Practice plan
- Right hand alone in Wait for me, naming the high notes as you meet them.
- Both hands at 50% speed with Loop this measure on the highest phrase.
- Play along, raising the speed only as far as the eighths stay smooth.
Also in the book: La Candeur, No. 1, another study in legato.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches F sharp. The C sharps and the very high notes go a step beyond it.
Questions
Is Tendre Fleur easy?
It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 4 of 8. The right hand plays flowing eighth notes that climb very high, so reading ledger lines and moving the hand smoothly are the main challenges.
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