Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 1

Carl Czerny · Level 4 (Intermediate) · study · Piano

The first of the 50 Melodic Studies, in C major: a melody of detached notes leaping across the octaves over steady chords, then thirds and sixths in eighths. From the 50 Melodic Studies Op. 840, where Czerny blends technical work with real musicality. C major, 4/4, 36 bars (about 2 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Detach the melody notes without stiffness and keep the left-hand chords light. Let the melody sing above the accompaniment, even in the technical passages. The piece starts with a pickup: count the incomplete bar before coming in. For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together.

More pieces by Carl Czerny

• Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 13
• Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 14
• Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 6
• Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 9
• Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 3
• Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 10
• Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 15
• Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 19

Source : Mutopia Project · Public Domain