La Styrienne

Instrumentation

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Musical Terms (3)

• La Styrienne French
  The Styrian Dance — a piece in the style of a ländler from the Austrian province of Styria. In Op. 100 No. 14, Burgmüller uses the lilting 3/4 rhythm of the Styrian folk dance to create one of the collection's most charming character pieces. The Styrian dance is related to the ländler and is a precursor of the Viennese waltz.
  La Styrienne should feel as if it lifts off the ground with each phrase. The second beat in the right hand creates the characteristic 'lift' of the dance — it must be slightly lighter than the first. Avoid making it too smooth or legato; a gentle lilt in the phrasing is more authentic than a polished waltz style.
• cantabile Italian
  Singing, song-like — an instruction to play in a smooth, lyrical style that imitates the human voice. In Burgmüller's études and character pieces, cantabile passages require a full, singing tone in the melody with a lighter accompaniment texture.
  For a true cantabile touch, imagine the melody as a vocal line: shape each phrase as a singer would, with a slight intensification on the way up and a gentle taper on the way down. The accompaniment must be subservient — never let it compete with the singing voice above.
• progressive studies English
  A collection of piano études arranged in order of increasing technical difficulty. Burgmüller's Op. 100 is subtitled 'faciles et progressives' — easy and progressive — meaning the pieces are designed to be learned in sequence, with each introducing skills that prepare the student for the next.
  When assigning pieces from Op. 100, the order matters. The early pieces are deliberately simple enough to achieve fluency quickly; the technical challenges introduced in later pieces (cross-hand patterns, rapid runs, chromatic passages) build directly on earlier ones. Do not jump ahead without mastering what comes before.