The library · Classical
Old French Song, Op. 39 No. 16
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A wistful melody in G minor, in A A B A form: one of the best-loved pieces in Tchaikovsky's Album for the Young.
G minor · 2/4 · 70 beats per minute · 32 bars · 55 s · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A A B A
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–8 | Gm · D7sus4/C · C7 · Gm · E♭maj7 · Cm · Gm/B♭ · Gm · Cm/E♭ · Cm · Gm/B♭ · Gm · F♯dim · D7 · Gm i · V7sus4 · IV7 · i · VImaj7 · iv · i · i · iv · iv · i · i · ♯vii° · V7 · i |
Perfect cadence |
| A | 9–16 | Gm · D7sus4/C · C7 · Gm · E♭maj7 · Cm · Gm/B♭ · Gm · Cm/E♭ · Cm · Gm/B♭ · Gm · F♯dim · D7 · Gm i · V7sus4 · IV7 · i · VImaj7 · iv · i · i · iv · iv · i · i · ♯vii° · V7 · i |
Perfect cadence |
| B | 17–24 | C7 · Gsus4 · E♭ · Gsus4 · Cm7/E♭ · Gsus4 · E♭maj7 · Am · F♯aug · Dsus4 · Cm · Gm/D · D IV7 · Isus4 · VI · Isus4 · iv7 · Isus4 · VImaj7 · ii · ♯VII+ · Vsus4 · iv · i · V |
Imperfect cadence |
| A | 25–32 | Gm · D7sus4/C · C7 · Gm · E♭maj7 · Cm · Gm/B♭ · Gm · Cm/E♭ · Cm · Gm/B♭ · Gm · Cm · D · Gm i · V7sus4 · IV7 · i · VImaj7 · iv · i · i · iv · iv · i · i · iv · V · i |
Perfect cadence |
The key
- G minor
- 2 flats in the key signature: B♭, E♭
- Scale
- G · A · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F
- Pillar chords
- I = Gm · IV = Cm · V7 = D7
The tricky passages
- Bar 14: fast runs (4.7 notes per second)
- Bar 22: fast runs (4.7 notes per second)
- Bar 30: fast runs (4.7 notes per second)
The plan: 11 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- Ode to Joy · Ludwig van Beethoven
- Prelude in C major, BWV 846 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114 · Christian Petzold
- Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 · Christian Petzold
- Sonata in C major, K. 545: 1st movement · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart