Burgmüller for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Friedrich Burgmüller was a German composer and piano teacher who lived from 1806 to 1874. He spent most of his life in Paris. He wrote a book of 25 short piano studies, each with a title, and piano students have played them ever since. The best first piece for a child is “Arabesque,” which lasts about a minute.

Quick facts

• Born: 1806, in Regensburg, Germany
• Died: 1874, near Paris, France
• Era: Romantic
• Played: piano
• Known for: 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100, with “Arabesque” and “Ballade”

The life in short

Burgmüller grew up in a musical home. His father was a conductor who led the music in the German city of Düsseldorf. His younger brother, Norbert, was a gifted composer who died at 26.

In his twenties, Friedrich moved to Paris. The city was full of pianos. Many families wanted lessons for their children, and a good teacher had plenty of work.

He became a well-known piano teacher in Paris. He wrote light pieces for the parlor and music for the ballet. One of his dances was added to the ballet Giselle, and dancers still perform it. Read the Giselle story for kids.

He taught for the rest of his life and died near Paris at 67.

The 25 studies

A study, or étude, is a piece that trains one skill. Many studies are plain drills. Burgmüller gave each of his a tune, a mood, and a title, so that a student has a story to tell while the fingers learn their job.

No.	Title	What it sounds like
2	Arabesque	Quick runs of five notes over bouncing chords
3	Pastorale	A calm tune from the countryside
7	The Clear Stream	Notes that ripple without a break
9	The Hunt	Horn calls and galloping
15	Ballade	A dark, urgent story with a sweet middle part
20	Tarantella	A whirling Italian dance
21	Harmony of the Angels	Flowing chords that pass from hand to hand
25	The Knight Errant	A bold, galloping piece to end the book

He wrote two more books of studies for older students. One of them has a piece called “The Storm.”

What the music sounds like

Burgmüller’s pieces are short, tuneful, and clear. Most last about a minute. Each has one idea, and the title tells you what to picture: a stream, a hunt, a swallow, a farewell.

The music fits small hands. The pieces sound brilliant and sit well under the fingers.

Pieces to play first

“Arabesque.” Quick runs of five notes over bouncing chords. It sounds fast and brilliant.

“Ballade.” The left hand rumbles a dark tune under sharp chords. The middle turns sweet and bright, and the dark tune returns.

“The Clear Stream.” The right hand ripples, and a tune hides inside the ripples.

“Tarantella.” A whirling dance that never stops to breathe. Read dances in classical music.

Things to do together

Guess the title. Play three of the studies with no titles. Ask your child to name each one. Then read Burgmüller’s titles.

Draw the picture. Pick one title. Draw it while the piece plays.

Fast and slow. Play two recordings of “Arabesque,” one fast and one slow. Ask which sounds better.

Name your own. Ask your child to give a title to a piece they are learning that has none.

For piano families

• Where they fit. The studies in Op. 100 suit students with a few years of lessons. “Arabesque” is an example on the étude list for RCM Level 3 piano. “Harmony of the Angels” is an example for Level 5.
• Hear it first. A child learns a study faster after hearing it played well.
• Not in order. The book begins easy and ends harder, and teachers still skip around.
• Good for recitals. These pieces are short and sound brilliant. Read piano recital pieces for beginners.

Print and play

Keep track of pieces learned on a lesson notes page. Read composers in piano lesson books, easy classical piano pieces for beginners, and short piano pieces explained.

For two more teachers who wrote for students, read Czerny for kids and Clementi for kids. For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.