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Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2

Ferdinand Beyer (1803–1863) · sheet music

  • Time 3/4
  • Levels 2
  • Passages 15

Your turn · both hands

 

 

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Ferdinand Beyer, German romantic (1803–1863). The reading release has 25 passages from this piece at level 2; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 1–8 for the right hand alone.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 1–4 at level 2.

Your practice path

Learn it the way teachers do: each hand on its own, then together, then the hard bars. Each step is a real graded passage of Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2.

  1. Right hand alone · bars 1–4 level 2

How to play Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2

  1. Tempo:Moderato means a comfortable middle speed. Count aloud and keep the beat the same through every change of meter.
  2. Left hand:Place finger 3 on G, finger 2 on A and finger 1 on B, the three white keys just above middle C. Keep the hand still and let each finger do its own note.
  3. Reading:Although this is left-hand music, it is in the treble clef: G is on the second line, A in the second space and B on the middle line. Read it the way you read the right-hand music in No. 1.
  4. Rhythm:The 2/4 variation has only two beats per bar. Count one-two and notice that two quarters fill the whole bar.
  5. Hands together:The right hand rests while the teacher's part supplies chords and a bass. If you practice with the accompaniment, listen for where your notes fit inside the teacher's chords.
  6. Fingering:In variations 6 to 8, move finger 5 to G and keep 1 on D. The new notes C and D fall under fingers 2 and 1, so the skips are reached without moving the hand.
  7. Practice:Learn the theme and the first two variations together, since they share every note. Add one new variation each session and play the repeats as written.

Common mistakes

  • Reading the treble clef notes as if they were in the bass clef. Fix: Name each note aloud before playing: G on the second line, A in the space above, B on the middle line.
  • Using the wrong finger on A or B because the left hand runs 3-2-1 instead of 1-2-3. Fix: Tap each finger on its key and say G-3, A-2, B-1 before starting.
  • Rushing the 2/4 variation as if it were still in four. Fix: Count only one-two per bar and stop at each bar line until the shorter bar feels natural.
  • Skipping the repeats in variation 5. Fix: Point to both repeat signs before playing and play the passage between them twice.

Structure: theme and variations

A whole-note theme moves among G, A and B, and each variation dresses it in a new rhythm. The first five stay on those three notes; the last three widen the hand to five notes and add skips.

Theme · Tema (G major)
One whole note per bar on G, A or B. Count four beats on each and listen for a smooth join between notes.
Var. 1–2 · Halves and dotted halves
Repeated half notes, then a dotted half with a quarter. The notes stay the same; only the rhythm changes.
Var. 3–5 · New meters
Quarter-note patterns in 3/4 and in 2/4, so the bar shrinks to three and then two beats. Variation 5 adds repeat signs.
Var. 6–8 · Five-finger position
The hand opens to G, A, B, C and D, with the fifth finger on G. Skips of up to a fifth appear, reached without moving the hand.

About Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2

After a first number for the right hand, Beyer turns straight to the left. No. 2 is a theme with eight variations for the left hand alone, written in the treble clef, on notes just above middle C, so the pupil does not yet have to learn the bass clef. Like No. 1, it comes with a full part for the teacher.

The theme uses only three notes, G, A and B, played with the third, second and first fingers. The variations keep those three notes for a long stretch, changing only the rhythm, and then the last three open the hand to five notes from G up to D.

Beyer, a German pianist who lived from 1806 to 1863, published the whole Vorschule im Klavierspiel with Schott in 1850. The book has been called a foundation of elementary piano teaching in many countries and has long been used for young beginners in Japan.

  • No. 2 is written for the left hand but printed in the treble clef, so its notes sit on the same staff as the right-hand music before it.
  • For the first five variations the pupil uses only three fingers, the third, second and first.
  • Variation 5 comes with a printed explanation of repeat signs.
  • A printed footnote suggests saying the note name instead of one when counting, as in G-two-three-four.

Why the first passage is level 2

That passage is level 2 rather than 1 because it leaps a major third, it is in 3/4, not 4/4, it has dotted rhythms.

Every passage here uses just G, A and B in the treble clef. Beyer meant them for the left hand, fingers 3, 2 and 1, but they make good one-clef reading practice with either hand.

Questions about Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2

How hard is Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2 to play?
Its passages grade from level 2 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, which keeps all of it within beginner reading. The hardest stretch is bars 1–4 at level 2.
Is there an easy part of Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2 for beginners?
Yes. Start with bars 1–8 for the right hand alone, the level-2 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 2 because it leaps a major third and it is in 3/4, not 4/4.
What key and time signature is Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2 in?
The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.
Who composed Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2?
Ferdinand Beyer, German romantic (1803–1863). After a first number for the right hand, Beyer turns straight to the left.
Can I practice Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2 online for free?
Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 15 graded passages from Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 2 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Is Beyer No. 2 for the left hand or the right hand?
For the left hand alone. It is printed in the treble clef, which is why it can look like right-hand music.
How many variations does Beyer No. 2 have?
Eight, after a theme in whole notes. The first five use three notes and the last three use five.
Does Beyer No. 2 have a teacher's part?
Yes. Like the other early numbers, it is written as a three-hand duet with a separate part for the teacher.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 15 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 2
bars 1–4 right hand · bars 1–8 right hand · bars 5–8 right hand · bars 9–16 right hand · bars 9–12 right hand · bars 17–20 right hand · bars 17–24 right hand · bars 21–24 right hand · bars 25–32 right hand · bars 25–28 right hand · bars 33–36 right hand · bars 33–40 right hand · bars 37–40 right hand · bars 41–44 right hand · bars 41–48 right hand

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (imslp-omr), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261023-identity-audit reading release.

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