How hard is Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 to play?

Its passages grade from level 2 to level 3 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, which keeps all of it within beginner reading. The hardest stretch is bars 9–16 at level 3.

Is there an easy part of Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 for beginners?

Yes. Start with bars 1–4 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 has dotted rhythms.

What key and time signature is Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 in?

The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.

Who composed Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20?

Ferdinand Beyer, German romantic (1803–1863). No.

Can I practice Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 5 graded passages from Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Who was Beyer's Preparatory School written for?

Beyer's preface describes it as a first introduction for the very youngest children, partly for musical parents preparing them for a teacher, and IMSLP gives the dedication as to the mothers of families.

How long does No. 20 take to play?

The PTNA Piano Music Encyclopedia lists about 45 seconds.

Is Beyer's Op. 101 in the public domain?

Yes. Beyer died in 1863, and IMSLP lists old editions such as Peters and Schirmer as public domain.

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Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20

Ferdinand Beyer (1803–1863) · sheet music

Time 4/4
Levels 2–3
Passages 5

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Ferdinand Beyer, German romantic (1803–1863). The reading release has 5 passages from this piece at levels 2–3; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 1–4 for the right hand alone.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 9–16 at level 3.

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. 20.

Right hand alone · bars 1–8 level 2
The hardest bars · bars 9–16 level 3

How to play Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20

Tempo:The Peters edition marks it Allegretto, but with so many long notes it still feels unhurried; pick a pulse at which the left hand's quarter notes stay perfectly even.
Right hand:Set the thumb on C, finger 2 on D, 3 on E, and 5 on G, as the edition's chart shows; finger 4 simply hovers over F.
Left hand:Beyer's left-hand part rocks between E and G, and later F and G, in legato quarter notes; learn it alone until it runs without thought.
Hands together:The real task is holding a right-hand note for three or four beats while the left hand keeps moving, so count aloud and keep the long note down through every left-hand change.
Rhythm:Count one-two-three through the dotted half note and place the E on four; the left hand's quarter notes hand you each count.
Practice:Play the C-E-G-C outline slowly several times with 1-3-5-1, then set it back between the repeated D's.
Reading:Read the note values before the pitches: the right hand uses only four different notes, so rhythm is the real reading task.

Common mistakes

Letting go of the dotted half note on beat three. Fix: Keep the finger down until four and play the E exactly then.
Blurring the two repeated D's into one long note. Fix: Lift just enough between them to hear two separate half notes of equal length.
Reaching for F instead of G at the top of the chord outline. Fix: Skip over finger 4 and land on G with finger 5.
Releasing the final whole note before its four counts are up. Fix: Count four aloud before going back to the repeat.

Structure: rounded binary (second half repeated)

A short opening section is followed by a repeated second half in which a contrasting phrase leads back to the opening idea. The contrast comes from repeated D's and the quick chord outline; the return restores the long-short dotted half note pattern.

A · Long C, short E: A dotted half note C answered by a quarter note E, twice, then paired D's and a fall back to C. What you read here is the long-short rhythm, not new pitches.
B · Repeated D and chord outline: Half-note D's frame a quick quarter-note climb through C, E, G, and C, printed with fingers 1-3-5-1.
A · Return: The dotted half note idea comes back and the line closes on a whole note C before the repeat.

About Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20

No. 20 belongs to the run of pieces headed Exercises for Both Hands in the Peters edition, written for a five-note hand position with no sharps, flats, or key signature. The right hand moves almost entirely in half notes, dotted half notes, and whole notes, while the left hand keeps up a chain of legato quarter notes underneath.

The opening idea is a dotted half note C answered by a quarter note E, heard twice before the line settles on two D's and comes back to C. After the double bar, a repeated second half sets repeated D's against one quick climb through C, E, G, and C, the only time the melody touches G, and then brings back the opening idea to finish.

Beyer's preface, reprinted in Alfred's edition, says the book was meant for the very youngest pupils and for musical parents getting their children ready for a teacher, and IMSLP gives its dedication as to the mothers of families. A study this slow, with so few pitches, is easy for a parent and child to count through together.

The hand-position chart printed beside No. 20 in the Peters edition gives the right hand only C, D, E, and G, so the fourth finger has nothing to play.
IMSLP dates the first edition to 1850 from Schott in Mainz, and PTNA notes that it was announced in Hofmeister's monthly trade listing in January 1851.

Why the first passage is level 2

That passage is level 2 rather than 1 because it leaps a major third, it has dotted rhythms.

Only four different pitches appear in the right hand, so the reading is mostly rhythm: long notes, a dotted half note followed by a quarter, and one quick chord outline.

Questions about Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20

How hard is Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 to play?: Its passages grade from level 2 to level 3 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, which keeps all of it within beginner reading. The hardest stretch is bars 9–16 at level 3.
Is there an easy part of Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 for beginners?: Yes. Start with bars 1–4 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 has dotted rhythms.
What key and time signature is Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 in?: The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.
Who composed Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20?: Ferdinand Beyer, German romantic (1803–1863). No.
Can I practice Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 5 graded passages from Preparatory School, Op. 101 No. 20 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Who was Beyer's Preparatory School written for?: Beyer's preface describes it as a first introduction for the very youngest children, partly for musical parents preparing them for a teacher, and IMSLP gives the dedication as to the mothers of families.
How long does No. 20 take to play?: The PTNA Piano Music Encyclopedia lists about 45 seconds.
Is Beyer's Op. 101 in the public domain?: Yes. Beyer died in 1863, and IMSLP lists old editions such as Peters and Schirmer as public domain.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 5 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 2: bars 1–8 right hand · bars 1–4 right hand · bars 5–8 right hand
Level 3: bars 9–16 right hand · bars 9–12 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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