How hard is Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 to play?

Its passages grade from level 8 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 9–16 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 8, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–8 for both hands together, the level-8 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 8 because it leaps a minor third plus an octave and its chords go beyond simple triads.

What key and time signature is Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 in?

Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 is in E minor, 1 sharp. The engraving on this page is in 2/4 time.

Can I practice Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 3 graded passages from Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

What does Inquiétude mean?

It is French for restlessness or uneasiness, which describes the nervous, scurrying figure that runs through the whole study.

Which collection is it from?

It is No. 18 of Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100.

What level is Inquiétude?

Piano Street places it at Level 4 on its own graded scale; we did not find a listing in an exam-board syllabus.

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Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18

Friedrich Burgmüller (1806–1874) · sheet music

Key E minor
Time 2/4
Levels 8–9
Passages 3

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Friedrich Burgmüller, German-French romantic (1806–1874). The reading release has 3 passages from this piece at levels 8–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 1–8 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

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

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 Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18.

Hands together · bars 1–8 level 8
The hardest bars · bars 9–16 level 9

How to play Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18

Tempo:The engraving is marked Allegro agitato; start slowly and keep each three-note group perfectly even, raising the speed only when the right hand stays relaxed.
Right hand:Use light, close fingers for the quick groups, and avoid lifting the hand high between notes.
Left hand:Play the chords short and soft on each beat, like a clock ticking under the right hand.
Hands together:Notice that the right-hand groups fall off the beat, so practice with a metronome until the two hands interlock.
Rhythm:Count out loud, then say the offbeat groups as an echo of the left-hand beat.
Dynamics:Use clear louds and softs, since this piece depends on contrast for its drama.
Reading:Read in E minor with one sharp, and watch for the A sharps and D sharps that act as leading tones in the figure and the chords.
Practice:Practice the right-hand figure alone in different rhythms before putting it with the left hand.

Common mistakes

Letting the left-hand chords get heavy. Fix: Keep them short and light so the right hand stays free.
Starting too fast and tightening up. Fix: Begin at a comfortable speed and add tempo gradually.
Placing the right-hand groups on the beat instead of just after it. Fix: Say the rest aloud as you play, so each group starts a sixteenth after the left-hand chord.

Structure: ternary with coda (A–B–A–coda)

As printed on this page, the study states its restless figure in E minor, moves to G major for a contrasting middle section with the same texture, brings back the opening, and ends with a short coda in which the figure sinks low in the right hand before a final upward flourish.

A · Opening (E minor): The scurrying figure begins in E minor over detached chords; aim for evenness at a quick pace, and watch the A sharps.
B · Middle (G major): The same figure moves higher and settles in G major, with C sharps and D sharps to read as the harmony shifts back toward E minor.
A · Return (E minor): The opening comes back and closes firmly in E minor.
Coda · Closing (E minor): The figure drops into a low register over single bass notes and fades, before two short upward echoes end the study.

About Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18

Friedrich Burgmüller was born in Regensburg in 1806 and moved to Paris in 1832, where he lived until his death in 1874. His best-known work is the set of 25 Études faciles et progressives, Op. 100, short character studies for early intermediate students, first published in Paris in 1851.

Inquiétude, or Restlessness, is the eighteenth study in the set. The left hand plays short chords on the beats while the right hand fills the gaps with quick groups of three sixteenths that start just after each beat, which gives the piece its nervous, breathless feel.

The Op. 100 studies are still widely used because each has a title that suggests a mood and a clear technical aim. In this one the aim is speed, evenness and a light touch.

Burgmüller followed Op. 100 with two sets for more advanced players: 12 Études, Op. 105, and 18 Études, Op. 109.
Burgmüller's Peasant Pas de Deux was added to Adolphe Adam's ballet Giselle for its 1841 premiere.
Burgmüller's father and brother were also composers.

Why the first passage is level 8

That passage is level 8 rather than 7 because it leaps a minor third plus an octave, its chords go beyond simple triads.

A restless E minor study: detached left-hand chords on the beat and quick right-hand notes between them. Read the pattern first, then the changes.

Questions about Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18

How hard is Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 to play?: Its passages grade from level 8 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 9–16 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 8, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–8 for both hands together, the level-8 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 8 because it leaps a minor third plus an octave and its chords go beyond simple triads.
What key and time signature is Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 in?: Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 is in E minor, 1 sharp. The engraving on this page is in 2/4 time.
Who composed Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18?: Friedrich Burgmüller, German-French romantic (1806–1874). Friedrich Burgmüller was born in Regensburg in 1806 and moved to Paris in 1832, where he lived until his death in 1874.
Can I practice Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 3 graded passages from Inquiétude, Op. 100 No. 18 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
What does Inquiétude mean?: It is French for restlessness or uneasiness, which describes the nervous, scurrying figure that runs through the whole study.
Which collection is it from?: It is No. 18 of Burgmüller's 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100.
What level is Inquiétude?: Piano Street places it at Level 4 on its own graded scale; we did not find a listing in an exam-board syllabus.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 3 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 8: bars 1–8 both hands · bars 17–24 both hands
Level 9: bars 9–16 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

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

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