How hard is Gavotte in D Major 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 9–12 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Gavotte in D Major for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 8, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 17–20 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.

What key and time signature is Gavotte in D Major in?

Gavotte in D Major is in D major, 2 sharps. The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.

Can I practice Gavotte in D Major online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 2 graded passages from Gavotte in D Major in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Which opera is Gossec's Gavotte from?

It comes from Rosine, ou L'épouse abandonnée, a three-act French opera first staged at the Palais-Royal in Paris in July 1786.

Why do so many violin students know Gossec's Gavotte?

It is the last piece in Suzuki Violin School Volume 1, so it is a milestone for young violinists, and it has been arranged for many other instruments, piano included.

A French dance of moderate tempo in 4/4 or 2/2 that became popular at the court of Louis XIV. Eighteenth-century court gavottes typically begin their phrases in the middle of the bar.

← All pieces

Gavotte in D Major

François-Joseph Gossec (1734–1829) · sheet music

Key D major
Time 4/4
Levels 8–9
Passages 2

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

François-Joseph Gossec, Belgian classical (1734–1829). The reading release has 2 passages from this piece at levels 8–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 17–20 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 9–12 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 Gavotte in D Major.

Hands together · bars 17–20 level 8
The hardest bars · bars 9–12 level 9

How to play Gavotte in D Major

Tempo:Take a moderate, dancing pace rather than a fast one; the sixteenth-note turns in the contrasting strain should set your top speed.
Right hand:The tune moves in eighth-note pairs that rise and fall. Lean slightly on the first note of each pair and lighten the second so the line dances.
Left hand:Keep the accompaniment light and short so the eighth-note tune is never covered, especially under the phrase endings.
Hands together:Put the hands together phrase by phrase, and stop on each held note at a phrase end to check that both hands arrive together.
Fingering:In the passage of repeated notes followed by a jump of more than an octave, change fingers on the repeats and look ahead to the landing note before you leave.
Rhythm:Count the sixteenth-note turn as four quick notes per beat and practice it slowly in rhythm before fitting it after the longer notes around it.
Practice:Learn the main tune first, since it recurs, then isolate the turn with the G-sharp and repeat it until the fingering is automatic.

Common mistakes

Rushing the sixteenth-note turn so it blurs. Fix: Play it at half speed with a metronome, then raise the tempo a notch at a time.
Missing the G-sharp in the turn because the key signature has only F-sharp and C-sharp. Fix: Circle the accidental and say its name aloud before you play the passage.
Landing late after the big leap. Fix: Practice the jump alone, moving early and looking at the target key first.
Playing every eighth note at the same weight so the dance feels flat. Fix: Group the notes in pairs with a gentle lift between them.

Structure: gavotte

A gavotte is a French dance of moderate tempo written in 4/4 or 2/2, and court gavottes of the 18th century usually start their phrases in the middle of the bar. Gossec's piece pairs a tuneful main strain with contrasting strains built from repeated notes and quick turns.

A · Main tune (D major): A singing line in even eighth notes that dips and climbs by step, closing each short phrase on longer notes and a rest. Read it in two-note pairs to keep the shape clear.
B · Contrasting strain: Repeated notes and wide jumps give way to a quick sixteenth-note turn with a G-sharp, so this is where the reading speeds up.

About Gavotte in D Major

François-Joseph Gossec was born in 1734 in Vergnies, a village now in Belgium, and made his career in Paris. His Requiem of 1760 made his name, he founded the Concert des Amateurs in 1769, and he later wrote music honoring the French Revolution. He died in 1829 at the age of 95.

The Gavotte comes from his three-act opera Rosine, ou L'épouse abandonnée, first performed at the theater of the Palais-Royal in Paris on 14 July 1786. The opera itself is seldom heard, but the dance has had a long separate life.

Arrangers have kept it in circulation for more than a century: IMSLP lists versions for theater orchestra, violin and piano, cello and strings, saxophone quartet, trumpet and organ, and solo piano. Violinists meet it early, as the closing piece of Suzuki Violin School Volume 1.

Mozart met Gossec in Paris in 1778 and described him to his father as a very good friend and a very dry man.
During the Revolution Gossec conducted the band of the National Guard.
When the Paris Conservatoire was created in 1795, Gossec was one of its first inspectors, alongside Méhul and Cherubini.
Napoleon met Gossec in 1803 and offered him a post, which Gossec declined.

Why the first passage is level 8

That passage is level 8 rather than 7 because it leaps a minor third plus an octave.

This is a piano arrangement of an opera dance. Read the main tune in two-note groups, and spot the G-sharp and the big leaps in the contrasting strain before you start.

Questions about Gavotte in D Major

How hard is Gavotte in D Major 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 9–12 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Gavotte in D Major for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 8, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 17–20 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.
What key and time signature is Gavotte in D Major in?: Gavotte in D Major is in D major, 2 sharps. The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.
Who composed Gavotte in D Major?: François-Joseph Gossec, Belgian classical (1734–1829). François-Joseph Gossec was born in 1734 in Vergnies, a village now in Belgium, and made his career in Paris.
Can I practice Gavotte in D Major online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 2 graded passages from Gavotte in D Major in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Which opera is Gossec's Gavotte from?: It comes from Rosine, ou L'épouse abandonnée, a three-act French opera first staged at the Palais-Royal in Paris in July 1786.
Why do so many violin students know Gossec's Gavotte?: It is the last piece in Suzuki Violin School Volume 1, so it is a milestone for young violinists, and it has been arranged for many other instruments, piano included.
What is a gavotte?: A French dance of moderate tempo in 4/4 or 2/2 that became popular at the court of Louis XIV. Eighteenth-century court gavottes typically begin their phrases in the middle of the bar.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 2 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 8: bars 17–20 both hands
Level 9: bars 9–12 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

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

Keep training on your phone Practice with your own pieces — free on the App Store