How hard is The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 to play?

Its passages grade from level 7 to level 8 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 21–32 at level 8.

Is there an easy part of The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 7, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 13–16 for both hands together, the level-7 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 7 because a hand plays several notes at once and a hand covers more than one position.

What key and time signature is The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 in?

The engraving on this page is in 2/4 time.

Can I practice The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 7 graded passages from The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Who wrote the words of The Mermaid's Song?

The texts of the first set are credited to Anne Hunter, a poet married to the London surgeon John Hunter; IMSLP calls her the most likely author.

When did Haydn write the English canzonettas?

He wrote the first set in 1794, during his second visit to London, and a second set followed in 1795.

What is a canzonetta?

It is a light song form that began in Renaissance Italy and was popular for small domestic performances.

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The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25

Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) · sheet music

Time 2/4
Levels 7–8
Passages 7

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Joseph Haydn, Austrian classical (1732–1809). The reading release has 7 passages from this piece at levels 7–8; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 13–16 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 21–32 at level 8.

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 The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25.

Hands together · bars 13–16 level 7
The hardest bars · bars 21–32 level 8

How to play The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25

Tempo:Choose a flowing but unhurried tempo; the sixteenth-note figures should sound like ripples, not a race.
Right hand:Shape the rising line in the introduction with a slow, gentle swell, then keep the tune singing when the voice part is on top.
Left hand:The left hand supplies the rocking bass and chords, so keep a soft, steady pulse and avoid thumping the first beat.
Hands together:Balance matters: the right hand sings or ripples while the left holds the 'sea', so practice the left hand quieter than the right.
Rhythm:Count the dotted rhythms and the sixteenths carefully; they should be precise but never sound pressed.
Dynamics:Let the dynamics follow the words: soften for hidden caves and glow a little for treasures.
Practice:Read the text aloud in rhythm before playing; the phrasing in the piano follows the poem's lines.

Common mistakes

Playing the introduction as a march instead of a rocking motion. Fix: Think of two beats per bar swaying gently and keep the left hand light.
Rushing the quick sixteenth-note figures. Fix: Practice them at half speed with a metronome until each note is even.
Letting the accompaniment overpower the tune. Fix: Play the accompaniment alone at a soft level, then add the melody.
Ignoring the words. Fix: Read the poem and mark where the music paints specific words, then give those places extra color.

Structure: canzonetta (song with piano introduction)

A light English song for voice and keyboard, opening with a piano introduction that sets the watery mood before the voice enters. The accompaniment underlines particular words with changes of figure.

Introduction · Waves in the piano (C major): A rocking piano figure with a right-hand line that rises over a steady bass pitch, setting the scene before the voice enters.
Verses · Song with word-painting (C major): Chords, dotted rhythms and quick sixteenth-note figures carry the tune and accompaniment, and Haydn ties particular gestures to particular words.

About The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25

Haydn wrote this song during his second visit to London, in 1794, and it opens the first set of six English canzonettas. The set was issued in London that same year, and it was followed by a second set in 1795.

The words are credited to Anne Hunter, a poet and popular salon hostess who was the wife of the London surgeon John Hunter, and Haydn dedicated the set to her. A canzonetta is a light song form that began in Renaissance Italy, and Haydn's English ones were meant for intimate home performance.

In the poem a mermaid invites the listener to follow her to treasures near coral and hidden caves, far from storms. Haydn paints the scene in the piano part, which begins with a rocking figure and a rising right-hand line over an unchanging bass note, evoking waves.

A reviewer groups The Mermaid's Song among the set's sea songs, whose introductions and accompaniments surge and swell.
Anne Hunter also supplied texts for other Haydn songs, including O Tuneful Voice and The Spirit's Song.
IMSLP lists the first set of six canzonettas as dedicated to Anne Hunter.
IMSLP lists the first edition as published by Haydn himself in London in 1794.

Why the first passage is level 7

That passage is level 7 rather than 6 because a hand plays several notes at once, a hand covers more than one position, its chords stretch wide, its chords go beyond simple triads.

Read the piano part as a mix of two things: a repeated accompanying figure and the sung tune. Spot which figure is which before you add both hands.

Questions about The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25

How hard is The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 to play?: Its passages grade from level 7 to level 8 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 21–32 at level 8.
Is there an easy part of The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 7, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 13–16 for both hands together, the level-7 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 7 because a hand plays several notes at once and a hand covers more than one position.
What key and time signature is The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 in?: The engraving on this page is in 2/4 time.
Who composed The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25?: Joseph Haydn, Austrian classical (1732–1809). Haydn wrote this song during his second visit to London, in 1794, and it opens the first set of six English canzonettas.
Can I practice The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 7 graded passages from The Mermaid's Song, Hob. XXVIa:25 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Who wrote the words of The Mermaid's Song?: The texts of the first set are credited to Anne Hunter, a poet married to the London surgeon John Hunter; IMSLP calls her the most likely author.
When did Haydn write the English canzonettas?: He wrote the first set in 1794, during his second visit to London, and a second set followed in 1795.
What is a canzonetta?: It is a light song form that began in Renaissance Italy and was popular for small domestic performances.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 7 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 7: bars 13–16 both hands · bars 25–32 both hands · bars 25–28 both hands · bars 29–32 both hands · bars 65–68 both hands
Level 8: bars 21–32 both hands · bars 21–24 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.

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