How hard is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 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 1–4 at level 3.

Is there an easy part of Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 for beginners?

Yes. Start with bars 17–20 for the right hand alone, the level-2 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 2 because notes come faster than one per beat and it leaps a minor third.

What key and time signature is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 in?

The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.

Can I practice Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 3 graded passages from Étude enfantine, Op. 37 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 it mean to play two parts in one hand?

One finger holds a melody note while the other fingers of the same hand play something else, here a repeated note; it is a basic skill for voicing.

How long does it take to learn Lemoine Op. 37 No. 18?

A few weeks for most students, because holding one note while repeating another takes patient slow practice.

Is it in the public domain?

Yes. The 19th-century editions are public domain, and IMSLP has several complete scans; modern editions may carry their own copyright.

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Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18

Henry Lemoine (1786–1854) · sheet music

Time 3/4
Levels 2–3
Passages 3

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Henry Lemoine, French romantic (1786–1854). The reading release has 3 passages from this piece at levels 2–3; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 17–20 for the right hand alone.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 1–4 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 Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18.

Right hand alone · bars 17–20 level 2
Left hand alone · bars 21–24 level 2
The hardest bars · bars 1–4 level 3

How to play Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18

Tempo:Take a calm three-beat pulse; the repeated eighth notes should sound like a soft murmur, not a drumroll.
Right hand:Hold the melody note down with the upper fingers while the lower fingers play the repeated notes lightly; let the melody sound a little louder.
Left hand:When the left hand takes over the repeated notes in the middle section, keep them even and quiet beneath the held right-hand chords.
Hands together:Practice the opening hands together slowly, checking that the held melody note keeps sounding while both hands move under it.
Dynamics:Follow the soft opening and the crescendos, and give the forte passages of the middle section real contrast.
Practice:Play the repeated notes alone at first, then add the held note above them, and only then add the other hand.

Common mistakes

Lifting the held melody note to play the repeated notes. Fix: Keep the upper finger down and play the repeated notes with the lower fingers only.
Letting the repeated notes get louder than the melody. Fix: Play them from close to the key surface and listen for the melody on top.
Missing the C sharp in the D minor passages. Fix: Mark it in pencil and read it aloud before each run-through.

Structure: ternary with da capo (A–B–A)

The first section, in D minor, sets slow melody notes over repeated eighth notes and ends at the Fine. The middle section begins in F major and travels through other keys, with the repeated notes moving to the left hand, then slows down. A da capo returns to the opening section to close.

A · Melody over repeated notes (D minor): The right hand holds a melody note while repeating an A in eighth notes beneath it, over a slow left-hand line that moves through C sharp; a crescendo leads to a cadence in D minor.
B · Middle section (F major): Marked piano, the music turns to F major; later forte passages put the repeated eighth notes in the left hand under held chords and pass through E flat, B natural and C sharp before a slowing close.
A · Da capo (D minor): The first section is played again up to the Fine.

About Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18

Study 18 of Lemoine's Études enfantines works on a skill that young pianists often find hard: holding one note while playing others in the same hand. The right hand sustains a melody note while its lower fingers repeat a single pitch in eighth notes, and the left hand adds a slow line of its own.

The study opens in D minor, and its first section ends at a Fine. A middle section turns to F major and then moves through several keys, with the repeated eighth notes passing to the left hand under held chords, before slowing down and leading back to the opening with a da capo.

IMSLP's notes on the set say the original edition presents the studies as a companion to Bertini's Op. 100. Lemoine, who had studied with Anton Reicha, also wrote a piano method and a harmony text.

IMSLP hosts a complete recording of all 50 studies by Ramiro Schiavoni, with one track per study.
Lemoine handed his publishing firm to his son in 1850, when he had become blind, according to Wikipedia.
Besides the Schirmer edition, IMSLP lists complete editions by Carl Fischer of New York (1904) and Ricordi of Buenos Aires (around 1927 to 1929).

Why the first passage is level 2

That passage is level 2 rather than 1 because notes come faster than one per beat, it leaps a minor third, it is in 3/4, not 4/4, it has dotted rhythms, it moves in eighth notes.

One flat in the key signature, a melody and repeated eighth notes sharing a staff, and accidentals as the middle section changes key.

Questions about Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18

How hard is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 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 1–4 at level 3.
Is there an easy part of Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 for beginners?: Yes. Start with bars 17–20 for the right hand alone, the level-2 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 2 because notes come faster than one per beat and it leaps a minor third.
What key and time signature is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 in?: The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.
Who composed Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18?: Henry Lemoine, French romantic (1786–1854). Study 18 of Lemoine's Études enfantines works on a skill that young pianists often find hard: holding one note while playing others in the same hand.
Can I practice Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 18 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 3 graded passages from Étude enfantine, Op. 37 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 it mean to play two parts in one hand?: One finger holds a melody note while the other fingers of the same hand play something else, here a repeated note; it is a basic skill for voicing.
How long does it take to learn Lemoine Op. 37 No. 18?: A few weeks for most students, because holding one note while repeating another takes patient slow practice.
Is it in the public domain?: Yes. The 19th-century editions are public domain, and IMSLP has several complete scans; modern editions may carry their own copyright.

Every passage, easiest first

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

Level 2: bars 17–20 right hand · bars 21–24 left hand
Level 3: bars 1–4 right hand

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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