How hard is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 to play?

Its passages grade from level 10 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 1–4 at level 10.

Is there an easy part of Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 10, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–8 for both hands together, the level-10 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 10 because it moves in 32nd notes and it runs fast figuration.

What key and time signature is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 in?

The engraving on this page is in 3/8 time.

Who composed Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6?

Henry Lemoine, French romantic (1786–1854). Most of the opening studies in Lemoine's set are busy finger exercises, but No.

Can I practice Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 7 graded passages from Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

What does Études enfantines mean?

Children's studies; the original edition is dedicated to young pupils and says the studies were written for small hands.

How long does it take to learn Lemoine Op. 37 No. 6?

A student with secure five-finger patterns can read it in a day and needs a week or two to make the flourishes light and even.

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Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6

Henry Lemoine (1786–1854) · sheet music

Time 3/8
Levels 10
Passages 7

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Henry Lemoine, French romantic (1786–1854). The reading release has 7 passages from this piece at level 10; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 1–8 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 1–4 at level 10.

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. 6.

Right hand alone · bars 1–8 level 10
Hands together · bars 1–4 level 10

How to play Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6

Tempo:Feel one pulse per bar rather than three, and choose a speed at which the four quick notes still sound like a single flick.
Right hand:Let the flourish fall from the fingertips with very little lift, then make the landing note short and light.
Left hand:Place the downbeat chord firmly and the offbeat chord lightly and short, so the accompaniment has a dance lilt.
Hands together:Start each flourish exactly with the left-hand chord; practice just that first note together until it is reliable.
Dynamics:Keep the opening soft, make the middle section noticeably fuller, and save the forte for the passage over the held C.
Practice:Practice each flourish as a block chord first, then as slow notes, then speed it up gradually until it fits easily in the beat.

Common mistakes

Rushing the flourishes so the notes bunch together. Fix: Practice slowly with a metronome and raise the speed in small steps.
Making the offbeat left-hand chord as heavy as the downbeat. Fix: Play the offbeat chord lighter and release it at once.
Forgetting to return to the beginning at the end of the middle section. Fix: Mark the da capo and the Fine in your copy before you start.

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

The first section, in C major, is repeated and then extended with rising flourishes before ending at the Fine. The middle section moves to F major with a new melody over offbeat chords and a louder passage with chromatic notes. The instruction da capo al Fine brings back the first section to end the piece.

A · Falling flourishes (C major): Quick four-note falls in the right hand land on an eighth-note rest, answered by small left-hand chords; the section is repeated, then the flourishes turn upward over a falling bass and close at the Fine.
B · Middle section (F major): Marked mezzo-forte, the right hand plays short slurred figures while the left hand answers with accented offbeat chords; a forte passage over a held C adds F sharp as a chromatic neighbor before the opening tune of the section returns and closes in F.
A · Da capo (C major): The opening section is played again up to the Fine.

About Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6

Most of the opening studies in Lemoine's set are busy finger exercises, but No. 6 is a small dance. Its first section is built from tiny falling flourishes, four quick notes landing on an eighth note, answered by left-hand chords on the downbeat and the last beat of the bar.

After the repeated opening, the flourishes turn upward over a sinking bass and the section closes in C major at the word Fine. A contrasting middle part follows in F major, with short slurred figures over accented offbeat chords in the left hand and a forte passage over a held C in the bass, and a da capo sends the player back to the beginning.

Lemoine studied with Anton Reicha and ran his family's Paris publishing house from 1816, so he published his own teaching music. IMSLP dates the first edition of the Études enfantines to 1841.

According to IMSLP, the original title page names Hofmeister of Leipzig as commission agent and Robert Cocks of London as wholesaler, though the music was printed in Paris.
The original edition says the studies were designed to accompany and complete Bertini's Op. 100, IMSLP notes.
Wikipedia says Lemoine's firm published Berlioz's treatise on orchestration in 1844.

Why the first passage is level 10

That passage is level 10 rather than 9 because it moves in 32nd notes, it runs fast figuration.

Fast four-note flourishes in the right hand, chords split between the first and last beat in the left, and a middle section in F major.

Questions about Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6

How hard is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 to play?: Its passages grade from level 10 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 1–4 at level 10.
Is there an easy part of Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 10, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–8 for both hands together, the level-10 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 10 because it moves in 32nd notes and it runs fast figuration.
What key and time signature is Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 in?: The engraving on this page is in 3/8 time.
Who composed Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6?: Henry Lemoine, French romantic (1786–1854). Most of the opening studies in Lemoine's set are busy finger exercises, but No.
Can I practice Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 7 graded passages from Étude enfantine, Op. 37 No. 6 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
What does Études enfantines mean?: Children's studies; the original edition is dedicated to young pupils and says the studies were written for small hands.
How long does it take to learn Lemoine Op. 37 No. 6?: A student with secure five-finger patterns can read it in a day and needs a week or two to make the flourishes light and even.
How many studies are in Lemoine's Op. 37?: Fifty, according to IMSLP.

Every passage, easiest first

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

Level 10: bars 1–4 both hands · bars 1–12 both hands · bars 1–8 both hands · bars 1–8 right hand · bars 5–8 both hands · bars 9–16 both hands · bars 13–16 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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