How hard is Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 to play?

Its passages grade from 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 21–24 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 9, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 21–24 for both hands together, the level-9 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 9 because the clef changes partway through.

What key and time signature is Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 in?

Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 is in C minor, 3 flats. The engraving on this page is in 6/8 time.

Can I practice Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the one graded passage from Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Who was the Allegretto written for?

Schubert wrote it for Ferdinand Walcher, a friend who was leaving for a post in Venice, and copied it into Walcher's album at the farewell party.

When did Schubert write the Allegretto in C minor?

On 26 April 1827, a month after Beethoven's death.

How long does the piece take?

About five minutes, according to the sources checked.

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Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) · sheet music

Key C minor
Time 6/8
Levels 9
Passages 1

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Franz Schubert, Austrian romantic (1797–1828). The reading release has 1 passage from this piece at level 9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 21–24 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 21–24 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 Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915.

Hands together · bars 21–24 level 9

How to play Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915

Tempo:Allegretto here means moving but never hurried. On this page's 6/8 engraving, feel two gentle beats per bar so the arpeggios rock rather than plod.
Right hand:The right hand plays arpeggiated figures that carry the theme. Shape each figure as a single gesture, and make the top note the one you hear.
Left hand:The left hand supplies a steady bass and chord support. Keep it softer than the right hand so the arpeggios float above it.
Hands together:Blend the arpeggios and bass into one rocking wave. Practice the hands together at half speed and listen for a single sound rather than two separate parts.
Pedal:Use the pedal sparingly to connect the arpeggios, changing at each new harmony. In the quiet middle section a lighter pedal keeps the chords clear.
Dynamics:Contrast is the heart of the piece: a rich pianissimo in the middle, firmer sound for the outer sections, and a clear difference for the two unsettling chords.
Practice:Practice the middle section as a chorale, playing only the chords slowly and listening for the top voice. Then add the surrounding figuration.

Common mistakes

Rushing the arpeggios because the theme feels urgent. Fix: Count two beats per bar and keep the lilt even.
Playing the middle section too loudly. Fix: Aim for a true pianissimo and let the top voice sing slightly above the others.
Blurring harmonies with too much pedal. Fix: Change pedal at each new chord and lift briefly at the sharp chords.
Skipping over the three flats in the key signature. Fix: Name B-flat, E-flat and A-flat aloud before beginning.

Structure: ternary (A–B–A)

A C minor section built on an arpeggiated theme, a contrasting hushed section in A-flat major, and a return to C minor. The outer sections are twice interrupted by two disquieting chords, while the middle unfolds in sighing gestures and soft chords.

A · Rocking arpeggios (C minor): A restless C minor theme built from arpeggios. Look for the pair of sudden chords that interrupt the momentum.
B · Chorale-like middle (A-flat major): A glowing A-flat major, played very softly, that moves in chords like a broken-up chorale. Voicing matters more than speed here.
A · Return (C minor): The opening arpeggios come back and bring the piece to a close in C minor.

About Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915

Schubert wrote the Allegretto in C minor on 26 April 1827 for his friend Ferdinand Walcher, who was leaving to take up a post in Venice. He copied the piece into Walcher's album at the farewell party, a small personal gift of about five minutes' music.

The date invites a second reading: Beethoven had died on 26 March 1827, a month earlier, and Schubert had been one of the torchbearers at his funeral. The writer Blair Johnson finds it tempting to connect the two and suggests Beethoven may have been on Schubert's mind, and Suzanne Yanko hears Beethoven's influence in the piece.

The Allegretto is a balanced ternary form: an arpeggiated main theme in C minor, a middle section in A-flat major and a return of the opening. Johnson likens the middle to a broken-up chorale in a rich pianissimo that looks ahead to Schumann and Brahms, while David Truslove notes that the outer sections are twice interrupted by two disquieting chords.

Schubert was a torchbearer at Beethoven's funeral just a month before he wrote the piece.
The Allegretto began life as a farewell entry copied into a friend's album.
The central A-flat major section has been described as a broken-up chorale.
A 1963 live performance by Sviatoslav Richter is among the recordings of the piece.

Why the first passage is level 9

That passage is level 9 rather than 8 because the clef changes partway through.

Three flats (C minor). The engraving is in 6/8 and its arpeggios move in groups of three, so read each group as a chord shape; the middle section turns to A-flat major.

Questions about Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915

How hard is Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 to play?: Its passages grade from 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 21–24 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 9, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 21–24 for both hands together, the level-9 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 9 because the clef changes partway through.
What key and time signature is Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 in?: Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 is in C minor, 3 flats. The engraving on this page is in 6/8 time.
Who composed Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915?: Franz Schubert, Austrian romantic (1797–1828). Schubert wrote the Allegretto in C minor on 26 April 1827 for his friend Ferdinand Walcher, who was leaving to take up a post in Venice.
Can I practice Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the one graded passage from Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Who was the Allegretto written for?: Schubert wrote it for Ferdinand Walcher, a friend who was leaving for a post in Venice, and copied it into Walcher's album at the farewell party.
When did Schubert write the Allegretto in C minor?: On 26 April 1827, a month after Beethoven's death.
How long does the piece take?: About five minutes, according to the sources checked.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades one passage of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 9: 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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