How hard is Children's Album, Op. 39 to play?

Its passages grade from level 6 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 25–28 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Children's Album, Op. 39 for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 6, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 101–104 for both hands together, the level-6 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 6 because a hand plays several notes at once.

What key and time signature is Children's Album, Op. 39 in?

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

Who composed Children's Album, Op. 39?

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian romantic (1840–1893). Tchaikovsky wrote the Children's Album in 1878 and dedicated it to his young nephew, Vladimir Davydov.

Can I practice Children's Album, Op. 39 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 5 graded passages from Children's Album, Op. 39 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

← All pieces

Children's Album, Op. 39

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) · sheet music

Time 3/8
Levels 6–9
Passages 5

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian romantic (1840–1893). The reading release has 5 passages from this piece at levels 6–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 101–104 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 25–28 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 Children's Album, Op. 39.

Hands together · bars 101–104 level 6
The hardest bars · bars 25–28 level 9

How to play Children's Album, Op. 39

Before playing, scan the page for where the opening music returns; that return is often an almost exact repeat you have already read.
In the pieces written in 3/8, feel one pulse per bar so the music moves forward; counting three slow eighths makes the dance pieces sound heavy.
The doll pieces depend on touch: in The Sick Doll, shape the two-note sighing slurs with a gentle lift, while the March of the Wooden Soldiers needs short, crisp staccato and exact dotted rhythms.
Learn them in contrasting pairs, such as a slow chorale-like piece with a quick dance, so you practice both legato chord playing and light, fast fingerwork in each session.

Structure

In the published order, the album loosely follows a child's day, opening with Morning Prayer and ending with a quiet piece called In Church. Along the way come scenes with toys and dolls, dances like a waltz, a mazurka and a polka, and a run of national songs, including Russian, Italian, French, German and Neapolitan ones. Most pieces last a minute or two and use simple two- or three-part forms where the opening idea comes back at the end.

About Children's Album, Op. 39

Tchaikovsky wrote the Children's Album in 1878 and dedicated it to his young nephew, Vladimir Davydov. It is one of the few sets of real teaching pieces by a major Romantic composer, and many of its pieces, such as Old French Song and Sweet Dream, are standard repertoire in graded piano exams.

Why the first passage is level 6

That passage is level 6 rather than 5 because a hand plays several notes at once.

Tchaikovsky wrote these twenty-four short pieces for young pianists, after Schumann's Album for the Young. Each one sets a single mood or scene, from a morning prayer to a doll's illness to a waltz, so the reading problems change from piece to piece. They make good next steps once easy minuets feel comfortable.

Questions about Children's Album, Op. 39

How hard is Children's Album, Op. 39 to play?: Its passages grade from level 6 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 25–28 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Children's Album, Op. 39 for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 6, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 101–104 for both hands together, the level-6 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 6 because a hand plays several notes at once.
What key and time signature is Children's Album, Op. 39 in?: The engraving on this page is in 3/8 time.
Who composed Children's Album, Op. 39?: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian romantic (1840–1893). Tchaikovsky wrote the Children's Album in 1878 and dedicated it to his young nephew, Vladimir Davydov.
Can I practice Children's Album, Op. 39 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 5 graded passages from Children's Album, Op. 39 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 5 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 6: bars 101–104 both hands
Level 7: bars 1–4 both hands · bars 89–92 both hands · bars 97–100 both hands
Level 9: bars 25–28 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (pdmx), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261001-mutopia-ly reading release.

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