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Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) · sheet music

  • Key E-flat major
  • Time 3/4
  • Levels 8–9
  • Passages 13

Your turn · both hands

 

 

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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian romantic (1840–1893). The reading release has 13 passages from this piece at levels 8–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 1–4 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 1–12 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 Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young).

  1. Hands together · bars 1–4 level 8
  2. The hardest bars · bars 1–12 level 9

How to play Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young)

  1. Tempo:Tchaikovsky marks it Allegro assai, so feel one beat per bar rather than three, but only push the speed once the left-hand chords stay light.
  2. Left hand:The left hand plays the classic waltz pattern of a low bass note then two chords. Keep the chords light, and make the bass note softly round.
  3. Right hand:The right hand sings the melody. Connect the notes and breathe at the ends of phrases, as a singer would.
  4. Hands together:Combine the hands slowly, checking that the left-hand chords on beats two and three line up with any right-hand notes there. Then raise the speed.
  5. Pedal:Pedal once per bar on the bass note and lift before the next one. This keeps the waltz clear and avoids blurring the chords.
  6. Dynamics:Phrase with small swells toward the middle of each tune. Contrast the main tune with the B section by changing touch or volume.
  7. Reading:The key signature has three flats, which makes E-flat major. Say the flats aloud before you play, and watch for naturals that mark new colors.
  8. Practice:Practice the left hand alone until you can play it without looking at your hand. Then add the right hand over it.

Common mistakes

  • Making the second and third beats as loud as the first. Fix: Practice the left hand alone, with a firm first beat and quiet chords.
  • Slowing at the end of each bar. Fix: Keep the pulse moving and breathe only at the ends of phrases.
  • Forgetting the flats of E-flat major. Fix: Play the E-flat major scale before you begin.
  • Using too much pedal and blurring the chords. Fix: Change the pedal with each bass note.

Structure: waltz in five sections (A-B-C-B-A)

A quick waltz in which the opening tune and a second strain frame a central episode, then return in reverse order. The three-beat pulse stays constant while the melody and accompaniment change character from section to section.

A · Main waltz tune (E-flat major)
A rising, lilting melody over a bass note and two chords. The task is keeping the downbeat steady while the right hand floats.
B · Second strain
A new phrase with fresh accidentals; read the naturals and sharps carefully as the harmony shifts.
C · Central episode
The middle of the piece, contrasting with the strains around it before the music turns back.
B · Second strain returns
The second strain comes back, now familiar, leading toward the opening tune.
A · Main tune returns (E-flat major)
The opening waltz returns and rounds off the piece in E-flat.

About Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young)

Tchaikovsky wrote his Children's Album, Op. 39, in 1878, sketching all 24 pieces in May and making the fair copy in July. He subtitled it 24 simple pieces à la Schumann, and in a letter to Nadezhda von Meck he said he wanted to add to the small stock of music written for children.

He dedicated the album to his favorite nephew, Vladimir Davydov, whom the dedication calls Volodya. The pieces carry titles a child could picture, from Morning Prayer and March of the Wooden Soldiers to The Doll's Funeral, and the publisher Jurgenson issued the set that October.

The Waltz is the eighth piece, marked Allegro assai and in E-flat major. In Tchaikovsky's autograph the pieces run in a slightly different order, with the Waltz ninth, which is why some editions number it differently.

  • Tchaikovsky had sketches for all 24 pieces ready within a few days of starting in May 1878.
  • Writing to the boy's father, Tchaikovsky joked that his nephew might look at the printed dedication and think a whole symphony had been written for him.
  • The album's autograph score is kept at the Russian National Museum of Music in Moscow.
  • Several pieces in the album borrow real folk tunes, including the Russian Song and Kamarinskaya.

Why the first passage is level 8

That passage is level 8 rather than 7 because its chords go beyond simple triads.

Look for the waltz pattern in the left hand, a low note then two chords. With that pattern set, you can focus on the melody and the changes between sections.

Questions about Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young)

How hard is Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young) to play?
Its passages grade from level 8 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 1–12 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young) for beginners?
Its easiest passage is level 8, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–4 for both hands together, the level-8 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 8 because its chords go beyond simple triads.
What key and time signature is Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young) in?
Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young) is in E-flat major, 3 flats. The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.
Who composed Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young)?
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian romantic (1840–1893). Tchaikovsky wrote his Children's Album, Op.
Can I practice Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young) online for free?
Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 13 graded passages from Waltz, Op. 39 No. 8 (Album for the Young) in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
What is Tchaikovsky's Children's Album?
A set of 24 short piano pieces, Op. 39, written in 1878 and dedicated to his nephew Vladimir Davydov. Tchaikovsky subtitled it 24 simple pieces à la Schumann.
Why is the Waltz numbered differently in some editions?
Tchaikovsky's autograph lists the pieces in a slightly different order from the first edition, with the Waltz ninth instead of eighth, so editions that follow the autograph renumber it.
How long is the whole Children's Album?
The pieces are very short, and Tchaikovsky Research puts a complete performance of all 24 at around 30 minutes.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 13 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 8
bars 1–4 both hands · bars 9–12 both hands · bars 9–16 both hands · bars 11–18 both hands · bars 13–16 both hands · bars 53–56 both hands · bars 61–64 both hands · bars 65–68 both hands
Level 9
bars 1–12 both hands · bars 1–8 both hands · bars 5–8 both hands · bars 57–60 both hands · bars 57–64 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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