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12 Etudes In All The Minor Keys, Op.39
Matched version: Alkan- Comme le vent
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12 Etudes In All The Minor Keys, Op.39 Music Sheet
Explore the 12 Etudes In All The Minor Keys, Op.39 virtual piano sheet and Roblox piano sheet, compare available arrangements, and play online with QWERTY notes. Charles-Valentin Alkan's 12 Études in All the Minor Keys, Op.39, is a study cycle with the scale of a much larger concert work. Published in Paris in 1857 and dedicated to François-Joseph Fétis, it was written for solo piano—not orchestra, even when its movement titles borrow the language of the symphony and concerto. The twelve pieces move through the minor keys, beginning in A minor and ending with Le Festin d'Ésope in E minor. Between them, Alkan labels groups as Symphonie, Concerto, and Ouverture, turning the piano into a stage for changing textures and roles. The titles describe the music's scale and imagination; they do not turn the score into an orchestral transcription. The set follows the companion cycle in Op.35, and its unusual architecture is part of its identity: the first three études stand apart, Nos.4–7 form a Symphony for solo piano, Nos.8–10 a Concerto, No.11 an Ouverture, and No.12 closes the set with variations. Later orchestral arrangements of the Concerto movements are separate works.
About 12 Etudes In All The Minor Keys, Op.39
Explore the 12 Etudes In All The Minor Keys, Op.39 virtual piano sheet and Roblox piano sheet, compare available arrangements, and play online with QWERTY notes.
Charles-Valentin Alkan's 12 Études in All the Minor Keys, Op.39, is a study cycle with the scale of a much larger concert work. Published in Paris in 1857 and dedicated to François-Joseph Fétis, it was written for solo piano—not orchestra, even when its movement titles borrow the language of the symphony and concerto.
The twelve pieces move through the minor keys, beginning in A minor and ending with Le Festin d'Ésope in E minor. Between them, Alkan labels groups as Symphonie, Concerto, and Ouverture, turning the piano into a stage for changing textures and roles. The titles describe the music's scale and imagination; they do not turn the score into an orchestral transcription.
The set follows the companion cycle in Op.35, and its unusual architecture is part of its identity: the first three études stand apart, Nos.4–7 form a Symphony for solo piano, Nos.8–10 a Concerto, No.11 an Ouverture, and No.12 closes the set with variations. Later orchestral arrangements of the Concerto movements are separate works.
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Common questions
Questions and answers FAQ
When was Alkan's Op.39 published?
The first edition was published in Paris by Richault in 1857. The work is dedicated to François-Joseph Fétis.
Is Op.39 an orchestral work?
No. The canonical work is for solo piano. Alkan uses labels such as Symphony and Concerto for the internal design and sound world; later orchestral arrangements are separate versions.
How is 12 Etudes in All the Minor Keys organized?
The set contains twelve études: three opening studies, a four-movement Symphonie, a three-movement Concerto, an Ouverture, and Le Festin d'Ésope as the concluding set of variations.
What is the relationship to Alkan's Op.35?
Op.39 is the minor-key companion to Op.35, Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs. Together, the two cycles address all major and minor keys.
Who arranged the Concerto movements for orchestra?
Naxos documents a later orchestral arrangement of Op.39 Nos.8–10 by Karl Klindworth. That arrangement is not the canonical solo-piano version.