L'Adieu, Op. 100 No. 12
The most emotionally intense étude in Op. 100 - and the most demanding left hand.
Burgmüller's 25 Études faciles Op. 100, published in Paris around 1838, are the world's most-assigned beginner étude collection. Each piece teaches a specific technique through a named character. By No. 12, Burgmüller introduces the full dramatic range of the Romantic piano: L'Adieu - 'The Farewell' - is marked Allegro molto agitato, calling for genuine passion and urgency, not just competent note-playing.
The technical focus is the left-hand arpeggiated pattern - a broken-chord texture in which the bass note and the chord tones are spread across the beat rather than struck together. This texture, which Burgmüller deploys throughout L'Adieu's C major texture with dramatic fortissimo and piano contrasts, is the foundation of Romantic piano accompaniment. It appears in Chopin nocturnes, Schubert songs, and virtually every 19th-century piano piece that aims to evoke feeling. Learning it here, in C major at a manageable length, builds the muscle memory that unlocks that entire repertoire.
Tame the left hand first - it carries the drama.
Before adding the right hand, learn the arpeggiated left-hand pattern at a very slow tempo until the arm movement from bass note to chord is smooth and automatic. The left wrist should rotate slightly toward the bass on beat one and release back for the chord - not a rigid two-position switch but a fluid rocking motion. Only when the left-hand pattern feels easy at 60% tempo should you add the singing right-hand melody above it.
Before you practice.
01 Is Burgmüller L'Adieu difficult for beginners?
It is on the harder end of the beginner range within Op. 100 - the arpeggiated texture and Allegro molto agitato tempo demand reliable left-hand coordination. Most students encounter it after the calmer early études in the set.
02 What does L'Adieu train technically?
It develops broken-chord (arpeggiated) left-hand technique and the ability to project a singing melody over a busy accompaniment, while responding to dynamic contrasts from piano to fortissimo.
Urgency comes from rhythm, not speed.
Set the tempo slider to 55% and confirm the left-hand arpeggiated pattern is absolutely even before adding the right hand. The agitato character comes from rhythmic precision and sharp forte-piano contrasts - do not rush the tempo to create drama. The contrasts marked in the score (piano suddenly after a forte) are the emotional story of the farewell; honor them even at slow tempo and they will carry through at performance speed.
