Kreutzer Etude 2hear it, slow it down, play along
- Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766–1831)
- Violin
- Allegro moderato
- C major
- 4/4
- 25 bars
What it works on
Sixteenth notes from start to finish, in C major. Both editions print a list of bowing variants above it: the notes stay the same while the bowing changes.
No. 2 in editions of 42 studies; No. 1 in the older editions of 40.
A way to practise it
Choose one bowing, set the tempo low and loop a line; the player gives you a steady pulse to keep the sixteenths even.
The page prints the tempo as a word, “Allegro moderato”. The numbers below are my suggestions for getting there, in quarter notes per minute; tap them in the player.
- Slow ♩ = 50
- Practice ♩ = 66
- Goal ♩ = 88
What you hear
The notes and rhythms of the study, played at an even volume. Slurs, bowings, dynamics, fingerings, trills and turns are not in this version, so keep the printed page in front of you; the scan is linked under “Where the notes come from”.
Playing it on another instrument
The written-for versions in the player follow these rules:
Questions
- What tempo should I play Kreutzer Etude 2 at?
- The printed tempo is a word, “Allegro moderato”, not a number. Start around ♩ = 50, practise at 66 and aim for about 88 quarter notes a minute. The player takes any tempo between those and more.
- What does Kreutzer Etude 2 work on?
- Sixteenth notes from start to finish, in C major. Both editions print a list of bowing variants above it: the notes stay the same while the bowing changes.
- Can I play Kreutzer Etude 2 on B♭ clarinet?
- Yes. Pick your instrument under “Written for” in the player: the part is moved into that instrument's key and still sounds at the original pitch, so you can play it alongside the violin version.
- Where can I get the sheet music for Kreutzer Etude 2?
- It is public domain. The notes here come from G. Schirmer, New York, 1894 (ed. Edmund Singer, plate 11715), which is scanned on IMSLP. Keep the printed page in front of you for bowings, slurs and dynamics, which the player leaves out.
Photograph your own part with ScoreLens.
This player is the one in the app. Point your phone at the page on your music stand, and ScoreLens reads it and plays it back, slower or in another key. It is best on single-line parts and reads piano too. Handwriting is out of reach for now.
