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Romantic · album leaf

Albumblatt in E minor, Op. 12 No. 7

Edvard Grieg · Level 4, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

Albumblatt in E minor, Op. 12 No. 7 is a piece by Edvard Grieg from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 4, an estimate.

On this page
  • album leaf
  • Romantic
  • melancholic

History

This album leaf had a life before Grieg's first Lyric Pieces book. Monica Jangaard reports that an early version appeared in Copenhagen's Musikalsk Museum in autumn 1865, so it was written by then or earlier. It later became No. 7 in Op. 12, published in December 1867. The poetic album-leaf title connects it with the Romantic tradition of small piano keepsakes, rather than naming a known real-life episode.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A pickup begins a lively decorated dance

    The grace-led upper opening has distinct ending responses. Hear the melody through its bass-and-chord answers.

  2. A marked lower melody makes the contrast

    The contrasting song moves into the lower staff under clipped upper chords. Listen below the shorter replies.

  3. The lower song develops and relaxes

    The continuation changes the lower phrase and eases its movement. Hear its longer direction beneath the upper texture.

  4. The upper opening returns in writing

    The familiar upper dance comes back within the repeated section. Recognise its contour without inventing selected-MIDI visits.

How to practise it

Keep ornaments light over alternating low notes and chords.

  1. Practise the pickup and first full melody gesture, then add the grace note lightly.
  2. Play the first lower bar quietly and prepare each chord shape before its turn.

How hard is it

Level 4, estimated

Short lyrical writing requires clear phrase direction, dependable hand coordination and a singing melody above balanced accompaniment.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Edvard Grieg, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
Small scenes, big imagination
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
Source
mutopiaproject.org
Credit
“Albumblatt in E minor” by E. Grieg (1843 to 1907). Mutopia edition maintained by Knute Snortum. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2194. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Changes to the supplied file: none; any later conversion or edit must be disclosed separately.

More by Edvard Grieg

  1. Arietta, Lyric Pieces Op. 12 No. 1Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Op. 65 No. 6Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Troldtog (March of the Dwarfs)Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Keep ornaments light over alternating low notes and chords.

Practise it in PlayPiano