Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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For many years, Burgmüller’s 25 Easy and Progressive Studies Op.100 have been a mainstay of my teaching, embraced by students as enjoyable piano pieces, while being immensely useful for addressing so many of the technical challenges of the Classical and Romantic piano literature. I consider this collection as near-essential as anything else found in the pedagogy repertoire.
And to support my students and others, I have recorded Burgmüller’s Op.100, compared various editions, and considered his more advanced Op.105 and Op.109 studies here: Discovering Burgmüller.
But where to for similar material for the player who wants more, either as a supplement or follow-on? I have at times used attractive études by Bertini (reviewed here) and Czerny, but recently my colleague and friend Lisa Burns suggested I take a deep dive into the studies of Stephen Heller (1813-1888).
I have of course encountered many of Heller’s études over the years, thanks to their inclusion in various anthologies and syllabus publications, but I had not previously considered them as a body of work in more depth. Doing so has proven to be genuinely rewarding, offering perhaps the perfect answer to the question above…
Stephen Heller: pianist and composer
Born in Budapest, Hungary on 15th May 1813, Heller showed a keen interest in music from an early age. While still a child, his father sent him to Vienna, where he briefly studied with Czerny, met Beethoven and Schubert, and launched a performing career.
As a teenager, Heller lived the life of the touring performer, crossing Europe, meeting the young Frédéric Chopin in Warsaw, and sharing the stage with the virtuoso violinist Paganini. But by the age of 17 he was experiencing what we might now call burnout, and gave up the touring lifestyle. He later described his teenage years as,
“five murderous years, a nomad life, restless, hopeless, aimless.”
After briefly living in Augsburg, Heller moved to Paris in 1838, where he settled until his death some five decades later in 1888, and where, having found the security and contentment he sought, he became a prominent figure in the city’s musical scene.
Establishing himself as a pianist, composer and teacher, Heller formed close relationships with some of the most influential musicians of the era, including Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz, and Schumann. His own compositions, including several hundred for piano, combined engaging melodic interest, harmonic ingenuity, and expressive lyricism, typifying the Romantic style.
The Études • Overview
As Heller was a dedicated and influential music teacher, it’s no wonder that his pedagogic piano studies, or études, have remained among his most cherished works, and his principal enduring legacy.
The following collections have found continuing popularity:
- 25 Melodious Studies Op.45
- 30 Progressive Studies Op.46
- 25 Studies Op.47
- 24 Etudes d’expression et de rythme Op.125
These were preceded by his Art of Phrasing Op.16, which comprised two study books that were an early success.
The 25 Melodious Studies Op.45, composed in 1844, were originally conceived as an introduction to the Art of Phrasing, offering more accessible and attractive studies suited to the intermediate player. This set (which includes pieces from UK Grade 4-7 level) remains his best-known, and includes the ever-popular The Avalanche.
The 30 Progressive Studies Op.46 which appeared the same year were billed as easier, but are only slightly so. However, the 25 Studies Op.47 are consistently the most technically accessible of the three sets, while the 24 Studies Op.125 are the easiest of Heller’s études.
In his Heller: Selected Studies edition (reviewed below), esteemed pianist and educator William Westney explains the value and continuing appeal of these studies:
“One reason that students respond to the pieces immediately is quite simple: they feel good under the hands. Clearly, Heller possessed a thorough understanding of how the piano works…
Because they can initiate the developing pianist so naturally into a certain sophistication of playing, Heller’s études provide excellent stepping stones to the great romantic works of Chopin, Mendelssohn and others. They develop colour, fluency, power, and poetic musicality. Many have that always-delightful quality of sounding rather brilliant without actually being too difficult.”
Nicknames and Imagination
These collections contrast Burgmüller’s in that Heller gives none of the pieces descriptive titles. This will come as a surprise to those who are familiar with the fanciful nicknames by which, over the course of subsequent generations and publications, many of the studies have become commonly known.
Heller himself was clearly uninterested in assigning titles to any of his études, and is recorded to have said,
“Music should be evocative rather than descriptive.”
As we shall see, some modern editions include the nicknames that have attached themselves to these pieces; many don’t. This might influence the choice of edition. It is also worth noting that many of these nicknames have aged poorly: titles such as Goblin’s Frolic, Celestial Waters, Gaily We Skip Along, and Warrior’s Song perhaps spoke more positively to the imaginations of Victorian children.
Following the composer’s cue, perhaps when using this material there are advantages to using an edition which presents the music unadorned with these titles, and inviting learners to describe the images, narrative, or feelings that each study evokes for them. Indeed, perhaps this creatively strengthens, rather than diminishes, their pedagogic value.
Popular Graded Pieces
It is natural that such a body of outstanding and pedagogically valuable music for intermediate to early advanced players has provided a rich source of inspiration for exam repertoire selections.
Looking through the ABRSM repertoire lists from 1960 to the present day it is interesting to see just how many Heller études have featured, and how repeatedly they have reappeared. Here are some of their graded choices:
- Grade 2: Op.47/19
- Grade 3: Op.46/3. Op.47/3. Op.125/1,7,12
- Grade 4: Op.45/2,17. Op.46/7. Op.47/7,12. Op.125/7,9,13,18.
- Grade 5: Op.45/5,16. Op.46/1,7. Op.47/9,15,23,24
- Grade 6: Op.45/10. Op.46/8,11
- Grade 7: Op.45/9,13. Op.47/16
From this we can further deduce that the Op.125 collection is perfectly suited to the intermediate player at equivalent UK Grades 3-4 (putting in direct competition with the Burgmüller Op.11 collection), while the Op.45, 46 and 47 collections each contains a range of progressive material suited to supporting development across, potentially, several years of learning.
Heller: Selected Studies
Before considering the complete editions of these studies, let’s now turn to an attractive publication in the Schirmer Performance Editions series from Hal Leonard, edited by William Westney and including his recordings of the selection of 16 studies included, which are drawn from opp. 45 and 46.
In his superb Performance Notes, included in the book, Westney writes,
“A decision had to be made about the descriptive titles…
By and large, the most commonly used titles are appropriate and evocative, even inspired at times. In many cases, these images lend a particular shape to the music, which actually helps one’s technique to feel purposeful and secure. Therefore we have included them for your consideration.”
The selection is as follows:
- Op.45/2: The Avalanche
- Op.45/9: Celestial Voices
- Op.45/14: Sailor’s Song
- Op.45/15: Warrior’s Song
- Op.45/16: Il Penseroso
- Op.45/18: Impatience
- Op.45/19: Spinning Song
- Op.45/20: The Ballet
- Op.46/1: Carefree
- Op.46/2: The Anvil
- Op.46/5: The Wind
- Op.46/7: Petite Tarantelle
- Op.46/12: Shimmering Waters
- Op.46/14: Song of the Sea
- Op.46/25: Song of the Gondolier
- Op.46/29: Novelette
These pieces range across several levels, in terms of the UK Grades from Grade 4-7, making this a collection that players will want to dip into over time. The emphasis of the selection is a musical one: these are all études that make great concert pieces for players wanting to showcase their technical proficiency and imaginative engagement.
The edition is superbly and spaciously presented on cream paper, and includes an interesting and detailed biography (written by Willis Wager in 1942), as well as superb four-page Performance Notes by Westney himself. These include detailed playing tips for each and every study, making this collection an indispensable starting point for players and teachers wanting to probe the full value of these works.
Meanwhile, Westney’s marvellous recordings can be accessed and downloaded (using a special code) from Hal Leonard’s terrific My Library web page; each piece can be slowed down using their Playback+ software. In case you are curious, you can also access the audio on commercial streaming sites such as Apple Music.
If you want to explore Heller’s studies, don’t miss this superb publication. Westney’s outstanding performance notes and recordings, combined with the best scores of these pieces that I have seen, make this a truly must-have volume. For players wanting a judicious selection of Heller’s most popular performance studies, this edition is surely the one to own.
Delving Deeper
The downside of Westney’s edition reviewed above is that it doesn’t offer a more comprehensive approach to technical development. In his original collections, Heller intended to provide a thorough introduction to the musical requirements of piano playing in the nineteenth century.
Teachers, and more serious players, will not want to ignore this broader body of music. And with that in mind, I have therefore been looking at the Edition Peters publications. They offer separate volumes for each of the four collections listed earlier, Op. 45, 46, 47 and 125.
The Op.46 and 47 editions are by Adolf Ruthardt, and date from around 1915, while the Op.45 and 125 are the the classic 1930’s editions of Robert Teichmüller. In all cases, they are based on the original first editions, and are as reliable as they come.
Fingerings are included throughout, again broadly following those of the first editions; they are more frequent and prescriptive than the minimal (but perfectly serviceable) fingerings offered in Westney’s selection.
The laterally added nicknames of pieces are not included, nor is any additional information: these are simple publications that deliver the scores in engravings that have stood the test of time, and are presented on good quality cream paper in the Edition Peters house style. As might be expected of editions from that era, the staves sometimes appear a little cramped on the page, but happily they are always legible.
I can think of many groups who will find these volumes helpful and rewarding, among them advancing students who need or wish to revisit classical and romantic playing techniques, returning adults looking to refresh their playing, and pianists wanting ‘quick study’ material to work through at pace.
Teichmüller’s edition of Op.45 is noteworthy for his addition of precise pedalling instructions, concerning which the volume begins with a short editorial note in which he suggests,
“Students who have mastered the technical requirements of these pieces are recommended to make use of them as pedal-studies. The legato- or direct pedal requires sensitive handling and a fine distinction is called for in its diverse uses. The indications given should help to acquaint the pupil with its manifold applications and the resultant effects of tone and colour.”
A deeper dive into Heller’s Studies in these simple but superb editions soon reveals that Westney’s enthusiasm can be applied to this much larger assortment of pieces. Familiar favourites now reappear in the context of some 104 études that equally delight with their endless invention, variety, and musical value.
Traversing a gamut of technical issues, with the potential to address a plethora of pianistic problems, these studies deliver pedagogic excellence to the extent that it seems almost rude to have ignored them for so long.
From working on differentiated articulation and voicing, to developing a cantabile touch and effective pedalling, Heller’s studies brim with both educational quality and musical panache.
Closing Thoughts
I will leave the final word to William Westney:
“The most successful études build technical mastery in specific ways, while providing rich musical delights for player and listener alike. The well-crafted works of Stephen Heller meet this high standard virtually every time…
His études are treasures, creative and graceful in style, and they certainly deserve to be widely played and enjoyed.”
I really couldn’t agree more!
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