Twelve Variations on La belle Françoise

A melody above a rocking accompaniment

La belle Françoise begins in six-eight, with a chordal melody above a gently moving broken-chord accompaniment. The tune’s French song background can suggest an unforced, conversational manner. Keep the two larger beats audible beneath the smaller notes, and allow the melody’s changing lengths to shape the phrase. Twelve variations offer different ways of hearing that same underlying movement.

Keep the bass light and the melody clear

Practise the left hand alone without leaning on every eighth note. Then add only the top line of the right-hand chords before restoring the full texture. In the first variation, listen for how the decorated upper part relates to the accompaniment’s continuing motion. A slower tempo can reveal the balance, but the phrase should still feel as though it travels beyond individual notes.

Music in this edition

1. Twelve Variations on La belle Françoise