Presto 88 to the half is the metronome indication
in all five editions. Klindworth does not comment, but I like his
fingering and phrasing best of all. Riemann repeats his trick of
breaking a group, detaching a note for emphasis; although he is
careful to retain the legato bow. One wonders why this study does
not figure more frequently on programmes of piano recitals. It is
a fine, healthy technical test, it is brilliant, and the coda is
very dramatic. Ten bars before the return of the theme there is a
stiff digital hedge for the student. A veritable lance of tone is
this study, if justly poised.
Riemann has his own ideas of the phrasing of the following one,
the fifth and familiar "Black Key" etude. Examine the first bar:
[Musical llustration without caption]
Von Bulow would have grown jealous if he had seen this rather
fantastic phrasing. It is a trifle too finical, though it must be
confessed looks pretty. I like longer breathed phrasing. The
student may profit by this analysis. The piece is indeed, as
Kullak says, "full of Polish elegance.
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