Stephen Heller - Etude Op. 45 No. 2 "The Avalanche"

Details

Description

This fiery little study often serves as a student's first bravura etude, with flashy flourishes, and energetic runs. The two extended hand-crossing passages which are meant to represent avalanches occur in m. 21 and m. 45. This etude requires strong fingers to maintain the clarity of the eighth notes, but is notable for not containing any thumb crossings at all.

If you enjoyed this piece, you can watch the other etudes from this set here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjZLO29TV5xWE6A52IEZD878thAvRO1Oj


Level: 5-6

Grade levels for this project are taken from Jane Magrath’s “Piano Literature for Teaching and Performance: A Graded Guide and Annotated Bibliography”

Stephen Heller (1813 – 1888) was a Hungarian pianist and composer, who lived in Paris for most of his life. While living in Paris, he was friends with Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, and Berlioz, among others. The bulk of Heller’s works are intermediate piano etudes, which are still widely used today.

Recorded April 2025
Dr. Sean Cavanaugh, piano
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This score can be found on IMSLP here:
https://imslp.org/wiki/25_Etudes_m%C3%A9lodiques%2C_Op.45_(Heller%2C_Stephen)

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Other sets of etudes recorded on this channel:
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Level 2 - 3

Czerny: 24 5-Finger Exercises, Op. 777 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=231AfUb88Ik&list=PLjZLO29TV5xUkS2w8NHo-UXzp0OnfBeJJ
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Level 4 – 5

Streabbog: 12 Very Easy Melodious Studies, Op. 63 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnyBEsnHt0w&list=PLjZLO29TV5xWid1Vteov8rmultYtsbpV2

Streabbog: 12 Easy Melodious Studies, Op. 64 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EElizfrGr0&list=PLjZLO29TV5xWid1Vteov8rmultYtsbpV2&index=2

Duvernoy: 25 Elementary Studies, Op. 176 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj1wQ2pUgFo&list=PLjZLO29TV5xXuW98ecMx12EW_3VcAtjhd

Concone: 25 Melodic Studies, Op. 24 https://youtu.be/6Ij-zRKIsdQ
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Level 6 – 7

Oscar Peterson: 10 Etude and Pieces https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjZLO29TV5xV4Mw5lIineEFObDW3yQySG

Le Couppey: L'Agilité (25 Etudes), Op. 20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-pqbrfBNm4&list=PLjZLO29TV5xX9OfFB53MXhbn8-eRidJ_B

Bertini: 25 Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBhHNQ9K0Vk&list=PLjZLO29TV5xX-22-nDo5y5S9COlvLgxYo

Köhler: Short School of Velocity (20 etudes), Op. 242 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv1cRes0MUI&list=PLjZLO29TV5xU-N5CENJG0bHVLbqT_ExM8
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Level 8 – 9

Stephen Heller: 25 Etudes, Op. 45 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjZLO29TV5xWE6A52IEZD878thAvRO1Oj

Wollenhaupt: 5 Etudes, Op. 22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVvd2DvgRgY&list=PLjZLO29TV5xUr_-aShqDcr4-jvfVKpZZD
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Level 10+

Czerny: 25 Left Hand Studies, Op. 718 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_Vg9sy1D4c&list=PLjZLO29TV5xW6GbVhplH2lefiStoIii5u&index=1

Berens: School of Velocity, Op. 61 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9He00MHGoR8&list=PLjZLO29TV5xV8Yf0g_F6Xa43qQTFKzdqQ&ab_channel=PianoEtudeProject

Henri Ravina - 12 Études Artistiques, Op. 83 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjZLO29TV5xWY6VzLfbqDft8lV77TFosY