La Tartine Beurrée (Bread and Butter) KV6

The Anacrouse collection offers pianists, beginners and advanced alike, a wide choice of classical works from the Renaissance to the present day. It brings together major works of the repertoire as well as rarer pieces, and also offers transcriptions for piano solo or four hands, selected for their musical and educational interest. Each score, available individually, benefits from careful editorial work: a rigorously established musical text, clear and legible engraving, accompanied by a short biography of the composer and a note on the work.

“La Tartine Beurrée” (K. 6 Anh.) in C major is a piece full of mischief and wit. From a pedagogical point of view, it is ideal for introducing young students to the glissando: the right hand must “spread the butter” across the keyboard with the back of the index or middle finger, while keeping the left hand steady and bouncing. It is an excellent exercise for loosening the wrist, working on rhythmic precision and approaching the playful side of the instrument.

Traditionally attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (who is said to have composed it at the age of five), this piece is above all a musical joke. The title evokes the gesture of the pianist who, with great slides across the white keys, imitates the movement of a knife on a slice of bread. Whether by Mozart or by a composer from his circle, this page remains a staple of the first years of piano, appreciated for its freshness and humour.