Green notes: right hand, blue notes: left hand. Preview played right in your browser with the app's real piano (lightweight version). Inside Pianovera: full multi-layer sound, fingering display and Wait mode.
Where the First Arabesque ripples, the Second fizzes. Debussy trades the dreamy garlands for wit: a repeated-note motif that bounces, replies darting between the hands, a humoresque mood that never takes itself seriously. Together the two MIDI files make a perfect diptych, calm then mischief.
Technically it asks for the opposite of its sister: pearled staccato, precise attacks, quick position shifts. It's a great piece for loosening up an over-legato style, and its character rewards you long before full tempo. Take it up after the First; the gap is smaller than it sounds.
The Second Arabesque: the first notes
Right hand, in letter names (C4 = middle C): E5 F#5 E5 A4 A5 B5 A5 D5 E5 F#5 E5 A4 A5 B5 A5 D5 E5 F#5 E5 B4 B5 C6 B5 D5… The rest scrolls in the preview above, with the fingering, and the sheet music PDF has the whole piece.
Play the Second Arabesque on the virtual piano
Here are the virtual piano notes for the Second Arabesque, in computer keyboard letters: the first 3 bars of the melody. One key per note, read left to right; dark keys are the sharps, and a thin line marks each bar. The melody sounds an octave lower than written, so it fits on the keyboard.
Letters for a QWERTY keyboardYour keyboard: 48 notes
E5ENYUYWE5ENYUYW
E5EMUIUWE5EMUIUW
E5EQIOIWE5EQIOIW
▶ Play on the virtual pianoThe piano opens with this piece loaded: the key to play lights up and waits for you.
What you'll be working on
The repeated-note motif, bounced from the fingertips
Fast dialogues between the two hands
A pearled staccato that stays musical
Debussy's sudden dynamic contrasts
Playing the Second Arabesque on piano with Pianovera
The repeated notes form little dotted lines in Pianovera's preview, perfect for calibrating your staccato. Loop the opening eight bars at 70% until they fizz; the rest of the piece follows the same recipe.
Open Arabesque No. 2 in Pianovera: the notes fall toward an 88-key virtual piano keyboard, each hand gets its color, and Wait mode is there if you're starting out. On a PC, it's falling notes piano software for Windows, with video export up to 4K.
Free, with no time limit and no ads: 30 pieces (10 in full, 20 in a simplified version), the first 10 lessons and 10 minutes of 3D hands (then 15 seconds per piece). Premium opens all 651 pieces.
Download the Second Arabesque MIDI and sheet music
The work itself is in the public domain. This MIDI engraving comes from the Mutopia Project, typeset by Knute Snortum, under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license (free reuse with attribution, commercial included).
About this piece
Is the Second Arabesque hard to play on piano?
We rate it intermediate: 1803 notes over 3:38, spanning F1 to A6. The first thing to work on: the repeated-note motif, bounced from the fingertips.
Where can I get the sheet music for the Second Arabesque?
Right on this page: the "View the sheet music" button opens the PDF (268 KB), engraved by the Mutopia Project from the same source as the MIDI file, CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. View it, print it, keep it.
Is the Second Arabesque MIDI file really free?
Yes. Claude Debussy died more than 70 years ago, so the work (1891) is public domain. This MIDI engraving is under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license: free to use, commercially included, with credit to Knute Snortum.
