Rondo a capriccio Op. 129 (Rage Over a Lost Penny) MIDI & Sheet Music
Ludwig van Beethoven · 1795
The German title, rage over a lost penny, vented in a caprice, appears on the manuscript, but not in Beethoven's hand: it's attributed to his friend Anton Schindler. Beethoven wrote the rondo between 1795 and 1798, left it unfinished and never published it. The publisher Anton Diabelli brought it out in 1828, a year after his death, taking care not to mention it was incomplete.
⏱5:26 with repeats♪5580 notes🎚Advanced🎼G major♩174 per quarter🎹F1 → F6🦶pedal marks
Rondo a capriccio Op. 129 (Rage Over a Lost Penny) · Sheet music
It's a G major rondo whose theme keeps coming back, more agitated each time, through distant keys such as E major and A-flat major. The left hand gets busy in the very first bars and gives you no rest. The humor is in the writing itself: Beethoven circles his motif like someone turning out their pockets.
A left hand in perpetual motion, light despite the speed
The rondo theme, recognizable at every return
Sudden key changes, without losing the thread
Accents and surprises played with humor
The tricky passages
Bar 15 : the busiest bar, with 28 notes across both hands
Bar 116 : a leap of 31 semitones (over two octaves) in the left hand, in under half a second
Bar 180 : 8 notes in a row in the left hand, at about 19.8 notes per second
Bar 439 : the right hand shifts position by 26 semitones compared with the previous bar
Playing Rage Over a Lost Penny on piano with Pianovera
Over 5 minutes at full tilt: in Pianovera, cut the rondo into 8-bar loops and start with the Intermediate version, where passages too fast for one hand come down to eighth notes. Pass it at 85% and Pianovera suggests the next version.
Free, with no time limit and no ads: 10 pieces in full plus the piece of the week, 30-second excerpts of the others, the first 7 lessons and the 3D hands with no limit. Premium opens all 651 pieces.
About this piece
How long is Rage Over a Lost Penny?
The MIDI file lasts 5:26, with every repeat played in full: 442 bars in 2/4 (473 played with the repeats), 5580 notes, at 174 bpm (quarter notes). Slowed to 60%, it lasts 9:03.
What level do you need to play Rage Over a Lost Penny?
We rate it advanced in G major, with sustain pedal marks. The left hand stretches up to 12 semitones (an octave) and the right hand up to 12 semitones (an octave), across 60 semitones of keyboard (F1 to F6), at 17.1 notes per second on average. The first thing to work on: a left hand in perpetual motion, light despite the speed.
What is the hardest passage in Rage Over a Lost Penny?
It is bar 180: 8 notes in a row in the left hand, at about 19.8 notes per second.
What tempo should a beginner practice Rage Over a Lost Penny at?
Aim for 105 bpm (quarter notes), which is 60% of the file's tempo (174).
Is there sheet music for Rage Over a Lost Penny with fingering?
Yes: 3297 fingerings, 442 bars, shown in full above and as a free printable PDF.
