Étude Op. 25, No. 1 inA-flat major is a solo piano work composed byFrédéric Chopin in 1836, and published in 1837. The work consists entirely of rapid arpeggios and harmonic modulations based onA-flat major.

Robert Schumann praised this work in a dissertation on the Études; calling it "a poem rather than a study", he coined for it the alternate name "Aeolian Harp".^[1] It is also sometimes known as "The Shepherd Boy," following an unsupported tale byKleczyński that Chopin advised a pupil to picture a shepherd boy taking refuge in a grotto to avoid a storm playing the melody on his flute.^[2]

This étude comprises a right-hand melody and supportive bass line, the accompaniment consisting of broken chords, provided by the inner voices of both hands, usually insemiquaver-tuplets. The left hand introducespolyrhythms from time to time. The principal melody is presented by the right hand on the first note of each group ofsextuplets, with occasional counter-melodies provided by the inner voices.

The distinctive theme is presented inA-flat major. Through metamorphic modulations to closely related keys, it eventually arrives at a brief episode in the remote key of A major, but culminates with an intense climax in the home key, and a momentary reference to the original thematic material, which flows easily into thecoda.

Étude Op. 25, No. 1

Martha Goldstein playing on an Erard (1851) - 2574KB

---

Étude Op. 25, No. 1

Performed by Donald Betts

---

Problems playing these files? Seemedia help.

Technically, the piece requires dexterity to play the sextuplets fast enough, and to be able to move the hand across intervals as large as a 13th in the middle. The inner voice figures consist of repeated figures of arpeggiated chords. Schumann commented on Chopin's subtle emphasis on certain melodies throughout this piece.^[3] One difficulty the étude presents is the voicing of the inner counter-melodies. The three annotated studies byLeopold Godowsky on this etude exploit this aspect of this piece and also introduce the student to further possibilities in the Chopin original.^{[citation needed]}

• Johnson, Ashton.A Handbook to Chopin's Works (reprinted 2010 ed.).ISBN 9783867414371 – via Google Books.

• Analysis of Chopin Etudes atChopin: the poet of the piano
• Études Op. 25: Scores at theInternational Music Score Library Project
• Sheet music available in .pdf orLilyPond format, fromMutopia.
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byAlfred Cortot
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byArthur Rubinstein
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byClaudio Arrau
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byDino Ciani
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byGéza Anda
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byJorge Bolet
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byIvan Moravec
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byVladimir Ashkenazy
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byMaurizio Pollini
• Op. 25, No. 1 played byYouri Egorov

Performances (video)

• Étude in A flat major, Op. 25, No. 1 onYouTube

• Études op. 25 (Chopin)
• 1836 compositions
• Compositions in A-flat major

• Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2026
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles with hAudio microformats
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014
• Works with IMSLP links
• Articles with International Music Score Library Project links