étude

Étude is a French word meaning study or research. In music and the arts it has come to designate pieces intended primarily as exercises to develop technique or understanding. The term derives from the Latin studere, to direct one's attention to a goal, and has been adopted into many languages with similar meanings.

In music, an étude is typically a short instrumental work focused on mastering a specific technical challenge, such as scales, arpeggios, or rhythm. The form began as didactic material for students, but many composers turned it into concert pieces with artistic content. The practice- and technique-centered tradition reached its pinnacle in the 19th century with the piano études of Frédéric Chopin (two sets, Op. 10 and Op. 25), which married technical problem-solving to poetic expression. Later composers extended the idea to other instruments and to more abstract musical ideas.

Notable examples include Chopin's two sets; Franz Liszt's Transcendental Études, which are highly virtuosic; Claude Debussy's Douze Études; Alexander Scriabin's Etudes; and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Etudes-Tableaux. Guitarists also contributed numerous études, notably by Fernando Sor and Francisco Tárrega, used as practice works and repertoire.

Beyond music, étude denotes a systematic study and is used in academic contexts to label research papers, reports, or topics of study. The term thus spans education, science, and the arts, signaling a focused investigation or practice-oriented work.