Modern music notation employs a system based on five lines and four spaces known as the staff. What you see above is the result of a thousand years of evolution. At the beginning of each staff is a key (clef) to the relationship of the lines and spaces to the pitches contained therein. In this example, the upper staff has treble clef that designates that the note G may be found on the second line. The lower staff employs a bass clef that indicates that F is on the fourth line from the bottom. In this case, because this is music for piano, the two staves are joined together by a brace. The three number signs at the beginning of each staff are, together, known as the key signature. Those number signs are actually known as sharps and the key in this case is A major. The fraction ¾ indicates that there are three beats in every measure and the quarter note represents the beat. Because there are three beats per measure the meter is triple. Most of the music we know is either triple or duple meter with two or four beats per measure. The measures are separated by the vertical bar lines running through both staves. The word “andantino” is the designation of tempo, in this case at a moderate walking speed. The letter p in the pickup measure indicates that the music should be played quietly (piano). Later in the piece the dynamic increases to mezzo forte (mf) and then decreases to pianissimo (pp). Opus 28, number 7 is a publisher’s catalog indication. Frederic Chopin was a brilliant pianist who wrote some of the greatest piano music in the 19th century. When he died in 1849 ten thousand Parisians went to his funeral even though he was Polish. Go to YouTube and check him out.