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Frederic Chopin

Born 1810 in Warsaw, Poland. Died 1849
Romantic school(s).

Biography

Frederic Chopin Both Chopin and Liszt were astounding virtuoso pianists and their works now provide the backbone of the repertoire for concert pianists wishing to perform music from the Romantic era.

Following a period in Victorian times when their music was regarded as being too sugary and sentimental, they are now held in high regard and enjoyment of their works is worldwide.

Chopin was always fascinated by music and took up the piano, quickly becoming proficient enough to be hailed as a ‘Wunderkind’ (child prodigy) at the age of sixteen.

He took a great interest in the folk music of the day, and this features strongly in nearly all of the music he wrote.

He went to study at the Warsaw Conservatoire, and by the time he was nineteen had already composed a large catalogue of piano music – nocturnes, polonaises, waltzes and the two concertos for piano and orchestra.

Following visits to Europe and the personal dilemma of whether or not he should return to his native Poland, he eventually decided in 1831 to settle in Paris.

Life was hard and he was desperately short of money, barely scraping a living.

Fortunately, however, he eventually found favour in the Rothschild family, who frequently employed him to play at soirées.

This opened up a new circle of wealthy people in Paris who also wished to employ Chopin to give lessons at their houses.

During this time he was also constantly composing, and added to his already quite extensive catalogue of concert pieces, including nocturnes, mazurkas and the popular G minor Ballade No. 1.

Chopin was always dogged by ill health, and following his meeting the ‘femme fatale’ George Sand he agreed to go away with her and her children to the island of Majorca.

It was here that Chopin was suspected of contracting tuberculosis, and because of this they were evicted from their rented accommodation and had to stay in a damp and unwelcoming disused monastery.

Chopin was extremely depressed at this time, and was moved to writing the now famous funeral march as the slow movement to his Piano Sonata in B flat minor.

His condition deteriorated and they all had to pack up and travel to Marseilles, where fortunately he received excellent medical attention that apparently saved his life.

Following an almost complete recovery, Chopin, George Sand and the children went back to Paris, but in order to avoid society gossip they decided to live in separate flats near each other.

Chopin undertook a series of private recitals (at very high fees) and found a few talented pupils, and life started to take a turn for the better.

He was not only prolific but writing extremely fine music.

However, in 1847 domestic troubles reared their ugly head once more, and after a particularly bad spate of arguments the couple decided to go their separate ways.

Chopin eventually went to England but wasn’t at all happy there, and it became increasingly apparent that his creative muse had finally dried up.

He wrote in a letter to a friend that he felt ‘played out’ and ‘incapable of bringing forth new sounds’ – a very sad state of affairs lasting some eleven months until his death.

His funeral was held at the Madeleine in Paris where, at his own request, Mozart’s Requiem was sung.

Nocturne in E Minor

Nocturne in E Minor Op. 72, No. 1

1827, Keyboard Works

Composed in 1827, this Nocturne is often described as being ‘posthumous’, for it was only discovered in 1863, in Warsaw.

Twelve Études

Twelve Études Op. 10: No. 5 in G Flat Major

1830, Keyboard Works

Written when Chopin was only twenty, these ‘studies’ followed the principle that exercises to improve piano technique should also involve playing enjoyable pieces.

Ballade No. 1 in G Minor

Ballade No. 1 in G Minor Op. 23

Keyboard Works

This Ballade, with its use of ‘rubato’ and highly embellished themes, is certainly a showcase for all the features of a Chopin composition. Of particular interest is a passage that occurs about five minutes into the piece, which is highly reminiscent of his ‘Minute’ waltz.

Berceuse

Berceuse in D Flat Major Op. 57

Keyboard Works

This Berceuse, or ‘cradle-song’, is a delightful and enchanting exercise that clearly gives us another insight into the charm of the young romantic piano genius.

Études Op. 25

Étude in A Flat Major Op. 25, No. 1

Keyboard Works

Chopin said about this study:

‘Imagine a little shepherd who takes refuge in a peaceful grotto from an approaching storm.

In the distance rushes the wind and the rain, while the shepherd gently plays a melody on his flute.’

Mazurka in C Minor

Mazurka in C Minor Op. 30, No. 1

Keyboard Works

Chopin wrote over fifty mazurkas for the piano – a mazurka being a traditional Polish dance in triple time where the second beat is usually accentuated either in the music or by a tap of the heel of the dancer.

He often varied the traditional style by either changing the speed or incorporating another Polish dance – the Kuiaviak – into the composition.

Nocturne in C Sharp Minor

Nocturne in C Sharp Minor Op. 27, No. 1

Keyboard Works

This Nocturne is charming in its apparent simplicity, though on closer inspection one will appreciate the skill required to fit in the trills over a seemingly endless bass line.

Nocturne in E Flat

**Nocturne in E flat Major Op. 9, No. 2 **

Keyboard Works

Chopin wrote twenty-one nocturnes in all, this being perhaps the most famous one.

This ‘night-piece’ has been arranged for brass bands and even musical saws, yet on the piano it is a wonderfully unhurried affair where the right hand plays an embellished tune over uncluttered left-hand chords.

Polonaise in A Major

Polonaise in A Major Op. 40, No. 1

Keyboard Works

Though a ‘major’ key is usually associated with bright and cheerful melodies, this piano polonaise (based on the traditional Polish dance) seems to move between the happy and the morose before reaching the end of a particular phrase. As always with his more sedate work, Chopin paces the music with a good use of ‘rubato’, producing overall an essentially gentle work with a tone of hidden menace.

Waltz in E Flat

Waltz in E Flat Major Op. 18

Keyboard Works

Chopin wrote altogether nineteen waltzes, of which this is a delightful example.

Funeral March

**Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor Op. 35: ‘Funeral March’ **

1839, Keyboard Works

The first two movements of this sonata seem to shoot along with a sense of unstoppable urgency, but the proceedings are suddenly cut short by the powerful solemnity of the funeral march of the third movement, which is often played separately – especially at funerals. However, this sonata must not be thought of as serious, for at times it is certainly a show-stopper.

Prelude No. 24

Prelude in D Minor Op. 28, No. 24

1839, Keyboard Works

A marvellous work once desribed as being: ‘full of the sounds of great guns!’

Prelude No. 4

Prelude in E Minor Op. 28, No. 4

1839, Keyboard Works

Robert Schumann once said of these preludes, composed in 1838:

‘I must signal them as most remarkable. . . . these are sketches, the beginning of studies, or, if you will, ruins, eagle’s feathers all strangely intermingled.’

The fourth prelude is gentle and almost melancholy, being described as:

’ . . . a little poem, the exquisitely sweet, languid pensiveness of which defies description.

The composer seems to be absorbed in the narrow sphere of his own ego, from which the wide noisy world is, for the time, shut out.’

Scherzo in B Flat Minor

Scherzo in B Flat Minor Op. 31, No. 1

1839, Keyboard Works

Chopin’s scherzos often feel like one-movement sonatas on account of the way in which they are closely worked and thematically compartmentalised. Themes aside, however, they include all the Chopin trademarks such as genuine tunefulness and literally showers of notes.

Minute Waltz

Waltz in D Flat Major Op. 64, No. 1 (‘Minute’)

1847, Keyboard Works

This is definitely Chopin’s most famous piano work and possibly one of the hardest to play if the title is to be believed. The composer himself was reputed to have performed it in sixty second, but usually about a minute and a half is required.

To be able to ‘waltz’ to this successfully is another matter altogether!

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