Genre classics like the Revolutionary Étude (no. It's perhaps no surprise that even though Chopin didn't give any of his Études nicknames they've earned their own. Even these three little extra Études contain Chopin's by-now signatory attention to melodic detail. The Études are rounded off by third set of three, originally meant to be part of a larger educational piano book. The exact reason behind this is still the subject of much debate amongst Chopin nuts, but it's probably safe to say that, well… Liszt was away a lot of the time. His second set, slightly more enigmatically, were dedicated to Marie d'Agoult, who was at the time Franz Liszt's mistress. Chopin's eagerness to create something not only functional but loveable as well comes across in the deep lyricism of the first set of Études, but it didn't stop there. They're even dedicated to Franz Liszt, who Chopin met in a Paris salon in his early performing days: 'To my friend, Franz Liszt'. His first set of Études is a sparkling affair, and reflective of the composer's enthusiasm.
His Études should hold an especially sacred place for everyone, though, since they completely changed everything a technical exercise should be.īut how? And if they're supposed to be technical exercises, why do they need to be beautiful as well? Well, the young Chopin began composing his first set of Études (there are three sets in total) when he was still a teenager, so he was perhaps at a creative stage at which he keenly wanted to make an impression. Whether or not morbid thoughts (and Chopin had plenty of them) affected the piece, it is a work of strange, ineffable beauty that is more than the sum of its parts.How did Chopin's three sets of Études become one of the piano repertoire's most enduring and defining works? Find out with our handy guide…Ĭhopin's reputation for piano composition is pretty inscrutable, thanks to a vast catalogue of works for the instrument that have inspired an almost religious devotion amongst pianists and students of his work. When he wrote it, Chopin was only four years away from his death and had suffered from tuberculosis for many years.
Emotionally, though, there is much more to this piece the central section is full of mystery and a fantastical, valedictory atmosphere hangs over the whole. Some commentators have suggested it could be based on Adam Mickiewicz’s epic poem Konrad Wallenrod – a romantic tale, written three years before the Ballade, featuring a mysterious hero, a long-lost beloved, concealed identities, ferocious battles and a cataclysmic suicide.Ĭhopin’s Barcarolle is based on the idea of a Venetian gondola song: it features a lilting, rocking accompaniment and an Italianate melody rich in cascades of thirds and sixths – Chopin’s passion for Italian bel canto opera is evident. It is a highly dramatic piece, its ballade nature defined by its lilting rhythm and long-spun, bard-like melodies ferocious and impassioned outbursts interrupt and transform its themes until it ends in a startling coda of stark, wild gestures. Listen to the best Chopin works on Apple Music and Spotify and scroll down to explore our selection of ten essential piano masterpieces by the great composer.Ĭhopin was only 21 when he created the first and most popular of his ballades. Let your audience know what to hear first.
No other composer has contributed as many significant works to the piano’s repertoire. Stream Chopin music Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud. Chopin invented the concept of the instrumental Ballade and his major piano works also include Sonatas, Mazurkas, Waltzes, Nocturnes, Polonaises, Études, Impromptus, Scherzos and Préludes, some published only after his death. His beautiful melodies blended lush bel canto lyricism with Classical restraint.
Among the influences on his style of composition were Polish folk music, the classical tradition of JS Bach, Mozart and Schubert and the atmosphere of the Paris salons of which he was a frequent guest. Chopin was born in the small village of Zelazowa Wola, in the Duchy of Warsaw, to a Polish mother and French-expatriate father, and was a child prodigy pianist. Other songs have since come to light, but they are not part of Op. 74, the order of the songs within that opus having little regard for their actual order of composition. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music and wrote primarily for solo piano. In 1857, the known 17 Polish songs that had been written at various stages throughout Chopin's life were collected and published as Op. Frédéric Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist.