Frederic Chopin

Frederic ChopinThe Poet of Piano

By Maki Okubo

Chopins LifeBorn on March 1, 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, Poland, into a middle-class family.He published his first composition by the age of 7 and began performing soon after. Entered the Warsaw Conservatory at 16His name became known outside of Poland when his Variations, Op. 2, for piano and orchestra on Mozart's "La ci darem la mano" written when he was 17 were published in 1830Moves to Vienna In 1831, he moved to Paris where he socialized and acquainted with other high society members and was a well known piano teacher. He falls in love with an author named, Aurore Dudevant also known as George Sand. They are together and live in her estate for 8 years. Chopin dies in 1849 at the age of 39 from tuberculosis.

Father was French and his mother was Polish.At the time Paris had become the undisputed center of European culture, a time of new thinking in arts and thewas profoundly focal point of Romanticism in music. Composers such as Bellini, Victor Hugo, and Schuman. He influenced by these people. Together they participated in the Romantic Revolution in Paris.

2Chopins MusicChopin is responsible for making the the romantical era the pianos golden age. He is one of the most influential composers of that era.He wrote well over 200 works including: 58 Mazurkas19 Waltzes27 Etudes21 Nocturnes17 Polonaises2 Piano concertos26 Preludes All of his works, without exception, involve the piano, whether solo or accompanied. They are predominantly for solo piano but include a small number of works for piano and secondary instruments, including a second piano, violin, cello, voice, and orchestra.Several melodies of Chopin's have become well known; because of their unique melodic shape. They are instantly memorable and easily recognized.Chopin was the first to write Ballades, he invented the genre.

Fun FactsWhen Schuman heard him perform for the first time, he instantly became a fan. He declared, Hats off gentle men a genius! Chopin was greatly inspired by Bach. He urged his piano pupils to practice Bach every day to strengthen their fingers and exercise their minds with the mathematical musicIt seems it's not just musicians are inspired by the great composer. A maker of fine vodka has borrowed the composer's name as a universal mark of quality.

Chopin: Grande Valse, Op. 42 in A flat majorDate: 1840Genre: WaltzWhat to Listen For:Melody: Modal steps with embellishments, turns, and arpeggiosRhythm/Meter: 6/8 feel, triple meter, waltzHarmony: Root chord chord, for the bass clef, melody supported by turns and arpeggiosTexture: Light waltz texture, polyphonicPerforming Forces: Solo pianoForm: // A-A-B-C-B-D-B-E-B // A-A-B-C-B //, waltz and variations.Expression: Ritards or decrescendos at the end of 8 bar phrases in a dance-like style This piece is considered to be one of his best waltz. 5Listening GuideIntroduction0:00 Slow chordal accompaniment added to trill.

A section0:11 6/8 rhythm, super imposed over 3/4 time signature

0:22 A section repeated. Up one octave

B section0:33 Straight 8th note runs and arpeggios

C section0:44 Waltz on the dominant0:58 Section B repeated D section 1:08

1:24 Section B repeated

E Section1:34 Key change, wanders slight tempo change

2:10 Bridge2:19 Section B repeated 2:28 Section A repeated2:39 Section A repeated, up an octave2:53 Section B repeated in a variation, with cadenza 3:03 Section C repeated with cadenza3:20 Section C repeated 3:38 Section B repeated

Waltz No. 5 in A-Flat Major, Op. 42, 'Grande Valse'Maria Joo PiresCyprien Katsaris, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Franois-Ren Duchble, Halina Czerny-Stefanska, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Maria Joo Pires & Nikolai LuganskyFrdric ChopinChopin: Masterworks, Vol. 22010-02-02T08:00:00Z2013-11-18 23:42:20Chopin: Masterworks, Vol. 2