Part 7 (1/2)

PROGRAM I. (Easy.)

Polonaise in A major, opus 40, No. 1.

Polonaise in C-sharp minor, opus 26, No. 1.

Preludes: Opus 28. No. 4, E minor.

No. 6, B minor.

No. 7, A major.

No. 9, E major.

Prelude in D-flat, opus 28, No. 15.

Waltz in C-sharp minor, opus 64.

Waltz in D-flat, opus 64, No. 1.

Nocturne in E-flat, opus 9, No. 2.

Waltz in A-flat, opus 42.

PROGRAM II. (More difficult.)

Polonaise in A major.

Fantasia Impromptu in C-sharp minor, opus 66.

Scherzo in B-flat minor, opus 31.

Nocturne in E-flat major, opus 9, No. 2.

Nocturne in G major, opus 37, No. 2.

Ballad in A-flat, opus 47.

PROGRAM III. (Still more difficult.)

etudes: Opus 10, No. 1, C major.

No. 2, A minor.

No. 3, E major.

No. 4, C-sharp minor.

No. 5, G-flat (black key).

Ballad in A-flat, opus 47.

Romanza from First Concerto, in E minor. (Reinecke's arrangement or with second piano.) Impromptu in A-flat, opus 29.

Nocturne in D-flat, opus 27, No. 2.

Polonaise in A-flat, opus 53.

In order to fully understand the individuality and genius of Frederic Francois Chopin (1809-1849) it would be necessary to study his work from three standpoints. First, naturally, for what it is in and of itself--the moods, the qualities of style, the peculiar individuality of his musical thought; second, with reference to the modifications of pianoforte style inaugurated by this gifted genius--modifications which, while having their source in certain improvements of the mechanism of the pianoforte made immediately before Chopin began to write, would not have come so soon but for his genius and insight; and, third, to study the relation of this master in his style of musical ideas and working out, his fancy, his imagination, his representation of many sides of human nature, to the music of the other composers of the romantic school, and especially to that of Mendelssohn and Schumann, whose compositions were produced contemporaneously with those of Chopin. To cover all this ground is naturally impossible in one, two, or even in several, chapters, wherefore I shall confine myself in the present program to ill.u.s.trating a few of the characteristic individualities of Chopin and the essential features of his style.

There are difficulties in doing this adequately, arising from the fact that as piano virtuoso, Chopin, when fully expressing himself, did so without regard for the convenience of imperfectly-trained hands upon the pianoforte. Hence the works of his which represent his genius at its best are mostly too difficult for any but very accomplished players.

In recognition of this difficulty I have made three programs, each more difficult than the preceding, from which the student may make his choice, since the qualities are mainly the same in all, excepting that his complete treatment of the pianoforte is more perfectly ill.u.s.trated in the more difficult examples of his style. These, I may add, are no longer the utmost limit of pianoforte difficulty, as they were at the time when written; later writers have pa.s.sed considerably beyond even the most difficult works of Chopin. But for pianists in general some of the Chopin works still remain along the farthest borders of their art.

Among the most striking peculiarities of Chopin's style are, perhaps: first, melodiousness, combined with a certain melancholy, almost morbid, mood; second, pleasing running work, especially for the right hand, generally overlying an entirely simple ba.s.s, or a ba.s.s essentially simple upon the harmonic side but broken or modified so as to conceal this fact from the superficial observer. All his later life Chopin was an invalid or semi-invalid, and much of his music ill.u.s.trates a certain feverishness and morbidness of temperament.