The Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49, by

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

is a single-movement work for the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, composed in 1841, when he was 31 years old. From Chopin's letters it is known that he used the name "fantasy" to show some sort of freedom from rules and give a

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

expression. Frédéric Chopin continued the tradition of a self-contained movement in his Fantaisie. This Fantaisie is one of Chopin's longest pieces, and is considered one of his greatest works.

Form

This work belongs to the Fantasy form, a composition free in form and inspiration. It begins with a solemn marching theme that eventually plunges into a passionate and virtuosic section, the transition marked ''poco a poco … doppio movimento'', still with elements of marching, but more triumphant and positive in mood. About halfway through the piece occurs a slow and sombre chorale-like section in B major, before the previous section is restated. After a short, quiet and sweet statement followed by a final flourish the work ends in a plagal cadence in A-flat major, the relative key. This piece is 11–14 minutes long.

References

External links

*
Performance of Fantaisie in F minor
by

Cecile Licad Cecile Buencamino Licad (born 11 May 1961) is a Filipina classical pianist. She was born in Manila. Awards * In 1981 Licad received the Leventritt Competition Gold Medal. * Her recording of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Saint-Saëns' Piano Co ...

from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format Compositions by Frédéric Chopin Compositions for solo piano 1841 compositions Chopin Compositions in F minor {{classical-composition-stub