![Chopin-Godowsky](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Chopin-Godowsky.JPG)
The ''Studies on Chopin's Études'' are a set of 53 arrangements of
Chopin's études by
Leopold Godowsky
Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. (13 February 1870 – 21 November 1938) was a Lithuanian-born American virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time, known for his theories concernin ...
, composed between 1894 and 1914. They are renowned for their technical difficulty: critic
Harold C. Schonberg
Harold Charles Schonberg (29 November 1915 – 26 July 2003) was an American music critic and author. He is best known for his contributions in ''The New York Times'', where he was chief music critic from 1960 to 1980. In 1971, he became the fi ...
called them "the most impossibly difficult things ever written for the piano." Several of the studies (for example, the study "
Ignis Fatuus" on Chopin's
Étude in A minor, Op. 10, No. 2) put the original right-hand part into the left hand; several others are for the left hand alone (for example, the study on the
"Revolutionary" Étude, transposed to
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major.
The C natural minor scale is:
:
Cha ...
). Two of the studies even combine two études; the better known of these, called "Badinage," combines both the G (the
"Black Key" Étude of Op. 10 and the
"Butterfly" étude of Op. 25).
The studies
The number of studies is often given as 54, with Op. 25, No. 2 having one study written as a considerably different
ossia
() is a musical term for an alternative passage which may be played instead of the original passage. The word '' ossia'' comes from the Italian for "alternatively" and was originally spelled ''o sia'', meaning "or be it".
''Ossia'' passages are ...
of another; a similar ossia also exists for one of the studies on Op. 25, No. 3, so the total number of studies can be taken to be 55. In contrast, Godowsky's original numbering scheme runs only to 48.
Opus 10
; Opus 10 No. 1
* 1st Study in C major
* 2nd Study in D major (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 2
* 1st Study in A minor (left hand only)
* 2nd Study in A minor ("Ignis Fatuus")
; Opus 10 No. 3
* Study in D major (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 4
* Study in C minor (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 5
* 1st Study in G major
* 2nd Study in C major
* 3rd Study in A minor ("Tarantella")
* 4th Study in A major ("Capriccio")
* 5th Study in G major
* 6th Study in G major
* 7th Study in G major (left hand only)
* This étude was also combined with the Opus 25 No. 9 étude in the "Badinage" composition.
; Opus 10 No. 6
* Study in E minor (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 7
* 1st Study in C major ("Toccata")
* 2nd Study in G major ("Nocturne")
* 3rd Study in E major (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 8
* 1st Study in F major
* 2nd Study in G major (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 9
* 1st Study in C minor
* 2nd Study in F minor (imitation of Opus 25 No. 2)
* 3rd Study in F minor (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 10
* 1st Study in D major
* 2nd Study in A major (left hand only)
; Opus 10 No. 11
* Study in A major (left hand only)
* This étude was also combined with the Opus 25 No. 3 étude.
; Opus 10 No. 12
* Study in C minor (left hand only)
Opus 25
; Opus 25 No. 1
* 1st Study in A major (left hand only)
* 2nd Study in A major (Like a piece for four hands)
* 3rd Study in A major
; Opus 25 No. 2
* 1st Study in F minor
* 2nd Study in F minor ("Waltz")
* 3rd Study (A) in F minor
* 3rd Study (B) in F minor
* 4th Study in F minor (left hand only)
* This étude was also imitated in one of the Opus 10 No. 9 studies.
; Opus 25 No. 3
* 1st Study in F major
* 2nd Study in F major (left hand only)
* This étude was also combined with the Opus 10 No. 11 étude
; Opus 25 No. 4
* 1st Study in A minor (left hand only)
* 2nd Study in F minor ("Polonaise")
; Opus 25 No. 5
* 1st Study in E minor
* 2nd Study in C minor ("Mazurka")
* 3rd Study in B minor (left hand only)
; Opus 25 No. 6
* Study in G minor
; Opus 25 No. 7
''There are no studies of this étude in the collection.''
; Opus 25 No. 8
* Study in D major
; Opus 25 No. 9
* 1st Study in G major
* 2nd Study in G major (left hand only)
* This étude was also combined with the Opus 10 No. 5 étude in the "Badinage" composition.
; Opus 25 No. 10
* Study in B minor (left hand only)
; Opus 25 No. 11
* Study in A minor
; Opus 25 No. 12
* Study in C minor (left hand only)
Trois Nouvelles Études
; Nouvelle Étude No. 1
* Study in F minor (left hand only)
; Nouvelle Étude No. 2
* 1st Study in E major
* 2nd Study in D major (left hand only)
; Nouvelle Étude No. 3
* Study in G major ("Menuetto")
Omitted and unfinished studies
An additional number of studies have been documented, but all got omitted from the final list,
three of them had been found,
fragmented and incomplete. Due to these changes and the discovery of the unfinished studies, it is believed that there are over a dozen studies that were composed but not published. Godowsky told Grover Ackley Brower, an assistant editor at Carl Fischer, that there were 12 to 15 unpublished Studies.
Godowsky's secretary, John George Hinderer, wrote that Godowsky had ten manuscripts left in
Vienna
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at the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Examining the studies that were included in the 1903 and 1909 lists that were ultimately removed from the final collection, the following studies were either completed, unfinished or conceptualized:
Omitted studies
Opus 10 No. 2
* 3rd Study in A minor (Listed as "No.5")
ocumented in 1903 and 1909 lists, but omitted in 1914; not issued
Opus 10 No. 5
* 8th Study in G major (No. 12c. Black keys study for both hands with the subtitle of "Chinoiserie (Chinese style)".)
itle added in 1909, but never issued* 9th Study in G major (No. 12d. White key study for both hands.)
itle added in 1909, but never issuedOpus 10 No. 11
* 2nd Study in E (No designation of major or minor was mentioned.)
lthough it is not on the list of 1903 and 1909, Hinderer mentioned the existence of this study. A different study from the current Study No. 21
Opus 25 No. 6
* 2nd Study in G minor (No. 36. It is written as "Inversion" and is a different study from the current No. 36. Hinderer describes "in thirds (inverted) for left hand (also for the right hand) not alone, in either case".)
isted in first series, but not published
Opus 25 No. 7
* Study in C minor or F minor (Listed in the 1903 list as "No. 37" in C minor, and in the 1909 list as "No. 37" in F minor. In the latter, it is noted to be for the left hand only. Hinderer wrote "an Elegie for left hand alone".)
isted in first series, but not published
Opus 25 No. 8
* 2nd Study in D major (No. 39. In 1903, it was written "In thirds", in 1909 it was written "In thirds and octaves" in German, and "In thirds" in English and French. A study different from the current No. 39. According to Hinderer, there are two versions, one for the left hand alone and one for the right hand (not alone, presumably).)
isted in first series, but not published
Opus 25 No. 10
* Study (Marcia funebre)
arly list specifies Study No.41 as "Marcia funebre," but the version published is an Allegro con fuocoOpus 25 No. 12
* Study in C minor (Listed as "No. 43" in the 1903 list. It was a different study from the current No. 43 (solo for the left hand), and Hinderer wrote that it was a study for both hands.)
Study (No. 49)
Op. 25 No. 4 and Op. 25 No. 11 combined (Listed as "No. 49" in the 1903 and 1909 lists. Hinderer also mentions its existence.)
isted in early series, but not published
Unfinished studies
Opus 25 No. 3
2nd Study (No. 30a) in D minor ("Marsch (March)")
Nouvelle Étude No. 1
Study (No. 44a) in F minor (Variational form,
completed by
Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ (born September 5, 1961), is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical proficiency of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has received 11 Gr ...
)
Study in A minor (No. 50)
Op. 10 No. 2, Op. 25 No. 4 and Op. 25 No. 11 (Combined in one study)
Recordings
Only four pianists,
Geoffrey Douglas Madge,
Carlo Grante,
Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ (born September 5, 1961), is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical proficiency of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has received 11 Gr ...
, and
Emanuele Delucchi have recorded the entire set of the studies.
Francesco Libetta
Francesco Libetta (born 16 October 1968) is an Italian pianist, composer and conductor.
Biography
Born in Galatone, Southern Italy, Francesco Libetta studied music in Italy (piano with Vittoria De Donno; contrapoint with Cosimo Colazzo and ...
(1994, 1995, 2018),
Carlo Grante (1995) and
Emanuele Delucchi (2018) have performed the complete set in concert, but only Libetta has done so from memory. Francesco Libetta performed them again in Miami on July 7, 2018, in two recitals in the same day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, also all of them by memory.
Ivan Ilić has made a speciality of the 22 études for the left hand alone.
Only a few other pianists have ventured to record selected studies. The first was
Vladimir de Pachmann
Vladimir de Pachmann or Pachman (27 July 18486 January 1933) was a pianist of Russian-German ethnicity, especially noted for performing the works of Chopin and for his eccentric performing style.
Biography
Pachmann was born in Odessa, Ukraine as ...
, who recorded the Study on Op. 10, No. 12 in 1912. Others include
Boris Berezovsky,
Michel Beroff
Michel may refer to:
* Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name)
* Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers)
* Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...
,
Jorge Bolet,
Ian Hobson
Ian Hobson is an English pianist, conductor and teacher, and is a professor at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and at Florida State University. His pianistic repertoire spans the baroque to the contemporary, but he specialises in th ...
, Ivan Ilić,
David Saperton David Saperton (1889–1970) was an American pianist known especially for being the first pianist to play the entire original compositions as well as the complete transcriptions of his father-in-law, Leopold Godowsky. He also recorded a number of G ...
,
Victor Schiøler Victor Schiøler was a Danish classical pianist (7 April 1899 – 17 February 1967).
Biography
Victor Schiøler was born, and died, in Copenhagen. He studied with his mother, then with Ignaz Friedman and Artur Schnabel. He made his debut on 23 J ...
,
Jacob Jettomersky
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...
, and
David Stanhope
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
.
References
External links
*
Discography of Godowsky's Studies on Chopin's Etudes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Studies on Chopin's Etudes
Godowsky
Compositions by Leopold Godowsky
Études by Frédéric Chopin