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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 Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading composer of his era whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation". Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola and grew up in Warsaw, which in 1815 became part of Congress Poland. A child prodigy, he completed his musical education and composed his early works in Warsaw before leaving Poland at age 20, less than a month before the outbreak of the November Uprising, November 1830 Uprising; at 21, he settled in Paris. Thereafter he gave only 30 public performances, preferring the more intimate atmosphere of the Salon (gathering), salon. He supported himself, selling his compositions and giving piano lessons, for which he was in high demand. Chopin formed a friendship with Franz Liszt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Żelazowa Wola
Żelazowa Wola () is a village in Gmina Sochaczew, Sochaczew County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies on the Utrata River, some northeast of Sochaczew and west of Warsaw. Description The village is known for being the birthplace of the Polish pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin, and for its picturesque Masovian landscape, including numerous winding streams surrounded by willows and hills. In 1909, in celebration of Chopin's centenary, Russian composer Sergei Lyapunov wrote the symphonic poem ''Zelazowa Wola (Lyapunov), Zhelazova Vola'' (Żelazowa Wola), Op. 37 (), "in memory of Chopin". Housed in an annex to the Chopins's home, surrounded by a park, is a Birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin, museum devoted to the composer. In summer, concerts of his music are performed by pianists from all over the world, who play inside the family home for an outside audience. In an adjacent park is a Frédéric Chopin monument in Żelazowa Wola, monument to the pianist, desi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maria Wodzińska
Maria Wodzińska, ''primo voto'' Skarbkowa, ''secundo voto'' Orpiszewska (7 January 1819 – 7 December 1896), was a Polish artist who was a former fiancée to composer Frédéric Chopin. Life Maria Wodzińska was a daughter of Count Wincenty Wodziński and Countess Teresa Wodzińska, of the Jastrzębiec coat of arms. She had three brothers, Antoni, Feliks, and Kazimierz, and a sister, Józefa. The family moved to Geneva in 1832, where Maria was "the brilliant star of the household... striking in every sense". She studied piano with composer John Field and art at the Geneva Academy. Prince Louis-Napoleon (later Napoleon III) was reportedly among those in love with her, as was poet Juliusz Słowacki, who wrote a poem about her. She was described as having "a touch of the Mediterranean about her": olive-toned skin and dark hair and eyes. She was one of the recipients of Chopin's so-called Farewell Waltz in 1835. She also painted the composer, creating what Tad Szulc called " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Études (Chopin)
The Études by Frédéric Chopin are three sets of études (solo studies) for the piano published during the 1830s. There are twenty-seven compositions overall, comprising two separate collections of twelve, numbered Op. 10 and Op. 25, and a set of three without opus number. History Composition Chopin's Études formed the foundation for what was then a revolutionary playing style for the piano. They are some of the most challenging and evocative pieces of all the works in concert piano repertoire. Because of this, the music remains popular and often performed in both concert and private stages. Some are so popular they have been given nicknames; among the most popular are Op. 10, No. 3, sometimes identified by the names ''Tristesse'' ("Sadness") or "Farewell" (''L'Adieu''), as well as the "Revolutionary Étude" ( Op. 10, No. 12), “Black Keys” ( Op. 10, No. 5), and "Winter Wind" ( Op. 25, No. 11). No nicknames are of Chopin' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ballades (Chopin)
Frédéric Chopin's Four Ballades are single- movement pieces for solo piano, composed between 1831 and 1842. They are considered to be some of the most important and challenging pieces in the standard piano repertoire. Form Chopin used the term ballade in the sense of a balletic interlude or dance piece, equivalent to the old Italian ''ballata''. However, the term may also have connotations of the medieval heroic ballad, a narrative minstrel song, often of a fantastical character. There are dramatic and dance-like elements in Chopin's use of the genre, and he is a pioneer of the ballade as an abstract musical form. The four ballades are said to have been inspired by a friend of Chopin's, poet Adam Mickiewicz. The exact inspiration for each ballade, however, needs to be clarified and disputed. Though the ballades do not conform precisely to sonata form, the "ballade form" created by Chopin for his four ballades is a variant of sonata form with specific discrepancies, such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ballade (classical Music)
A ballade (; ; and ,) refers to a one- movement instrumental piece with lyrical and dramatic narrative qualities reminiscent of such a song setting, especially a piano ballade. In 19th century romantic music, a piano ballade is a genre of solo piano pieces written in a balletic narrative style, often with lyrical elements interspersed. Emerging in the Romantic era, it became a medium for composers to explore dramatic and expressive storytelling through complex, lyrical themes and virtuosic techniques. Origin The musical ballade originates in the literary tradition of medieval and early Renaissance poetry. In poetry, the '' ballade'' featured a highly structured form, typically composed of three main stanzas with a repeated refrain. This structure allowed poets to weave tales of romance, heroism, and folklore, with Guillaume de Machaut being a key figure in popularizing this poetic style. Additionally, the ballade existed as a courtly dance, marked by its elegance and associatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polonaises (Chopin)
Most of Frédéric Chopin's polonaise The polonaise (, ; , ) is a dance originating in Poland, and one of the five Polish folk dances#National Dances, Polish national dances in Triple metre, time. The original Polish-language name of the dance is ''chodzony'' (), denoting a walki ...s were written for solo piano. He wrote his first polonaise in 1817, when he was 7; his last was the '' Polonaise-Fantaisie'' of 1846, three years before his death. Among the best known polonaises are the "Military" Polonaise in A, Op. 40, No. 1, and the "Heroic" Polonaise in A, Op. 53. There is also the '' Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante'' in E, Op. 22, for piano and orchestra, which also exists in a solo piano version; and the '' Introduction and Polonaise brillante'' in C major, Op. 3, for cello and piano. Polonaises for solo piano Chopin wrote at least 23 polonaises for piano solo. Of these: * 7, including the '' Polonaise-Fantaisie'', were published in his lifetime * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nocturnes (Chopin)
Frédéric Chopin wrote 21 nocturnes for solo piano between 1827 and 1846. They are generally considered among the finest short solo works for the instrument and hold an important place in contemporary concert repertoire. Although Chopin did not invent the nocturne, he popularized and expanded on it, building on the form developed by Irish composer John Field (composer), John Field. Chopin's nocturnes numbered 1 to 18 were published during his lifetime, in twos or threes, in the order of composition. However, numbers 19 and 20 were actually written first, prior to Chopin's departure from Poland, but published posthumously. Number 21 was not originally entitled "nocturne" at all, but since its publication in 1938 as such, it is generally included with publications and recordings of the set. Influences By the time of Chopin's birth in 1810, John Field was already an accomplished composer. Eventually, the young Chopin became a great admirer of Field, taking some influence from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waltzes (Chopin)
Frédéric Chopin's waltzes are pieces of moderate length for piano, all written between 1824 and 1849. They are all in waltz triple meter, specifically 3/4 (except Op. P1/13, which is in 3/8 time), but differ from earlier Viennese waltzes in not being intended for dancing; nonetheless, several have been used in ballets, most notably '' Les Sylphides''. Some are accessible by pianists of modest capability, others require advanced technique. Chopin may have written as many as 37 piano waltzes, but only nineteen (along with one inauthentic waltz) are numbered and only eight were published (in Opp. 18, 34, 42 and 64) before he died. His desire was that any unpublished works should be burned, but his sister Ludwika and Julian Fontana proceeded anyway to publish Waltzes 9–13 (as Opp. 69 and 70). Six waltzes composed 1826–1831 and present in Frédéric’s Paris home were at first preserved but then lost in an unintended 1863 fire in Ludwika's house. Another six were eventually publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mazurkas (Chopin)
Over the years 1825–1849, Frédéric Chopin wrote at least 59 compositions for piano called Mazurkas. Mazurka refers to one of the mazurka, traditional Polish dances. * 58 have been published ** 45 during Chopin's lifetime, of which 41 have opus numbers (with the remaining four works being two early mazurkas from 1826 and the famous "Notre Temps" and "Émile Gaillard" mazurkas that were published individually in 1841) ** 13 posthumously, of which 8 have posthumous opus numbers (specifically, Opp. 67 & 68) * 11 further mazurkas are known whose manuscripts are either in private hands (2) or untraced (at least 9). The serial numbering of the 58 published mazurkas normally goes only up to 51. The remaining 7 are referred to by their key (music), key or catalogue number. Chopin's composition of these mazurkas signaled new ideas of nationalism. Origins Chopin based his mazurkas on the Music of Poland, traditional Polish folk dance, also called the mazurka (or "mazur" in Polish). How ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polish Songs (Chopin)
Although Frédéric Chopin is best known for his works for piano solo, among his extant output are 19 songs for voice and piano, set to Polish texts. Background Chopin wrote these songs at various times, from perhaps as early as 1827 when he was 17, to 1847, two years before his death. Only two of them were published in his lifetime (''Życzenie'' and ''Wojak'' were published in Kyiv in 1837 and 1839 respectively).Kornel Michałowski and Jim Samson.Chopin, Fryderyk Franciszek. ''Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved 7 January 2011. In 1857 the 17 then known songs were collected for publication by Julian Fontana as Op. 74, but they were not arranged in chronological order of composition within that opus. Due to censorship restrictions, he was only able to publish 16 of them initially. These appeared in Warsaw as ''Zbiór śpiewów polskich Fryderyka Chopina'' (''A Collection of Polish Songs by Frédéric Chopin''), published by Gebethner & Wolff; and in Berlin as '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chamber Music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers, with one performer to a part (in contrast to orchestral music, in which each string part is played by a number of performers). However, by convention, it usually does not include solo instrument performances. Because of its intimate nature, chamber music has been described as "the music of friends". For more than 100 years, chamber music was played primarily by amateur musicians in their homes, and even today, when chamber music performance has migrated from the home to the concert hall, many musicians, amateur and professional, still play chamber music for their own pleasure. Playing chamber music requires special skills, both musical and social, that differ from the skills required for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chopin's Compositions For Piano And Orchestra
Frédéric Chopin's compositions for piano and orchestra originated from the late 1820s to the early 1830s, and comprise three concert pieces he composed 1827–1828, while a student at the in Warsaw, two piano concertos, completed and premièred between finishing his studies (mid 1829) and leaving Poland (late 1830), and later drafts, resulting in two more published works. Among these, and the other works in the brilliant style which Chopin composed in this period, the concertos are the most accomplished ones. Context Together with a number of rondos ( Opp. 1, 5, 16 and 73), the ''Polonaise brillante'' (Op. 3) and the Variations on "Der Schweizerbub", Chopin's compositions for piano and orchestra belong to a group of compositions in brilliant style, no longer confined by the tenets of the Classical period, which were written for the concert stage in the late 1820s to early 1830s. Other compositions of the same period, such as the Sonata (Op. 4) and the Trio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
