Étude Op. 10, No. 12 in

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 ...

, known as the "Revolutionary Étude" or the "Étude on the Bombardment of Warsaw", is a solo piano work 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 Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

written , and the last in his first set, Études, Op. 10, dedicated "''à son ami Franz Liszt''" ("to his friend

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

"). The autographed edition is located in the archive of

Stiftelsen Musikkulturens Främjande The Foundation for the Furthering of Music Culture or The Nydahl Collection () was established in 1920 by Captain Rudolf Nydahl (1882-1973) to manage the collections of musical instruments, manuscripts and other objects related to music that he bui ...

(The Nydahl Collection) in Stockholm.

History

Popular legend holds that Chopin was inspired to write the 12th Étude after the Battle of Warsaw in 1831 during the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

in his native Poland, but this is not corroborated by any solid historical evidence. At any rate, the piece did first appear around the same time as the November Uprising. Upon the conclusion of this battle, which marked the failure of the Polish rebellion against

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, Chopin reportedly cried, "All this has caused me much pain. Who could have foreseen it?". Unlike études of prior periods, which were designed primarily to emphasize and develop particular aspects of musical technique, the romantic études of composers such as Chopin and Liszt are fully developed concert pieces that reinforce the development of more robust technique.

Technique and analysis

For Op. 10, No. 12, the technique required in the opening bars is executing long, loud descending runs, which form a dominant minor ninth chord that builds up to the main

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...

. The length and repetition of these rapid passages are distinctive. The rest of the passage focuses on the left hand fingering

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

and

arpeggio An arpeggio () is a type of Chord (music), chord in which the Musical note, notes that compose a chord are individually sounded in a progressive rising or descending order. Arpeggios on keyboard instruments may be called rolled chords. Arpe ...

s. The opening theme, in the right hand, is notable for its powerful chordal basis. A primary challenge of Op. 10, No. 12 lies in the simultaneous playing of relentless left hand semiquavers while the RH shapes widely distributed

octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

s into legato melodic shapes. The left hand technique in this piece involves evenly played semiquavers throughout. The structure is in Chopin's usual

ternary form Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form consisting of an opening section (A), a following section (B) and then a repetition of the first section (A). It is usually schematized as A–B–A. Prominent examples inclu ...

(A–B–A–coda). The opening arresting figuration transitions into the main '' appassionato''

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

. The octave melody's upward ascending forte dotted

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

s and the continuous tumultuous LH accompaniment provide great drama with few moments of respite. The piece ends by recalling the opening in a final descending sweep (with both hands) descending to an

F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...

chord, eventually cadencing on

C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...

( tierce de Picardie).

References

External links

Mutopia Project
- A public domain engraving of the score using

GNU LilyPond LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving. One of LilyPond's major goals is to produce scores that are engraved with traditional layout rules, reflecting the era when scores were engraved by hand. LilyPond is cross-pla ...

, available in several formats. *
''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Ignaz Friedman Ignaz Friedman (born Salomon Izaak Freudmann; ; ; February 13, 1882January 26, 1948) was a Polish pianist and composer. Critics (e.g. Harold Schonberg) and colleagues (e.g. Sergei Rachmaninoff) alike placed him among the supreme piano virtuosi ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot ( , ; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his po ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Claudio Arrau Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean and American pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque music, baroque to 20th-century classical music, 20th-century composers, especially B ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Life ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time,Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his interpreta ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Tamás Vásáry Tamás Vásáry (; born 11 August 1933) is a Hungarian concert pianist and conductor. Biography and career Vásáry was born in Debrecen, Hungary, and made his stage debut at the age of 8, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto in D major, K.107 i ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Adam Harasiewicz Adam Harasiewicz (born 1 July 1932) is a Polish classical concert pianist. Harasiewicz was born in Chodziez. After studying violin for two months, at the age of 10 he began piano study, and at age 15 he obtained first prize in a contest at R ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is a Soviet-born Icelandic pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. Ashkenazy has collaborated with well-known orchestras and soloists. In addition, ...

''Op. 10, No. 12''
played by

Maurizio Pollini Maurizio Pollini (5 January 1942 – 23 March 2024) was an Italian pianist and conductor. He was known for performances of Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, and the Second Viennese School, among others. He championed works by contemporary composers ...

''Chopin-Godowsky - Etude op. 10, No. 12''
played by Francesco Libetta (YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Etude Op. 10, No. 12 (Chopin) 10 12 November Uprising 1831 compositions Compositions in C minor