Questions tagged [chopin]
Chopin was a romantic composer who lived from 1810 to 1849 and wrote mainly - almost only - for the piano.
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Help required for beginner!
I am learning to play the piano and read music; I have only just started and so I apologise upfront if the question I am about to ask is a completely dumb one.
I was skimming through some sheet music ...
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Chopin Waltz in b minor (Op. 69 No. 2) measures 13~14 different versions
I'm seeing two different versions of Chopin Op. 69 No. 2 Waltz in b minor, Measure 13-14. The one that is not urtext (or maybe is also urtext?) seems to be widely used.
My Henle Urtext book (see cover ...
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How fast would Chopin have played his own Fantasie Impromptu, Op. 66?
I came across a performance of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu by Valentina Lisitsa and was surprised how fast she performed it, around 95 bpm (half-note beat)! Urtext tempo indication is Allegro agitato....
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Did Chopin Op. 6 have four or five pieces?
On IMSLP and Wikipedia they only list four, but I found some sources that have a fifth one as well such as here and here. What is with the discrepancy?
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Chord-spelling change in Chopin's Mazurka Op. 24 n.4
In the manuscript of measure 138 (marked mancando) of his Mazurka, Op. 24 n.4, Chopin crosses out the (same) chord on the third beat and respells it—I assume in preparation for the key change that ...
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Rhythmic values don't add up in a variant of Chopin's Nocturne op. 9 no 2?
In the book Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils I found a fragment which shows 2 variants (at least that's what it looks like to me) of bar 24 of Nocturne op. 9 no 2, presented by ...
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Rubato where there is no indication of rubato
Unless I'm crazy (not impossible, tbh) every performance of Messiaen: Prelude No. 7, Plainte calme that I have heard does not seem to follow the sheet music.
There's a passage where the time signature ...
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Chopin Nocturne in C sharp minor (posth.) note mistake
In Chopin's C sharp minor Nocturne (no. 20, op. posth.) measure 15 the fourth and last notes of the left hand appear to be B in every music sheet that I can find online:
However, it seems that all ...
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Is Fantaisie Impromptu actually in G# Phrygian?
I’m new to music theory and the definition of key I’ve learned seems to contradict established fact. I’ve been told that the tonic of a piece is the key where the melody comes to rest, where it feels ...
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Was Cortot right about Etude op. 10 no. 1?
I was reading through Cortot's edition of Chopin's op. 10 no. 1 etude "Waterfall" (link) and on bar 25 (page 10) he gives this note:
referring to these bars:
I was shocked to see this ...
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Should the last chord before the last four chords be fortissimo in Chopin Op. 10, No. 12?
I'm learning Revolutionary Etude by Chopin (Op. 10, No. 12), and I am thinking about the last chord before the last four chords (fifth to the last chord, at the beginning of m. 81). Should it be ...
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Why is there different Pedaling in different editions of Chopin's op 57?
In seeking the score for this piece, I came across 2 frequent editions: one that shows to use the pedal for half the bar, the other to use 2 bursts of pedal
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Chopin's Etude op. 10 No.1 - why the D sharp in bar 8?
In Chopin's Etude op. 10, No.1, bar 8,
why does Chopin choose to have D sharp (D♯) in the purple square quoted below? Why not choose the more natural D there? Is there logic, a good reason, and ...
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Chopin Ballades' difficulty range
Welcome to my first post!
I recently discovered Chopin's four Ballades and I am particularly drawn to the first. I am currently not at the level to play it, but I would love to play it in the future. ...
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As a pianist, am I a philistine for secretly hating Chopin? [closed]
I am a pianist – not a terribly good one; I got ABSRM Grade 8 as a teenager and now (~20 years later) have moved mostly onto voice but I continue to play the piano both for fun and occasionally for ...
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Meaning of left parenthesis notation on chords
As an example, in the Joseffy edition of the Chopin Nocturne op.62 no.1, there are many instances where a "left parenthesis" is used in front of a chord. I have always assumed this means a ...
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Chopin Prelude Op. 28 No. 1: A mysterious mutated note in the 12th bar?
In Chopin Prelude Op. 28 No. 1 (C major) has a particularly mysterious mutated note in the 12th bar shown in the red box (this note does not repeat the voice of the previous blue box):
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Is ...
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Chopin Etude Op. 10, No. 3, m. 41—left-hand note at the end of the chromatic sequence: F sharp or G?
Most editions I've found (including the first edition) have an F#, but others follow the same descending pattern up to that point and print a G.
Can anybody shed some light on which note is correct? ...
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Personal / historical background regarding Chopin's Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55, No. 1
Chopin completed his Nocturne in F minor in 1843. During the time he was creating the piece, what was happening in his compositional or personal life that might influence one's interpretation of the ...
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How to highlight top note while playing triads / intervals
I am trying to learn funeral march op 35 by Chopin and the initial motive is played using some intervals in which the top note should be the melody thus should be louder then the other notes you are ...
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Can you tonicize to a chord that's not on the original key?
I had a discussion with a few people on Chopin's Nocturne in B-flat minor. We couldn't reach an agreement and I'm curious how people would analyze it.
In the middle section of the piece (which is in ...
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Notation of measure 2 in Chopin's Prelude #4 in E minor
The first measure has G-B-E-B, i.e. E minor tonic chord, first inversion. Makes sense so far.
Then the next measure is F♯-A-E-B followed by F♯-A-E♭-B , not so clear. According to this page the second ...
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Getting Chopin Ballade No. 1 up to tempo+keeping hands together [closed]
I am trying to learn Ballade No. 1 op. 23 by Chopin(2 as well, but that's not important to this) I have been playing for about 7 years, and I have been without a teacher for several years. My biggest ...
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Ways to play piano without tensing ones fingers
I am learning Fantasie impromptu C# minor op 66. right now, and my fingers tense up intensely near the ending of the first part before the slow transition; i.e., the place where you play all of the ...
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I can't feel anything from playing a piano piece anymore [duplicate]
I started learning the piano by the age of seven, I remember that my teacher taught me how to build an image about a piece I'm playing, I used to name the pieces myself, draw a painting for each of ...
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2 atypical cadences, are they half cadences?
So, I analyzed the harmony and structure of Grande Valse Brilliante op. 18, and most of the cadences make perfect sense to me, but there are 2 cadences that don't really, one on the tonic, which I can ...
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Did Chopin use hairpins (adjacent crescendo and decrescendo) to indicate rubato rather than dynamics?
In her answer to Liszt's B minor sonata crescendo, user @Madeleine writes:
In many places in Chopin's music, he wrote hairpins ... to indicate rubato rather than a crescendo or decrescendo.
The ...
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Help with fingering on Chopin's Nocturne op. 9 no.2 coda
I am trying to learn this nocturne and this fingering is really confusing to me.
Why are three different, consecutive notes played with the same finger? Should I just "hop" from note to note,...
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2/4 time signature, miscounting? [duplicate]
I'm trying to to practice my 2/4 time signature. Am I just making a stupid mistake with the attached image? They are 1/16th notes? so shouldn't there only be 8 of them to make up two beats and not 12? ...
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What is the harmony of this bar from Chopin's Minute waltz?
Consider following excerpt from Chopin's Minute waltz in D flat major.
The last bar is the chord of D flat major (tonic).
What is the chord of the penultimate bar? Why is there an A flat and A natural ...
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Fractional phrase length in Chopin's Nocturne Op. 62 No. 1
The main subject in Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 consists of two phrases that each begin with "B A# G# F# D#". However, they are not aligned relative to the barline, because it seems that ...
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Question on rhythmic interpretation of Chopin's Prelude Op 28 No 1 : Performance differs from score?
most of the bars in this short prelude have a clear rhythmic marking: Its all sextuplets and the right hand is clearly aligned with the left as the score indicates, where the right hand melody starts ...
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Leggierissimo line
The 3rd bar on the top has a run. They're written as 8th notes, but that doesn't make any sense to me. Why are they written as 8th notes? Or does it actually rhythmically make sense?
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Question on Chopin opus 25, number 12, on a note that is kept between two measures
In Chopin Etude opus 25, number 12, at measure 57, the last notes of left and right hand are supposed to be kept until the end of the first notes of measure 58.
In my feeling, this is impossible to ...
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Chromatic parallel six-three chords
I am trying to follow Aldwell and Schachter’s analysis of Chopin’s Impromptu, Op. 29. I wanted to learn about chromatic voice leading techniques, but I ended up getting stuck simply with their ...
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Simplified Chopin Etudes (Op 10, No.11)
I was wondering if there are simplified versions of the Chopin Études. I am particularly interested in Chopin Étude Op 10, No. 11 (Arpeggio Étude).
Image here
This question is inspired by the ...
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Please help me with how to do the left hand [duplicate]
I am confused about how to play the left hand; I know that we have three sounds here but in the 3rd beat how can I hold the B and play another B? It makes sense for the first beat: hold the E and play ...
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Chopin's Etude Op. 25, Nr. 2
I am having a hard time to play this etude quietly when I increase the speed to full tempo. I play it fast and relaxed but still my right hand seems too loud at that speed. Especially the first two ...
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What is a B-flat major chord doing in the key of A minor?
The piece is Chopin's waltz in A minor op. 34 no. 2, measure 70:
We seem to be in the key of A minor due to the cadences in measures 71 and 73. But B-flat major is not in the key of A minor (right?)...
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4th octave Eb in Chopin, should I trust that the flutist will get the note?
I am arranging Nocturne in Eb Op. 9 no. 2 for Flute and String Quartet and I have reached a spot where it is difficult for me to decide whether or not I should stick with the notes that Chopin wrote ...
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How does Sonata Form fit into a Waltz?
After analyzing Grande Valse Brillante Op. 18, I noticed something about the form of the waltz. I thought at first, that this waltz by Chopin is in ternary form, like most dance pieces. However, there ...
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What is this chord in Grande Valse Brilliante?
The chord circled in red is what I am asking about. I know that in the measure before, there is a diminished seventh chord. I'm certain that this is a dominant function chord(or at least, locally to ...
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How does Chopin Op. 48 No.1 fit in with the remaining nocturnes? Any biographical reasons?
I've played a couple Nocturnes over the years, but it's been a while since I revisited Op. 48 No. 1.
And I'm again quite amazed by how technically challenging it is in comparison:
The wide arpeggios ...
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question on Chopin opus 25 1 about left and right hands
For study of Chopin opus 25, study 1, at measure 8, 4th note, should we play the "right-hand note" (B flat) with left hand, and the "left-hand note" (D flat) with the right hand, instead to what seems ...
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Ballades (Chopin) Harmony Question
I don't listen to much classical; however, I recently found this beautiful work by Chopin. I am wondering if you could help me explain a particularly amazing moment in the piece. Please refer to ...
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Weird acciaccatura (?) notation in Chopin's polonaise
I am not sure how to interpret the particular notation in Chopin's Op.53 Polonaise:
Here, we have a single (smaller font) Eb (just before the trill). I should interpret it as a grace note, but then ...
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Composing a polonaise, anything else to consider?
So the thought has came to me several times to write a polonaise. I'm not Polish so I barely know anything about that side of the polonaise. But so far I have come across these commonalities across ...
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How should a melody be treated when switched from right to left hand?
For example, in Chopin's Etude Op 10, No. 4 (Torrent), the melody is initially in the right hand and it's accompanied by the left hand.
A few bars after, the right takes over the same accompaniment ...
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Identifying piano notation symbol in Chopin Mazurka
I'm trying to identify what this symbol is (circled in pencil) in the sheet music for Mazurka no.4 op.17 by Chopin. It looks like two connected diamond shapes, and I can't find an explanation of it ...
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How to play fantasie impromptu by Chopin? [closed]
I can play Chopin's fantasie impromptu at low tempo, but I'm having trouble when increasing the tempo. My fingers don't move smoothly over 130 bpm and some notes get skipped automatically and ...
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