The Classical Music Book

164

W

hile Chopin was one of

the supreme composers

of the early Romantic

period, he was in some respects

untypical of the age he has come

to embody. Unlike fellow musicians

Robert Schumann and Franz

Liszt, Chopin had little interest in

using music to express narratives

inspired by Romantic art and

literature, or in producing grandiose

works with huge orchestras in

the manner of Hector Berlioz.

Instead, Chopin perfected his art

within circumscribed confines,

tending toward brevity and the

evocation of moods. Every one

of his compositions includes the

piano, and the vast majority are

for piano alone, yet within this

precisely defined area the breadth

of his musical thought is vast.

Chopin created an unparalleled

intensity of melody, harmony, and

expression. Writing in a style that

seemed to represent the soul of

Chopin plays for Prince Radziwiłł

during a trip to Berlin, in 1829. The

same year, he composed the Polonaise

brillante for the prince (a cellist) and his

daughter (a pianist) to practice.

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Solo piano music

BEFORE

1812 John Field, an Irish

composer based in

St. Petersburg, publishes

the first Romantic piano piece

to be called a “nocturne.”

1833 In Paris, Chopin’s

Nocturnes, Op. 9, are the

composer’s first nocturnes

to be published.

1834–1835 Robert Schumann

composes Carnaval, a collection

of 21 piano movements, one of

which is titled Chopin.

AFTER

1892–1893 Brahms publishes

four collections of small piano

pieces, including intermezzos,

fantasias, and capriccios.

1910–1913 Debussy, who

described Chopin as “the

greatest of us all,” writes his

two books of Préludes.

SIMPLICITY

IS THE FINAL

ACHIEVEMENT

PRÉLUDES (1839), FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN

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