A Technical Musical and Historical Analysis of Frederic Chopin? PDF
A Technical Musical and Historical Analysis of Frederic Chopin? PDF
A Technical Musical and Historical Analysis of Frederic Chopin? PDF
4-29-1996
Recommended Citation
Bauer, Henry Raymond, "A Technical, Musical, and Historical Analysis of Frederic Chopin’s Etudes, Op. 10" (1996). Undergraduate
Honors Thesis Collection. 244.
https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/244
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Scholarship at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted
for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For more
information, please contact omacisaa@butler.edu.
BUTLER UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM
Date
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Date
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Date
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A TECHNICAL, MUSICAL, AND mSTORICAL ANALYSIS
OF FREDERIC CHOPIN'S ElUDES, OP. 10
A Thesis
and
Butler University
In Partial Fulfillment
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Preface
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I began working on the Chopin Etudes t Op. lOt my sophomore
year 1994 as a requirement for the Upper Divisional Boards at
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Chopin's Biography
Warsaw. This news threw him into a rage which compelled him to
write the "Revolutionary" Etude Op. 10, No. 12 (Sadie 294). He then
pushed on to Paris and arrived in the fall of 1831 (Jonson 22).
When Chopin first arrived in Paris, he wanted to study with
Kalkbrenner. Chopin played for him and received a response that he
would have to take a course of study lasting three years with
Kalkbrenner. Chopin was not certain if he wanted to take three
years aDd end up being an imitation of Kalkbrenner. After
consulting with his father and Elsner, he decided not to study but to
attend a few of Kalkbrenner's classes (Hedley 45).
As Chopin played concerts in Paris, he gained many new
frieDds in literary and musical circles, some of whom were Franz
Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Ferdinand Hiller, Vincenzo Bellini, and Giacomo
Meyerbeer. Chopin maintained close friendships with many of them
even though he did not always care for their music (Sadie 294).
Financially, Chopin supported himself by giving lessons to
people of the highest social circles. He made a great deal of money
by doing this and was considered to be the most fashionable teacher
in Paris. Symbols of his wealth were present in the clothing that he
wore and the fact that he had a servant which was very uncommon
in those days for a musician (Hedley 53).
In the fall of 1835, Chopin experienced his second serious love,
in Dresden. Maria Wodzinsld was actually a childhood friend and
was much younger than he. Again he did not express his love for her
in words, but let his music be his medium (Hedley 61). There was a
long period of time which passed before he actually professed his
love for Maria. During this time Chopin had two bouts with influenza
5
in December of 1835 and again in the winter of 1836-37. Because of
Chopin's poor health, Maria's father and uncle felt that Chopin would
not be a suitable husband for Maria. Thus for a second time, Chopin
experienced love and then was left distraught.
At age twenty-seven, Chopin meet Aurore Dudevant, whose
pen name was George Sand. Chopin was not impressed by her the
first time he met her mainly because he was still in love with Maria.
Eventually, be succumbed to her charms and their relationship lasted
about eight years, during which time, Chopin experienced a great
deal of happiness and fulfillment. This was a time also marked by
heightened musical imagination in his compositions. From 1838-39 a
serious attack of influenza caused Chopin's first serious breakdown in
his health. In order to improve his health, he and Sand decided to
spend the winter in Majorca because they felt the weather there
would be better for his health. Unfortunately, the winter was bad in
Majorca that season and his health did not improve very much.
After about eight years, Chopin and Sand's relationship ended
because of squabbling between Sand's children. His health got
progressively worse and he lost interest in composition (Sadie 298).
In April of 1848, Chopin could no longer teach in Paris because
of the French Revolution. Therefore, he moved to England and began
what was to be his last concert tour. In great suffering, he spent
most of his time inside only to come out to perform a concert. His
last performance took place on November 16, 1848 at Guildhall in
London (Hedley 112).
Chopin was able to return to Paris in November of 1848 only to
struggle with tuberculosis until his death. During this time, he did
6
some composing and also began to write a piano method, but
unfortunately did not finish it (Hedley 114). His sister Louise from
Warsaw came to visit him in order to take care of him. It was then
at two o'clock in the morning of October 17, 1849 that Chopin died.
Clesinger came that morning and made casts of Chopin's hands and
face, and the painter, Kwiathowski, drew some pencil sketches of his
head. Just before his death, Chopin managed to scribble on a piece of
paper: "As this earth will suffocate me I beseech you to have my
body opened so that I may not be buried alive." To follow his wish a
postmortem exam was conducted and his heart was sent in an urn to
Warsaw, where it was placed in the Church of the Holy Cross (Hedley
116).
Chopin's funeral took place on October 30th. Some of the
events that took place at the funeral ceremony were the singing of
Mozart's Requiem and the performing of Chopin's "Funeral March"
from his B-flat minor Sonata. There were difficulties in obtaining
permission to have women singers in the church service but
permission was granted. The ceremony was followed by a long
procession to the cemetery of pere-Lachaise. A year after Chopin's
death, a monument, designed and constructed by Clesinger, was
unveiled representing a weeping Muse with a broken lyre. The
monument was placed at Chopin's grave along with some Polish earth
(Hedley 117).
7
During the later months of 1830, this etude, the least emotional
and one of the most technically difficult, was written. It is
characterized by majestic grandeur through its prominent bass line
9
152 for the quarter note was fast enough and is appropriate for the
modem grand piano (Jonson 98). Chopin may have been able to play
this etude at 176 because the Pleyel piano that he preferred had a
very responsive and light action. In performing this piece it is
important to make sure that there is a flow in the harmonic current
with waves of sounds.
In order to play this piece, the difficulties of the extended
arpeggios have to be overcome. A spreading and relocating of the
right hand is needed in addition to a fairly large hand. The
coordinated movements required are lateral movements of the whole
arm, fingers, and wrist plus rotation of the upper arm at the
shoulder. One other coordinated movement needed is flexion and
extension of the elbow. In order to practice the right hand, one
should begin by playing only the first pattern to learn the abduction
of the fingers; and then by playing the whole ascending arpeggio
pattern slowly working on a quick flexion of the thumb for a smooth
relocation of the hand for the next pattern. Following that method,
practicing the passage with a legato touch will help to feel the lateral
movement of the upper arm (Hie 80).
For the left hand, von BUlow, captive of the late nineteenth and
early twentieth misconception of weight in playing, said that the
octaves should be struck fully with weight but without a harshness
to the sound. In order to do this, he suggested a tightly-stretched
hand that is raised before the notes sound (Jonson 98). The octaves
should be played by a wrist motion downward to create a full sound
that will carry for two bars.
12
No.3 with its beautiful melody was one of the last of the
etudes to be composed in August of 1832 (Samson 62). This piece is
the most lyrical which is probably due to Chopin's love for singing
that he always tried to recreate at the piano. Kullak described this
piece as a tone-poem much like the nocturnes (Jonson 99).
Again this piece has three main sections; however, the middle
section is the most contrasting of all the middle sections in the
etudes. The first section is characterized by a lyrical tone whereas
the second section is virtuosic in nature. The second section is
marked poco pi" animato which gives it an excited character. This
section keeps building in intensity until it reaches ff, after which the
intensity is maintained by the markings con forza and then con
fuoco. The music then returns to f for a passage marked con bravura
with parallel sixths running along in contrary motion. This continues
until the dominant is reached in m. 54 at the dynamic marking f.
Then all of a sudden there is a sixteenth rest in both hands followed
by a pasuge marked p that acts as a transition back to the A theme.
The A theme continues to move along like the first A section but
then dies away with the markings rallentando e smorzando at the
end. This etude has a great deal of passion and fervor.
In deciding on the tempo marking, Chopin originally marked it
vivace but then later changed it to vivace ma non troppo. When the
etudes were published he changed it again to Lento ma non troppo
which is what is designated in modern scores. Although, he finally
15
decided on Zento ma non troppo he wanted it to move along avoiding
over sentimentality so that most scores have the eighth note denoted
as 100.
For this etude the use of rubato is employed. In describing the
way rubato is used, Chopin explained,
second note as the third note is played. To reach the higher notes
the wrists should lift slightly to accommodate for the shortness of the
fifth finger.
The chords in the left hand in rom. 3 and 11 can be rolled for
the sake of the large intervals that the hand has to reach. There is a
rolled symbol in front of the first chord in m. 3 possibly suggesting
that Chopin himself gives the license to roll the chords.
Consecutive octaves occur in several places as in m. 4. They
should be practiced slowly so as to learn the lateral movements
needed. These consecutive octaves also occur in m. 54
Another technical spot to work through is the section from mm.
35-44. The hands work in contrary motion with the left hand
playing arpeggios that span a ninth and the right hand has a trill
figure followed by a leap. Both hands should be practiced slowly
with a heavy touch to learn the vertical movements. Then practicing
the passage with an accent on the first of the four sixteenths will
help one to learn the lateral movements necessary. In order to
increase the tempo, a light touch should be us.ed on the unaccented
notes.
The left hand in mm. 33-34 and rom.· 37-38 requires an
impulse of the wrist on the accented note. The fingering shows a
change of the finger on the repeated note which should be observed.
By playing with the impulse of the wrist and a change of finger,
tension will be relieved and the passage will become clearer.
An early nineteenth century musical technique employed by
Chopin is a crescendo followed by a subito piano and another
crescendo as in mm. 13 and 14. This crescendo subito piano effect
19
great despair. Within m. 32, the climax occurs and then the music
begins to slowly move down by step until the return of the A theme
at m. 41.
Within the piece there are three places that are very similar.
These places occur ia nun. 7, 15, and 47. Each one begins with an F
flat major chord that is then resolved differently in each. The first
one in m. 7 mova to a C-flat diminilhed chord and the second one in
m. 15 resolves to a B-flat dominant seventh chord. Finally, the F-flat
chord in m. 47 resolves to a B-flat major chord without the seventh.
The techllical challenge facing a performer in this etude is the
same as the musical challenge of balancing the three voices. The
melody must be shaped while the middle voice meanders around in
a subdued manner. Throughout the piece the middle voice switches
between the hands, but primarily is contained in the left hand. To
practice the middle voice, one should play with a heavy touch so the
fingers can leam the notes and then play with a soft touch. The
ending of the piece probably creates the most problem for keeping
the middle voice legato. Uling a fingering, which will keep the tones
connected will help to achieve the legato sound that is necessary. For
the talt two measures, the pedal should be fluttered so that the
resolution to E-flat major can be clearly heard from the meandering
in the middle voice, which was in E-flat Minor
This etude is primarily a double note study for the right hand.
In the left hand, there is a melody that rises to an "A-flat" then
24
written in the score most often suggests this change on the lower
note. However, another method of playing the double repeated notes
is to use a loose wrist with 1 on the bottom while the top voice is
connected. Even though the bottom note will be broken, a legato
effect will occur because of a connection in the top voice. There is an
up-down motion in the wrist in addition to a shift toward the outside
of the hand for shaping.
The left hand must be played with a finger pedaling, meaning a
fingering which will allow for the notes to be connected as smoothly
as possible without the aid of the pedal. The pedal may be used
lightly, but it must change constantly with the ever-changing
25
harmonies. Therefore, the fingering for the left hand must be done
in a smooth maDDer. Within the middle section, the left hand has
many leaps which may be connected by the pedal.
In No.8, the mood lightens from the previous etudes. The left
hand bounces around while the right hand flows up and down the
keyboard. Basically, the right hand works in stepwise or scalar
motion throughout which is the unifying compositional devise.
The outer two sections are in F major while the inner section is
in D minor, the relative minor. During the middle section, the mood
darkens which can be intensified by playing it very softly in contrast
to the outer sections. In the first section, there is a repeat of the first
half of the A theme (mm. 1-10) in mm. 15-24. The first time the A
theme is presented, the second half ends up on G dominant seventh
chord which is the secondary dominant in F major. The G dominant
seventh resolves to C major which brings the piece back to a repeat
of the A theme once more. At m. 24, the place similar in transition to
m. 11, there is dominant-tonic relationship in F major. When the B
section begins, the music is thrown into D minor creating a haunting
effect. The beginning of the B section works in the same fashion as
the A section. At m. 37 for the first time the hands join together in
the sixteenth-note scalar motion. Then at m. 41, the hands work in a
stepwise motion causing an uncertainty about where the music is
headed harmonically. After the uncertainty subsides, the harmony
lanc;ls on the dominant of D minor at m. 47. A sequence in the tenor
26
line follows, worldag its way upward, creating tension and
excitement. Again Cbopin creates a feeling of uncertainty until the A
theme is heralded back. At the conclusion of the piece at m. 89, the
music spirals downwards and then springs up to be followed by four
rolled chords. These four chords: A major, D minor, C dominant
seventh, and F major. give a sense of triumph and completion to the
piece. It is interestiag to note that the last four chords are the
dominant and tonic of the middle and outer sections.
In practicinl the right hand, a legato touch going deep into the
keys is the best way to learn the vertical movement of the fingers.
Thea supplying an impulse of the wrist on the first of every four
notes will help relieve tension. To play at a faster tempo, one should
play with a light touch allowing for fluency (Hie 118-119).
Measures 53-56 present a problem for both hands in that there
are large intervals at the end of the sixteenth-note passages that the
hands cannot reach with a normal hand position. In a situation such
as this which only lasts for a brief period, one can tum the wrist
sideways to reach the large interval. After playing the interval the
hand should immediately return to its previous position with the
medial axis running between the second and third fingers. Normally,
a sideways tum is not advisable for playing, but in this situation it is
plausible since the hand is primarily in one position.
In mm. 89-92, there is a descending arpeggio figure in both
hands. An accent, which is produced by an impulse of the wrist, is
marked on the first of each group of four sixteenth notes. A slow
deep finger touch is necessary in order to learn the vertical
movements. The pattern should be grouped as the last three notes of
27
one beat plus the first note of the next beat. This is to allow for a
sense of direct motion before a change in direction occurs.
An extended arpeggio takes place on an F major seventh chord.
A quick flexion of the thumb is needed to allow for a smooth
relocation of the hand. Four rolled chords follow the extended
arpeggio requiring a high wrist and forearm with an expanded hand
posiuOll. A slow playing of each, chord will help one to learn the
expansion of the band and the coordinated movements necessary.
By playing with different touches such as rapid and light, one can
learn phrase release, velocity, and intensity (Hie 113).
The phrasing in the left hand is crucial in addition to a
sparkling right hand. One must observe the accents, crescendo,
diminuendo, and rests in order to create the effect Chopin had
intended for the left hand to bounce along with excitement. In
regards to the acciaccatura, it should be played on the beat. In rom.
48 and 50, the tenor voice must be brought out so that the sequence
may be heard. A difficult passage for phrasing occurs in mm. 76-85.
The moving voice in the left hand must be connected and have
nuance by leaning toward the thumb
Von BUlow felt that this etude was a true feat for a pianist to
accomplish.
This etude is a study in large rolled chords for both hands with
many of the chords having stretches of tenths or larger. The melody
is plaintive with a swaying of tones produced from the rolled chords
(JORs08 105).
Conclusion
Extension-unbending of a joint.
Flexion-bending of a joint.
Medial axis-the imaginary line that runs from the elbow down the
center of the forearm to the third finger when the arm is
resting down at the side of the body in a pronated position.
WORKSOTED