Études (Chopin)

A portion of Étude Op. 25, No. 11

The Études by Frédéric Chopin are three sets of solo studies for the piano, There are twenty-seven overall, comprising two separate collections of twelve, numbered Opus 10 and 25, and a set of three without opus number.

History

Composition

"In all my life I have never again been able to find such a beautiful melody." -Chopin, on Op. 10, No. 3^[1]

Chopin's Études are the foundation of a new system of technical piano playing that was radical and revolutionary the first time they appeared. 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.^[1] Some are so popular they have been given nicknames; arguably the most popular of all is the Revolutionary Étude (Op. 10, No. 12). Although no nicknames are of Chopin's original creation, they create interesting pretext and encourage the imagination to fabricate epic works embodied by these studies.^[1]

All twenty-seven Études were published during Chopin's lifetime. Opus 10, the first group of twelve, were composed between 1829 and 1832, and were published in 1833, in France, Germany, and England. The twelve Études of Opus 25 were composed at various times between 1832 and 1836, and were published in the same countries in 1837. The final three, part of a series called "Méthode des méthodes de piano" compiled by Moscheles and Fétis, were composed in 1839, without an assigned opus number. They appeared in Germany and France in November 1840, and England in January 1841.^[1] Accompanying copies of these important early editions, there are usually several manuscripts of a single Étude in Chopin's own hand, and additional copies made by his close friend, Jules Fontana, along with editions of Carl Mikuli, Chopin's student.^[1]

The first Études of the Opus 10 set were written when Chopin was still in his teens. They rank alongside the early works of Mendelssohn as rare examples of extremely youthful compositions that are regarded as both innovative and worthy of inclusion in the standard canon. Chopin's Études elevated the musical form from purely utilitarian exercises to great artistic masterpieces.^[2] At a concert in which Chopin performed his opus 25, Robert Schumann said "À la Chopin".^[2]

Impact

Although sets of exercises for piano had been common from the end of the 18th century ( Muzio Clementi. J. B. Cramer, Ignaz Moscheles, and Carl Czerny were composers of the most significant), Chopin's not only presented an entirely new set of technical challenges, but were the first to become a regular part of the concert repertoire. His Études combine musical substance and technical challenge to form a complete artistic form.^[3] They are often held in high regard as the product of mastery of combining the two. His effect on contemporaries such as Franz Liszt was apparent, based on the revision Liszt made to his series of concert études after meeting Chopin. Contemporary Polish musicologist Tadeusz A. Zielinski wrote, on opus 10, that "not only did they become an orderly demonstration of a new piano style and the formulas peculiar to it, but also an artistic ennoblement of this style."^[4]

Chopin's Études are not without modern influence as well. Several have lodged themselves in popular music, movies, or television shows.

List of Études

Études Op. 10

The first set of Études was published in 1833 (although some had been written as early as 1829). Chopin was twenty-three years old and already famous as a composer and pianist in the salons of Paris, where he made the acquaintance of Franz Liszt. Subsequently, Chopin dedicated the entire opus to him - "à son ami Franz Liszt" (French, lit. to his [Chopin's] friend Franz Liszt).

Name	Key	Name	Key
Étude Op. 10, No. 1	C major	Étude Op. 10, No. 7	C major
Étude Op. 10, No. 2	A minor	Étude Op. 10, No. 8	F major
Étude Op. 10, No. 3	E major	Étude Op. 10, No. 9	F minor
Étude Op. 10, No. 4	C-sharp minor	Étude Op. 10, No. 10	A-flat major
Étude Op. 10, No. 5	G-flat major	Étude Op. 10, No. 11	E-flat major
Étude Op. 10, No. 6	E-flat minor	Étude Op. 10, No. 12	C minor

Études Op. 25

Chopin's second set of Études was published in 1837, and dedicated to Franz Liszt's mistress, Marie d'Agoult, the reasons for which are a matter of speculation.

Name	Key	Name	Key
Étude Op. 25, No. 1	A-flat major	Étude Op. 25, No. 7	C-sharp minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 2	F minor	Étude Op. 25, No. 8	D-flat major
Étude Op. 25, No. 3	F major	Étude Op. 25, No. 9	G-flat major
Étude Op. 25, No. 4	A minor	Étude Op. 25, No. 10	B minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 5	E minor	Étude Op. 25, No. 11	A minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 6	G-sharp minor	Étude Op. 25, No. 12	C minor

Trois nouvelles études

Trois nouvelles études were written as a contribution to Méthode des méthodes de piano, a piano instruction book by Ignaz Moscheles and François-Joseph Fétis, and were not given a separate Opus number. While less technically brilliant than those of Op. 10 and Op. 25, these three études nevertheless retain Chopin's original formula for harmonic and structural balance.

Name	Key
Étude No. 1	F minor
Étude No. 2	A-flat major
Étude No. 3	D-flat major

Preparatory Exercises

for all Études

• Casella, Alfredo. F. Chopin. Studi per pianoforte. Milano: Edizioni Curci, 1946.
• Cortot, Alfred. Frédéric Chopin. 12 Études, op.10. Édition de travail des oeuvres de Chopin. Paris: Éditions Salabert, 1915.
• Cortot, Alfred. Frédéric Chopin. 12 Études, op.25. Édition de travail des oeuvres de Chopin. Paris: Éditions Salabert, 1915.
• Galston, Gottfried. Studienbuch [Study Book]. III. Abend [3rd Recital] (Frédéric Chopin). Berlin: Bruno Cassirer, 1910.

for some Études

• Busoni, Ferruccio. Klavierübung in zehn Büchern [Piano Tutorial in Ten Books], zweite umgestaltete und bereicherte Ausgabe. Buch 8 (Variationen und Varianten nach Chopin). Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1925.
• Godowsky, Leopold. Studien über die Etüden von Chopin (Studies on Chopin’s Etudes). New York: G. Schirmer Inc., 1899 (Berlin: Schlesinger'sche Buch- und Musikhandlung, 1903).
• Joseffy, Rafael. Etudes for the Piano. Instructive Edition. New York: G. Schirmer, 1901.

Paraphrases

• Godowsky, Leopold. Studien über die Etüden von Chopin (Studies on Chopin’s Etudes). New York: G. Schirmer Inc., 1899 (Berlin: Schlesinger'sche Buch- und Musikhandlung, 1903).
• Wührer, Friedrich. Achtzehn Studien zu Frederic Chopins Etuden [sic] [18 Studies on Chopin’s Etudes]. In Motu Contrario [In Contrary Motion]. Heidelberg: Willy Müller, Süddeutscher Musikverlag, 1958.

See also

• Studies on Chopin's Études
• List of compositions by Frédéric Chopin

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Palmer, Willard A., ed (1992). Chopin Etudes for the Piano, Practical Performing Edition. USA: Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.. ISBN 0-7390-2497-3. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Smendzianka, Regina (2007). "How to Play Chopin? Part 3: Chopin's Etudes". Chopin Foundation of the United States. http://chopinfound.brinkster.net/ip.asp?op=HowToPlayChopin3. Retrieved 2007-04-28. 
3. ^ Ståhlbrand, Robert (2006). "Chopin Etudes". Piano Society. http://pianosociety.com/cms/index.php?section=125. Retrieved 2007-04-28. 
4. ^ (Polish) Tadeus, Zieliński A. (1993) (in Polish). Chopin Życie i droga twórcza (Chopin - His Life and Artistic Path). Kraków: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne (Polish Music Publishers). p. 238. 

Further reading

• Bülow, Hans von. "Remarks on the Separate Studies." In Auserlesene Klavier-Etüden von Fr. Chopin. München: Jos. Aibl, 1880.
• Collet, Robert. "Studies, Preludes and Impromptus." In Frédéric Chopin: Profiles of the Man and the Musician. Ed. Alan Walker. London: Barrie & Rockliff, 1966.
• Czerny, Carl. School of Practical Composition London: R. Cocks & Co., [1848]; Reprint, New York: Da Capo Press, 1979.
• Deschaussées, Monique. Frédéric Chopin: 24 études - vers une interprétation. Fondettes: Van de Velde, 1995.
• Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques. Chopin: Pianist and Teacher as Seen by his Pupils. Cambridge University Press, 1986
• Ekier, Jan, ed. (National Edition)."About the Etudes." "Performance Commentary." "Source Commentary." Chopin Etudes. Warsaw: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 1999.
• Finlow, Simon. "The Twenty-seven Études and Their Antecedents." In Jim Samson (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Chopin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
• Galston, Gottfried. Studienbuch. III. Abend (Frédéric Chopin). Berlin: Bruno Cassirer, 1910.
• Huneker, James. "The Studies—Titanic Experiments." In Chopin: The Man and His Music. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1900.
• Klein, Andreas. The Chopin "Etudes": An Indispensable Pedagogical Tool for Developing Piano Technique. DMA diss., Rice University, 1989.
• Kogosowski, Alan. "Mastering the Chopin Études." A compendium to Chopin: Genius of the Piano. E-Book, 2010.
• Leichtentritt, Hugo. "Die Etüden." In Analyse der Chopin’schen Klavierwerke [Analysis of Chopin’s Piano Works]. Band II. Berlin: Max Hesses Verlag, 1922.
• Lear, Angela Chopin’s Grande Etudes. February 5, 2007.
• Leontsky, Jan: Interpreting Chopin. Etudes op.10 & op.25. Analysis, comments and interpretive choices. Tarnhelm editions.
• Niecks, Frederick. Chopin as a Man and Musician. London: Novello, Ewer and Co., 1888.
• Paderewski, Ignacy Jan, Ludwik Bronarski, Józef Turczynsky, ed. ("Paderewski" Edition). "The Character of the Present Edition." "Commentary." Chopin Studies (Etudes). Warsaw: Instytut Fryderyka Chopina, 1949.
• Samson, Jim. "Baroque reflections." In The Music of Chopin. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985.
• Schumann, Robert. "Die Pianoforte-Etuden [sic], ihren Zwecken nach geordnet" ["The Pianoforte Études, Categorized According to their Purposes"]. Neue Zeitschrift für Musik No.11, February 6, 1836, p. 45.
• Zimmermann, Ewald, ed. (Henle Edition). "Kritischer Bericht" (Critical Report). Chopin Etudes. München: G. Henle Verlag, 1983.

External links

Analysis and Scores

• Analysis of Chopin Etudes at Chopin: the poet of the piano
• Etudes Op. 10, Etudes Op. 25 at CFEO (Chopin's First Editions Online)
• Études Op.10, Études Op.25: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• Free scores of the Etudes at Mutopia Project
• Hans von Bulow's Edition of the Etudes, opp. 10 and 25 (Munich: J. Aibl, 1880) From Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• Find entries on select Études and listen to on-demand performances at The Chopin Project site
• Diversity of the Tonal Structure of Chopin's Etudes by Miroslaw Majchrzak. British Postgraduate Musicology, Vol. 10 (2009)

Performances (video)

• Chopin 24 Etudes, Op. 10 and Op. 25 live performance by Joel Hastings on YouTube (Flash required)
• Chopin 24 Etudes performance by Valentina Lisitsa on YouTube (Flash required)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrD1ZaNwdsU&NR=1 Valentina Igoshina playing Etude in E, Op. 10, No. 3