Frederic Francois Chopin is a great Polish pianist and composer. He was born in the small town of Zhelyazov Volya on March 1, 1810. Parents tried to give a talented child a good musical education. Six-year-old Frederick begins to make music with a teacher Wojciech Live. The pronounced ability to play the piano and write music made the boy a favorite of Warsaw's high-salons.
Pen test - B-dur polonaise (1817)
Upon learning that young Frederick composed a polonaise, Prince Radziwill helped to publish the composition in a newspaper. Under the notes was a note that the composer was only seven years old. Chopin’s children's works, the list of which began with a polonaise, were heavily influenced by the Polish composers popular at that time - Michail Oginsky (Michała Kleofasa Ogińskiego) and Maria Szymanowska (Marii Szymanowskiej).
During his creative life, F. Chopin composed 16 Polonez. But only seven of them he recognized as worthy of public performance. Nine works that were created in the early period were not published during the composer's life. The first three polonaises, written between 1817–1821, became the starting point for the formation of the composer's talent as a young musician.
Almost all F. Chopin’s polonaises were solo piano pieces. But there were exceptions. In the "Big Polonaise Es-dur" the piano was accompanied by an orchestra. For piano and cello, the composer composed Polonaise c-dur.
New teacher
In 1822, Wojciech Zhivny was forced to admit that as a musician he could not give anything to young Chopin. The student surpassed his teacher, and the moved teacher said goodbye to a talented child. Taking part in his fate, Zhivny wrote a letter of recommendation to the famous Warsaw composer and teacher Josef Elsner. A new period began in Chopin's life.
First mazurka
Frederic spent the summer of 1824 in the town of Shafarnia, where the estate of the family of his school friend was located. Here he first came into contact with folk music. Masovian and Jewish folklore deeply penetrated the soul of a novice musician. The impressions inspired by him were reflected in Mazurka a-moll. She gained fame under the name "Jewish".
Mazurkas, like other works by Chopin, whose list was constantly increasing, combined various musical trends. The tonality and form of the melody harmoniously flow from the intonation of folk singing (the mazurka in the national Polish tradition was a dance accompanied by singing). They combine elements of rural folklore and urban salon music. Another feature of Chopin's mazurkas is a combination of various dances and original processing of folk melodies. The Mazurk cycle has intonations characteristic of folklore and combines elements characteristic of folk music with the author’s way of constructing a musical phrase.
Mazurkas are numerous and most famous works of Chopin. Their list was replenished throughout the composer's creative career. In total, from 1825 to 1849, Chopin created 58 mazurkas. His creative heritage generated interest, which composers began to show in this dance. Many Polish writers tried to work in this genre, but could not completely get rid of the charm of Chopin's music.
Becoming an artist
In 1829, the concert activity of Frederic Chopin began. He has successfully toured in Krakow and Vienna.
Musical Austria was conquered by a young Polish virtuoso. In 1830, Chopin left his homeland and moved to France.
The first concert in Paris made Chopin famous. The musician was only 22 years old. He rarely performed in concert halls. But he was a frequent guest of the secular salons of the French aristocracy and the Polish diaspora of France. This allowed the young Polish pianist to gain many noble and wealthy fans among the French aristocracy. The popularity of the Polish pianist was growing. Soon in Paris, everyone knew this name - Frederic Chopin. The works, the list and order of performance of which was unknown in advance even to the performer himself - Chopin was very fond of impromptu - caused a storm of applause from the shocked audience.
1830: piano concerts
In 1830, the composer completed the composition of the Concerto f-moll. On March 21, he premiered at the National Theater in Warsaw. A few months later, another performance was publicly performed, the e-moll concert.
Chopin's piano concerts are a touching romance. They have the same three-part form. The first part is a double exposure sonata. At first the orchestra sounds, and after it the piano part takes a solo role. The second part in the form of a nocturne is touching and melancholy. The final parts of two concerts are rondo. They clearly hear the melodies of Mazurka, Kuyaviak and Krakowiak - popular Polish folk dances. The last dance was very popular with Chopin, who often used it in his compositions.
Many famous musicians turned to his work and performed works by Chopin. The list - the names of piano concerts and other works - is a sign of the highest performing professionalism and good musical taste.
1835 year. First performance by Andante spianato
Frederic Chopin planned to write a concert piece with introduction (introduction) for a long time. He began work with the composition of "Polonaise", leaving at a later time the writing of the introduction. In letters, the composer wrote that Polonaise itself was created at the turn of 1830–1831. And only five years later, the introduction was written, and the composition took on a finished look.
Andante spianato was written for piano in g-dur tonality and size 6/8. The nocturnal nature of the introduction sets off the beginning of Polonaise, in which a heroic motif sounds. During solo performances, Chopin often included Andante spianato as a separate concert piece.
April 26 at the Warsaw Conservatory Chopin performs "Andante spianato and the Big Polonaise Es-dur". The first performance with the orchestra took place at the full house and was a tremendous success. The work was published in 1836 and was dedicated to Baroness D'Este. The piggy bank of masterpieces, in which Chopin's famous works were stored, the list of which already totaled more than 150 works, was replenished with another immortal creation.
Three Sonatas (1827–1844)
Frederic Chopin's sonata cycle was composed of works written in various periods of creativity. "Sonata c-moll" was created in the years 1827-1828. Chopin himself called her "the sin of youth." Like many other early works, it was published after his death. The first edition is dated 1851.
“Sonata b-moll” - an example of a monumental dramatic, but at the same time lyrical work. Chopin, whose list of compositions was already significant, was fascinated by the complex musical form. First, the "Mourning March" was born. His manuscript is dated November 28, 1837. The complete sonata was written by 1839. Some of its parts relate to music, characteristic of the era of romanticism. The first part is a ballad, and the final part has the character of an etude. However, it was the “Mourning March”, tragic and deep, that was the culmination of the whole work. In 1844, another work was written in sonata form, “Sonata h-moll”.
Last years
In 1837, Chopin suffered the first attack of tuberculosis. The disease haunted him for the remaining years. The trip to Mallorca, which he made with
George Sand, did not bring relief. But it was a fruitful creative period. It was in Mallorca that Chopin wrote a cycle of 24 preludes. The return to Paris and the break with J. Sand had a detrimental effect on the composer's weakened health.
1848 - a trip to London. This was the last tour. The hard work and the damp British climate finally undermined the health of the great musician.
In October 1849, at the age of 39, Frederic Francois Chopin died. Hundreds of admirers of his talent came to Paris for a funeral. According to Chopin’s last will, the heart of the great musician was delivered to Poland. He was walled up in a column of the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw.
Works by F. Chopin, the list of which is more than 200 compositions, and today often sounds in the concert programs of many famous pianists. Television and radio stations around the world have Chopin's works in their repertoire sheets. The list - in Russian or any other language - is freely available.