As a manuscript
MORDASOVA EKATERINA IVANOVNA
The creative heritage of F. Chopin
in theory and practice of teaching music
13.00.02 - theory and methods of teaching and education (music)
Dissertations for an academic degree
Candidate pedagogical sciences
Moscow - 2011
The work was carried out at the Tambov State
Musical Pedagogical Institute named after S.V. Rachmaninov
At the Department of Music Pedagogy
Scientific supervisor: Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor
Sukhova Larisa Georgievna
^ Official opponents: Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor
Mariupolskaya Tatyana Gennadievna
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor
^ Khazanov Pavel Abramovich
Leading organization: State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Moscow City
Pedagogical University"
The defense will take place on November 09, 2011 at 12.30 pm at a meeting of the dissertation council D 212.136.06 at the Moscow State Humanitarian University. M.A. Sholokhov at the address: 109240, Moscow, st. Verkhnyaya Radishchevskaya, 16-18.
The dissertation can be found in the library of Moscow State University for the Humanities. M.A. Sholokhov at the address: 109240, Moscow, st. Verkhnyaya Radishchevskaya, 16-18.
Scientific secretary
dissertation council,
candidate of pedagogical sciences,
Associate Professor N.R. Gevorgyan
^ 1. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WORK
Russian music pedagogical practice is currently characterized by a pronounced focus on the development of performing technology, understood as the motor-motor potential of the student. The priority of improving gaming skills as a necessary component of a performer’s training has undoubted practical value, however, on the other hand, it contributes to the formation of highly specialized professional skills, without ensuring the versatile and harmonious development of the student. This contradiction acquires particular significance in the process of developing understanding musical style for performing arts students. Understanding as the active involvement of all personal structures of the student in educational process requires the involvement in the comprehension of musical style of not only the motor-motor, but also the emotional-volitional and intellectual spheres of the students’ personality. Hence the need to search for and apply techniques and methods in the music-performing educational process that promote such involvement and, ultimately, the versatile, balanced development of the student’s personality.
In order to resolve this problem in the formation and development of understanding of musical styles among students in performing classes, it seems advisable to turn to creative activity major musicians who influenced the formation of the stylistic appearance of their contemporary era. Among them, a special place is occupied by the figure of Fryderyk Chopin, whose creative heritage includes the results of his activities as a composer, performer and teacher. Through study creative heritage F. Chopin as a complex of compositional, performing and pedagogical aspects of his activity, it seems possible for students to consider the composer’s piano technology as clearly as possible as a result of the implementation of the peculiarities of his musical thinking, as well as to reveal the basic patterns inherent in the music of romantic composers in general, thus achieving in-depth understanding of the romantic style. This determines the relevance of the topic of this work.
The purpose of this study is to identify and substantiate the didactic value of F. Chopin’s creative heritage in the theory and practice of teaching music when studying the romantic piano style in performing classes at universities.
The object of the study is educational process in music and performing classes at pedagogical universities.
The subject of the study is the creative heritage of F. Chopin, understood as a complex of compositional, performing and pedagogical aspects of his activity, used in the study of works of the romantic style in performing classes in order to develop an in-depth understanding of it among students.
^ Research hypothesis:
Within the framework of this work, it has been suggested that the didactic value of F. Chopin’s creative heritage as a complex of compositional, performing and pedagogical aspects of his activity, used in the study of the romantic style in performing classes at universities, can be revealed in the following positions:
A qualitatively new level of students’ comprehension of Chopin’s piano style becomes possible thanks to the assimilation of the specifics of the musician’s creative thinking through the disclosure of developed interdependencies between various aspects of his work;
The development of students' ideas about romanticism as a musical style of the era is achieved through the study of its attributive features embodied in Chopin's work, as well as the influence of Chopin's legacy on the activities of musicians different countries in subsequent eras;
Students’ creative thinking is activated through their creation of several stylistically competent interpretations of the work being studied, based on the principle of variation inherent in Chopin’s work;
The negative consequences of training focused on the development of the motor component are compensated thanks to the versatile and harmonious development of the student in the process of forming an in-depth understanding of the romantic style in music.
In accordance with the purpose and hypothesis of the study, a number of tasks were formulated:
Analyze the current state of the problem of studying works of the romantic style in the theory and practice of teaching piano playing;
Consider the creative heritage of F. Chopin as an artistic and stylistic phenomenon of romantic musical era, in which the attributive features of the romantic style are expressed through an individual creative style in composition, performance and pedagogical activity;
To identify the relationships between F. Chopin’s compositional and performing works and his provisions pedagogical system;
To develop a methodology for the integrated use of F. Chopin’s creative heritage as part of the development of the romantic style in music and to experimentally test the effectiveness of the developed methodology.
^ Research methods include:
Study and analysis of scientific sources on didactics, educational psychology, music theory, theory and methods of teaching musical performance;
Generalization of advanced music-performing and music-pedagogical experience;
A comprehensive analysis of the creative heritage of F. Chopin (composer, performer, teacher); identification of internal relationships determined by the logic of his artistic and imaginative thinking;
Generalization and systematization of the personal performing and teaching experience of the author of the dissertation;
Methods of the empirical level - pedagogical observations, interviews, questionnaires, interviewing, training experiments.
^ Methodological basis research amounts to:
General didactic principles that determine the goals, objectives and content of training (E.B. Abdullin, Yu.K. Babansky, I.Ya. Lerner, B.T. Likhachev, M.N. Skatkin, etc.);
Basic principles of the theory and methodology of teaching piano playing, contained in the works of A.D. Alekseev, L.A. Barenboim, N.I. Golubovskaya, G.M. Kogan, A.V. Malinkovskaya, G.G. Neuhaus, S.E. Feinberg, G.M. Tsypin and others.
Research into the problems of musical style (M.K. Mikhailov, E.V. Nazaykinsky, S.S. Skrebkov, etc.), works highlighting the style of the Romantic era, its characteristic features, the system of its stylistic features (V. Vanslov, A.I. .Demchenko, M.S.Druskin, D.V.Zhitomirsky, K.V.Zenkin, V.D.Konen, Yu.N.Khokhlov, etc.), works devoted to performing style (A.A. Kandinsky-Rybnikov , A.I. Nikolaeva, D.A. Rabinovich, etc.);
Monographic studies of the life and creative heritage of F. Chopin, the features of his style and his pedagogical system (F. Liszt, F. Nix, I. S. Belza, Yu. A. Kremlev, L. A. Mazel, A. Cortot, Ya. I. Milshtein, V. A. Nikolaev, etc.).
^ The reliability of the research is ensured by relying on fundamental scientific works in the field of pedagogy, psychology, musicology, and the use of large-scale research into the work of F. Chopin; using a set of methods at the theoretical and empirical level that correspond to the object and subject of the study, its goals and objectives; optimal balance between theoretical and experimental aspects of the study; testing the main provisions and research methods in the process of pedagogical observations, questionnaires and the use of other empirical methods.
^ The scientific novelty of this study is as follows:
Chopin's creative heritage is examined as a necessary component of professional training for a pianist based on an analysis of the place and role of Chopin's work in the general evolution of romantic art, as well as the influence of Chopin's aesthetics on the work of Russian and foreign composers second half of the 19th century– beginning of the 20th century.
Chopin's piano style is considered in the dissertation as an exemplary embodiment of the attributive features of romantic musical art (the interpenetration of various types of intonation, improvisation, the significant role of folklore, etc.); Based on the interpretation of style as an integrative unity of a certain direction in musical art and, at the same time, as an expression of the individual creative style of the composer, the features of studying Chopin's style in performing classes in the context of comprehending musical romanticism as a style of the era are determined.
In Chopin's works, the relationships between their content, form-structure, complex expressive means, performance attitudes and pedagogical approaches of a musician to the education and professional development of student pianists; Based on these relationships, the possibility of using Chopin’s pedagogical principles as a means of in-depth comprehension of his compositional style was identified.
Dan critical analysis trends based on the priority of the rational (“technological”) principle in the artistic and creative upbringing and education of modern youth; the significance of Chopin's creativity is substantiated as a means of compensating for the negative features of a rationalist, excessively technologized approach to teaching in music performance classes.
^ Theoretical significance research.
The significance of the stylistic approach in music pedagogy as a means of professional and personal development of students in performing classes is specified. The theoretical position on the possibility of using the results of a comprehensive analysis of various aspects of Chopin’s activity at the applied level when studying the romantic musical style in performing classes at universities has been substantiated and experimentally confirmed. The methodology for mastering musical style in the performing class (A.I. Nikolaeva) has been modified in relation to the peculiarities of musical romanticism: the features of the use of general pedagogical methods (heuristic, problem presentation, etc.) have been clarified, the content of techniques that ensure the action of special pedagogical methods has been expanded (the study of musical text and extra-textual information).
^ Practical significance of the study.
Specific methodological recommendations aimed at developing in students adequate ideas and concepts about the stylistic features of Chopin’s work in the context of musical romanticism as a whole are proposed and justified. Pedagogical guidelines related to the study of Chopin's works in piano classes and increasing the efficiency of this process have been clarified and experimentally tested. The research materials can also be used as part of the lecture courses “History of Piano Performance”, “Methods of Teaching Piano Playing”, “Theory and Methods musical education and education”, as well as in programs for improving the qualifications of employees music education.
^ The following provisions are submitted for defense:
The priority of developing motor-technical potential, which is characteristic of modern performing arts and music pedagogy, while having undoubted practical value, is to a certain extent a one-sided approach to learning. Provided that the condition for students of performing classes to develop adequate ideas about the romantic musical style, which to the greatest extent (compared to other style models) requires co-creation between the performer and the composer, is met, the study of these works is an effective way to compensate for the shortcomings of the technological approach, manifested in the form of one-sided, narrowly professional development student musician.
Chopin's music organically combines the musical traditions the classical era and the attributive features of the romantic style, refracted in accordance with the individual creative manner, thanks to which Chopin’s work had a significant influence on both the author’s contemporaries and the musicians of subsequent eras. Through the study of Chopin's works, the student comprehends the style of romantic pianism in general, acquiring the performing skills necessary to study and interpret most works related to this direction. These qualities allow us to consider Chopin's work as an exemplary stylistic model of romantic musical art. In addition, Chopin’s work had a significant influence on the activities of composers in different countries during the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries, which makes its mastery a necessary component of the education of a professional pianist.
Chopin's pedagogical views, when examined comprehensively, are built into a unified system of pedagogical principles, which are based on the ideas that determined the musician's composing and performing creativity ( musical image as a semantic, defining beginning for a complex of expressive means; the relationship between musical intonation and orally; variation as a comprehensive approach in creativity, etc.). Chopin's pedagogical views, when extrapolated to the musical text of Chopin's works, explain these ideas, revealing to the student both the aesthetic attitudes of the composer and the features of his performing style.
The method of integrated use of F. Chopin's creative heritage, based on revealing the implementation of Chopin's performing and pedagogical principles in his works, contributes to the development of adequate ideas about the romantic musical style and the activation of the student's creative thinking, which allows for the harmonious development of his personality in the learning process. In order to achieve this result, Chopin’s work should be considered in line with the general aesthetic principles of romantic art, in particular literature and painting, which contributes to the comprehension of Chopin’s work as a universal artistic and stylistic phenomenon.
Testing of the research results was carried out in the form of publications on the topic of the dissertation; the main provisions and results of the work were discussed at meetings of the Department of Music Pedagogy of the TSMPI named after S.V. Rachmaninov; presented at the IV International Scientific and Practical Conference “Music in the Modern World: Science, Pedagogy, Performance” (Tambov, 2008); at the V International Scientific and Practical Conference “Music in the Modern World: Science, Pedagogy, Performance” (Tambov, 2009); at pedagogical readings (Tambov, 2010).
^ Stages of research. 2006-2007 - collection of theoretical and experimental material, determination of goals and objectives, object, subject and methods of research;
2007-2009 - further development of theoretical materials; formation of the research concept; work on the text of the dissertation; conducting pilot studies;
2009-2010 - processing of data obtained during experimental research; completion of the learning experiment; design and editing of the main text of the dissertation.
Work structure. The study consists of an introduction, two chapters, conclusions, bibliography and appendices.
^ MAIN CONTENT OF THE WORK
The introduction substantiates the relevance of the topic, formulates the purpose, object, subject, and objectives of the study; the hypothesis and provisions submitted for defense are determined; the theoretical and practical significance of the work is revealed, as well as its novelty; data related to the reliability of the work and its testing are provided.
The first chapter of the dissertation - The creative heritage of F. Chopin as a complex of composer, performing and pedagogical aspects of activity and its role in the process of studying the romantic piano style in performing classes - consists of four paragraphs. The first paragraph is devoted current state problems of studying works of the romantic style in music pedagogy.
In the twentieth century, a new system of expressive means that emerged in the field musical composition, marked changes, first of all, in the aesthetic concept. These changes directed the musical thinking of composers in a new direction, different from the romantic tradition. YES. Rabinovich points to natural changes in the musical stylistics of the twentieth century: “It (the stylistics) was prompted by the entire course of the mental and actual aesthetic development of our century with its general craving for intellectualism"1. The demands placed on compositions designed within new stylistic and aesthetic frameworks lead to the dominant role of the intellect in the performing process, which inevitably affected musical pedagogy.
Another significant factor that determined the position of the romantic musical heritage in modern performing arts and music pedagogical practice, the priority of developing the motor-technical potential of students in performing classes has become an established approach in domestic music pedagogy. The current tendency to concentrate on the development of motor-technical potential has a long origin in the history of Russian music education.
Thus, in a study devoted to the problem national traditions in teaching music, T.G. Mariupolskaya notes that, despite the inherent priority of the artistic and meaningful principle when working on works inherent in the Russian musical pedagogical tradition, in teaching practice a highly specialized, “artisanal” orientation of teaching remains, which should be recognized as a negative factor in the professionalization of music education. Professional specialization in training, stimulating the formation of certain skills and abilities, at the same time determines a certain one-dimensionality of training, and as a result - the formation of a “professionally competent, but unspiritual individual”2.
In turn, the currently widespread practice of participation of students in performing classes at universities music competitions, being an important condition for the professional formation and development of a student musician, serves as an illustrative example of both positive and negative aspects a one-sided rational-technological approach rooted in music pedagogical practice. By directing both students and their teachers to create an interpretation that is not subject to sudden changes in the conditions of public performance, participation in a musical competition creates an attitude towards achieving some predetermined result of appropriate quality in performance.
According to major musicians participating in the jury of professional piano competitions, focusing on the technical stability of a performance leads to neglect of musicality, emotionality, and style features of the performed works. Moreover, the performing individuality and originality are significantly leveled out, giving way to a demonstration of virtuoso-technical capabilities: it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish one performance from another due to the significant unification of the performing appearance of the contestants, who, as a rule, are students of music educational institutions.
As a result of the above-described phenomena, significant difficulties arise in performing classes when studying works of the romantic style. The primacy of the emotional sphere in musical content, characteristic of romanticism, turns out to be difficult for modern students to assimilate, whose mentality was formed in the context of the priority of rational-pragmatic aesthetics that defines modern culture. The focus on overcoming purely technical difficulties, which impoverishes the creative process and leads to the loss of individuality of performance, deprives the musical meaning to the greatest extent. romantic essays. However, the properties of a romantic musical text, which require the greatest co-creative initiative from the performer, in comparison with works of other styles, allow us to consider these works as a means of compensating for the disadvantages of excessive rationalism and technology in the teaching of musical performing disciplines. Compensating for these shortcomings becomes possible provided that students in performing classes develop adequate ideas about the basic principles of the romantic style and their implementation in a musical text.
The second paragraph of the chapter - The creative legacy of F. Chopin as an artistic and stylistic phenomenon of the era of romanticism - examines Chopin's work, namely, the individual creative style of the composer formed within its framework as a highly indicative phenomenon from the point of view of the aesthetic positions of romantic culture as a whole. In works devoted to romanticism as a style of the era, it is repeatedly emphasized that romanticism, in comparison with chronologically previous styles (Baroque, classicism), has noticeably less internal solidity. This phenomenon, based on the significance affirmed by the aesthetics of romanticism human personality, was expressed in a wide range of “ideological and aesthetic trends, in which the historical situation, country, and interests of the artist created certain accents and determined various goals and means”3. Due to the wide variety of individual styles, the emergence of various schools and trends within romanticism, the need to master basic principles when studying the romantic style by student musicians is especially urgent.
Due to the primacy of the emotional principle, the desire to convey constant changes in the internal state of the individual in romantic art, such a quality as improvisation, inherent primarily in the performing arts of the era, acquired great importance in it. In the composer's work of the Romantics, in turn, this quality reflected in the variational manner of presenting the musical text, which provided performers with significant opportunities for a variety of interpretation options. Chopin's compositional creativity, permeated with the principle of variation at all levels of the musical text (also reflecting the performing style of the musician himself), at the same time can serve as the most clear example of the importance of the emotional sphere in the aesthetics of romantic art.
The work of romantic composers, with all the innovations inherent in it, remained based on the fundamental principles of the classical era. Chopin's work is also strongly associated with classical traditions. A characteristic quality of Chopin’s style in this aspect in comparison with contemporary composers is that in his work classical and romantic principles not only sum up, but also mutually enrich each other: “...he (Chopin. - E.M.) is the only romantic who managed to combine in both small and large works the most striking manifestations of the romantic style with the dynamism and intensity of the development of musical thought and with that unity, logic and organicity musical form, which distinguish Beethoven’s best works.”4 Chopin's innovation in the field of harmony and form is based on the classical logic of musical thinking, which implies a combination of the internal unity of a work with its dynamic and organic development within the framework of form.
In addition, one cannot fail to mention Chopin’s genre innovation, which has been repeatedly noted by researchers of his heritage. Chopin enriched piano literature with a new interpretation of the genres characteristic of the work of the romantics (études, preludes, nocturnes, impromptu, dance genres) and the introduction of new ones (ballad, scherzo). The synthesis of features of various genres, in turn, is characteristic feature Chopin's creativity.
The national flavor was very subtly translated by Chopin into his melodies, which absorbed such features of Polish folklore as intonation richness, a combination of song and dance principles that imparted rhythmic sharpness to the melody, and the use of instrumental types of variation. At the same time, Chopin's passages combine both instrumental and vocal elements, which makes them similar to the vocal roulades inherent in the bel canto operatic style. In Chopin's melodies, thus, such qualities as are indicative of musical romanticism appear, such as the interpenetration of the properties of vocal and instrumental genres, as well as the influence of the national element.
The texture of the composer's works demonstrates a special property that manifests itself in connection with the melodization of the accompaniment of the main themes. Chopin's accompanying chords and passages often contain the intonation grains of the main melody. These intonations are sometimes so bright that they turn from passages into thematic formations, and then again dissolve into accompanying figurations. Here the principle of mutual transformation of various types of intonation, also characteristic of romantic music in general, finds expression.
Embodiment in piano creativity the composer's attributive features of musical romanticism (in accordance with the creative individuality of the author), on the one hand, and the influence that Chopin's style had on the work of his contemporaries and followers, on the other, allow us to interpret Chopin's creative heritage as an exemplary stylistic model of romantic musical culture, giving students of performing classes the key to comprehend the sphere of musical romanticism as a whole, as well as to understand the influence exerted by Chopin’s work on the entire further development of musical art. These properties predetermine the role of Chopin's works as a necessary component of training a professional musician.
The third paragraph of the dissertation examines the pedagogical principles of F. Chopin and their relationship with his composing and performing work. Chopin's pedagogical system, innovative for his time, necessarily reflected the composer's views on the content of musical works. In his own compositions, musical means are determined by the artistic idea, and, in turn, determine the technical side as a means of realizing this idea. It was Chopin's system of pedagogical principles that was the first truly piano methodology, in contrast to Chopin's contemporary piano playing manuals, which largely inherited the tradition of clavier performance, which predetermined their lower effectiveness in new conditions compared to Chopin's methodology.
The formation and development of Chopin's pedagogical views was undoubtedly influenced by his performing activities, the principles of which can be called identically equal to his pedagogical guidelines. In the structure of the fundamental principles of Chopin’s performance and pedagogy, three levels can be distinguished: a) priority artistic image and its determining significance in relation to playing technique; b) a rational approach to classes at all levels of the pedagogical system and the appropriate organization of piano technology - the natural position of the hand on the keyboard (including the selection of natural fingerings), logical phrasing and agogy, a special manner of sound production, an innovative principle of pedaling; c) development of the student’s artistic taste and encouragement of his creative individuality.
Confirmation of the importance of these principles for Chopin’s pedagogical system can be found, on the one hand, in the surviving sketches of his unfinished methodological work, on the other hand, in the memoirs of Chopin’s students and contemporaries. Chopin's pedagogical views, when examined comprehensively, are built into a unified system of pedagogical principles, which are based on the same features of musical thinking as the musician's composing and performing creativity.
The relationship between all three components of Chopin's work is revealed as follows. What helped Chopin organize the process of playing the piano most expediently was the fact that the position of his hands, as well as the manner of playing in general, were “auditory-dependent.” Regarding this pattern, in particular, D.K. Kirnarskaya, in her work devoted to the genesis of musical abilities, notes: “The leading role of hearing in the emergence of auditory-motor connections leads to the fact that these connections are easily formed - music itself contains optimal the movements that express it are encrypted in its intonation pattern, in its rhythmic pattern (our italics – E.M.)”5.
The texture of Chopin's works, presenting the composer's style as a complex of means artistic expression, determines executive decisions that are adequate to it. The study of Chopin's pedagogical principles allows us to trace the process of organizing gaming movements that reflect the features of Chopin's performing technology, including the aesthetic principles of the musician that determined it. Studying Chopin's musical text on the basis of acquired knowledge, the student understands not only the performance technique determined by the element of texture, but also the technique expressed through this element musical meaning. Thus, by comprehending the structure of his creative thinking in the interconnected study of Chopin’s work, the student rises to a new level of understanding of musical style. The consequence is that the student achieves performative stylistic adequacy, understood as “recreating the composer’s semantic world with the help of the necessary performing means”6. In other words, music students develop a complex of performing means that corresponds to the style of the work being studied and is based on an understanding of its content.
The undoubted didactic value of Chopin's work lies in the fact that his works provide an opportunity to promote the development of an understanding of the composer's style, the features of his musical text and piano technology through an appeal to his pedagogical principles. Also, the multi-level variations in the presentation of Chopin’s works provide a rich selection of opportunities for the implementation of individual performing features student musician.
The fourth paragraph of the first chapter is devoted to methodological approaches to the integrated use of F. Chopin's creative heritage, taking into account the general didactic concepts of developmental education. Based on the current situation in music-pedagogical and performing practice, discussed in paragraph 1.1 of the study, the development of the student’s emotional-imaginative thinking as compensation for the negative aspects of the professionalization of education in performing classes is of particular relevance. To best comprehend the emotional and figurative content of a musical work, in turn, it is necessary to comprehensively study it in historical and cultural context from the standpoint of perception (listening), text analysis and performance interpretation. The need to correlate a musical work with the general aesthetic context of the era of its creation and the personality of its creator leads, in turn, to the need to use a whole complex of teaching methods, combining, in accordance with the classification of M.N. Skatkin and I.Ya. Lerner, reproductive (information- receptive and actually reproductive) and productive (problem presentation, heuristic, research) teaching methods.
The content of methodological approaches, formed on the basis of the methodology for mastering musical style in the performing class, proposed by A.I. Nikolaeva, is revealed in the following positions. When choosing a work by Chopin, it is necessary, focusing on the student’s repertoire, to select, if possible, such a work, when studying which it would be possible to most clearly illustrate the relationship between the features of the style of composers of the Baroque and Classical eras and the style of Chopin. In a similar way, the issue of including in the repertoire works of composers who were influenced by Chopin’s piano style in their work is being resolved. This approach allows the student, using the example of his own repertoire, to observe both the influence of the style of classical composers on Chopin’s work, and the influence of Chopin’s style experienced by such composers as Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, Lyadov, etc.
Work on Chopin's works should be preceded by a stage of preliminary acquaintance with the environment in which the specific work being studied arose. If necessary, gaps in the student’s knowledge about the cultural and historical situation of romanticism should be filled; it is advisable to highlight for the student the issue of interaction various types romantic art. From general information about musical romanticism we should move on to a description of Chopin’s work and its place in romantic culture. Special attention attention should be paid to Chopin’s system of pedagogical principles in the general context of his work, revealing the interaction of the composer, performing and pedagogical aspects of the musician’s activity.
After the described stage of preliminary preparation, it is necessary to move on to the stage of analyzing the musical text of the work being studied, which should be accompanied by a thorough analysis of the features of the author’s text, expressed through performance instructions. The interconnected sequence of studying the author's text is as follows: identifying the structural features of musical phrases, including the study of rhythmic features musical presentation; analysis of the articulation pattern of the musical text; selection of fingering taking into account the studied qualities of the text.
It is advisable to illustrate the comprehension of the described aspects of musical presentation and performance with information about Chopin’s pedagogical activity as follows: firstly, indicate how this or that fragment of a musical text illustrates this or that position of Chopin’s pedagogical system (presentation dictating a certain choice of fingering options, phrasing features , determining the most appropriate hand movements, pcs.
Message quote Frederic Chopin | A genius of piano music. (“Chopin-Lust for Love” (2002) Biographical film.)
Chopin's work is a vast world of extraordinary beauty. Listening to it, you forget that you are listening to only one instrument - the piano. Boundless expanses open up before you, windows open into unknown distances, full of secrets and adventures. And I really want this new, newly discovered world to never leave you.
(Anna German - Letter to Chopin)
|
Fryderyk Chopin was born near Warsaw, the capital of Poland, in the town of Zhelazova Wola.
Justina Chopin (1782 - 1861), mother of the composer.Nicolas Chopin (1771 - 1844), father of the composer
Chopin's mother was Polish, his father was French. Chopin's family lived on the estate of Count Skarbek, where his father served as a home teacher.
After the birth of his son, Nikolai Chopin received a position as a teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum (secondary educational institution), and the whole family moved to the capital. Little Chopin grew up surrounded by music. His father played the violin and flute, his mother sang well and played the piano a little. Not yet able to speak, the child began to cry loudly as soon as he heard his mother singing or his father playing. His parents believed that Fryderyk did not like music, and this greatly upset them. But they soon became convinced that this was not the case at all. By the age of five, the boy was already confidently performing simple pieces, learned under the guidance of his older sister Ludvika. Soon, the famous Czech musician Wojciech Zivny, famous in Warsaw, became his teacher.
Wojciech Zywny (1782 - 1861), the first teacher who taught Fryderyk Chopin to play the piano
A sensitive and experienced teacher, he instilled in his student a love of classical music and especially the works of I.S. Bach. Bach's keyboard preludes and fugues subsequently always lay on the composer's desk. The little pianist's first performance took place in Warsaw when he was seven years old. The concert was a success, and the whole of Warsaw soon learned Chopin's name. At the same time, one of his first works was published - a polonaise for piano in G minor. The boy's performing talent developed so quickly that by the age of twelve, Chopin was on par with the best Polish pianists. Living refused to study with young virtuoso, declaring that there was nothing more she could teach him. At the same time as studying music, the boy received good general education. Already as a child, Fryderyk was fluent in French and German, was keenly interested in the history of Poland, and read a lot fiction. At the age of thirteen he entered the lyceum and three years later he successfully graduated. During the years of study, the versatile abilities of the future composer were revealed.
The young man drew well, and he was especially good at caricatures. His talent for mimicry was so brilliant that he could have become a stage actor. Already in his youth, Chopin was distinguished by his sharp mind, observation and great curiosity. Since childhood, Chopin showed a love for folk music. According to the stories of his parents, during country walks with his father or comrades, the boy could stand for a long time under the window of some hut, from where folk tunes could be heard. While on vacation in the summer at the estates of his lyceum comrades, Fryderyk himself took part in the performance folk songs and dancing.
Singer Angelica Catalani (1780 - 1849) gave F. Chopin a gold watch with the inscription “Madame Catalani (Fryderyk Chopin ten years old) in Warsaw. 3. 1. 1820"
Over the years, folk music became an integral part of his work and became close to his being. After graduating from the Lyceum, Chopin entered the Higher School of Music. Here his classes were led by the experienced teacher and composer Joseph Elsner. Elsner very soon realized that his student was not just talented, but a genius. Among his notes is preserved brief description, given by him to the young musician: “Amazing abilities. Musical genius" By this time, Chopin had already been recognized as the best pianist in Poland. His talent as a composer also reached maturity. This is evidenced by two concertos for piano and orchestra, composed in 1829-1830. These concerts are invariably performed in our time and are favorite works of pianists from all countries. At the same time, Fryderyk met the young singer Konstanzia Gladkowska, who was studying at the Warsaw Conservatory. Gladkovskaya was destined to become Fryderyk's first love. In a letter to his friend Woitsekhovsky, he wrote:
“...I, perhaps, unfortunately, already have my own ideal, which I faithfully serve, without speaking to it for six months, which I dream about, the memory of which became the adagio of my concert, which inspired me to write this morning this waltz being sent to you.”
Constance Gladkovskaya (1810 - 1889) singer National Theater in Warsaw. Miniature of Anna Chametz, made in 1969 based on a drawing by Wojciech Gerson
It was under the impression of this youthful feeling of love that Chopin composed one of best songs“Desire” or “If only I were shining like the sun in the sky.” In 1829, the young musician traveled briefly to Vienna. His concerts were a huge success. Chopin, his friends and family realized that he should go on a long concert tour. Chopin could not decide to take this step for a long time. He was tormented by bad feelings. It seemed to him that he was leaving his homeland forever. Finally, in the autumn of 1830, Chopin left Warsaw. Friends gave him a farewell cup filled with Polish soil. His teacher Elsner said goodbye to him touchingly.
Joseph Elsner (1769-1854), teacher of Fryderyk Chopin in music theory and composition
On the outskirts of Warsaw, where Chopin was passing through, he and his students performed a choral work he had written especially for this occasion. Chopin was twenty years old. The happy youthful time, full of searches, hopes, successes, is over. Chopin's premonitions did not deceive him. He parted with his homeland forever. Remembering the good reception he received in Vienna, Chopin decided to begin his concerts there. But, despite the increased efforts, he was never able to give an independent concert, and publishers agreed to publish his works only for free. Unexpectedly, alarming news came from home. An uprising against the Russian autocracy, organized by Polish patriots, began in Warsaw. Chopin decided to interrupt his concert tour and return to Poland. He knew that among the rebels were his friends, perhaps even his father. After all, in his youth, Nicolas Chopin took part in the popular uprising led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko. But his family and friends persistently advise him in letters not to come. People close to Chopin are afraid that persecution may affect him too. Let him better remain free and serve his homeland with his art. With bitterness, the composer submitted and headed to Paris. On the way, Chopin was overtaken by news that shocked him: the uprising was brutally suppressed, its leaders were thrown into prison and exiled to Siberia. With thoughts about tragic destinies Chopin's most famous etude, created even before his arrival in Paris, called “Revolutionary,” was directly related to his homeland. It embodied the spirit of the November uprising, as well as anger and sorrow. In the autumn of 1831, Chopin arrived in Paris. Here he lived until the end of his life. But France did not become the composer’s second homeland. Both in his affections and in his work, Chopin remained a Pole. And he even bequeathed his heart to be taken home after death. Chopin “conquered” Paris first as a pianist. He immediately amazed the audience with his original and unusual performance.
Friedrich Kalkbrenner (1788 - 1849). From a lithograph by G. Richardi. German pianist, composer and teacher. From 1824 he lived in Paris, where he was considered the most outstanding teacher of piano playing.
At that time, Paris was flooded with musicians from the most various countries. The most popular were the virtuoso pianists: Kalkbrenner, Hertz, Hiller.
Ferdinand Hiller (1811 - 1885) - German pianist, composer, conductor, musician. theorist, music historian and critic; founder of the Cologne Conservatory. He had a warm friendship with F. Chopin (there is a bronze medal depicting Chopin and Hiller)
Their playing was distinguished by technical perfection and brilliance that stunned the audience. That's why Chopin's first concert performance sounded like such a sharp contrast. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, his performance was surprisingly spiritual and poetic. The famous Hungarian musician Franz Liszt, who also began his brilliant career as a pianist and composer at that time, remembers Chopin’s first concert: “We remember his first performance in the Pleyel Hall, when the applause, which increased with redoubled force, seemed unable to sufficiently express our enthusiasm in the face of talent, which, along with happy innovations in the field of his art, opened a new phase in the development of poetic feeling."
F. Liszt (1811-1886)
Chopin conquered Paris, just as Mozart and Beethoven once conquered Vienna. Like Liszt, he was recognized as the best pianist in the world. At concerts, Chopin mostly performed his own works: concertos for piano and orchestra, concert rondos, mazurkas, etudes, nocturnes, Variations on a theme from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. It was about these variations that the outstanding German composer and critic Robert Schumann wrote: “Hats off, gentlemen, before you is a genius.”
Chopin's music, as well as his concert performances, aroused universal admiration. Only music publishers waited. They published Chopin's works, but, as in Vienna, for free. Therefore, the first editions did not bring income to Chopin. He was forced to give music lessons for five to seven hours every day. This work provided him, but took too much time and effort. And even later, being a world-famous composer, Chopin could not afford to stop these studies with his students that were so exhausting for him. Along with the growing popularity of Chopin as a pianist and composer, his circle of acquaintances expanded.
F. Chopin among the famous pianists of his time (1835). From left to right: standing - T. Deller, J. Rosengein, F. Chopin, A. Dreishok, S. Thalberg; sitting - E. Wolf, A. Henselt, F. Liszt.
Among his friends is Liszt, an outstanding French composer Berlioz, French artist Delacroix, German poet Heine. But no matter how interesting his new friends were, he always gave preference to his compatriots. For the sake of a guest from Poland, he changed the strict order of his working day, showing him the sights of Paris. He could spend hours listening to stories about his homeland, about the lives of his family and friends.
With youthful insatiability he enjoyed Polish folk songs, and often wrote music to the poems he liked. Very often these poems, turned into songs, found their way back to Poland and became the property of the people. If he came close friend, Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, Chopin immediately sat down at the piano and played for him for hours. Forced, like Chopin, to live away from his homeland, Mickiewicz also yearned for it. And only Chopin’s music slightly eased the pain of this separation and transported him there, far away, to his native Poland. It was thanks to Mickiewicz and the frenzied drama of his “Conrad Wallenrod” that the First Ballad was born. And Chopin’s Second Ballad is associated with the images of Mickiewicz’s poetry. Meetings with Polish friends were especially dear to the composer because Chopin did not have his own family.
His hope of marrying Maria Wodzinska, the daughter of one of the rich Polish nobles, did not come true. Maria's parents did not want to see their daughter married to a musician, even if he was world famous, but earned his living by working. For many years, he connected his life with the famous French writer Aurora Dudevant, who appeared in print under the pseudonym Georges Sand.
Judging by " musical portraits»Constance Gladkowska and Maria Wodzinska, Chopin valued above all else in them the charm of purity created by his imagination. In George Sand one could find anything but this. By that time she enjoyed a scandalous reputation. Chopin could not have known this. But Liszt and his friend Marie d'Agoux highly valued the literary talent of George Sand and talked about this with Chopin and Mickiewicz, emphasizing that they valued her primarily as a writer. They also contributed to the appearance of George Sand on musical evenings at Chopin's.
George Sand
It must be said that there is not much reliable information about the history of Chopin’s relationship with Georges Sand. Not everyone agrees with George Sand herself, who portrayed Chopin’s guardian angel to his friends and described to them her “self-sacrifice” and “maternal care” for the composer. Liszt, in a book published during George Sand’s lifetime, very clearly accused her of being the cause of his untimely death. Wojciech Grzymala, one of Chopin's closest friends, also believed that George Sand, “who poisoned his entire existence,” was responsible for his death. “A poisonous plant” was called by Wilhelm Lenz, a student of Chopin, who was deeply indignant at how impudently, arrogantly and disdainfully George Sand treated Chopin even in the presence of strangers. Over the years, Chopin gave concerts less and less, limiting himself to performing with a small circle of friends.
He devoted himself entirely to creativity. His sonatas, scherzos, ballads, impromptu, new series etudes, the most poetic nocturnes, preludes and the still beloved mazurkas and polonaises. Along with light lyrical plays, more and more often from his pen came works full of dramatic depth, and often tragedy. This is the Second Sonata, with a funeral march, belonging to the number highest achievements composer, all Polish music and romantic art in general. Józef Chominski, characterizing the first two movements of the sonata, said: “After the heroic struggle, the funeral march is obviously the last act of the drama.” Chopin viewed the funeral march as an emotional conclusion that dramatically completes the development of images. We have the right to call this drama, the images of which unfold in Chopin’s sonata, a national tragedy. Chopin's funeral march is recognized as the most outstanding work of this genre. This march took a special, exceptional place not only in musical literature, but also in the life of humanity, for it is difficult to find a more sublime, more beautiful and more tragic embodiment of the feeling of grief. Chopin's life in Paris was, if not happy, then favorable for creativity. His talent reached its peak.
The publication of Chopin's works no longer encounters any obstacles; taking lessons from him is considered a great honor, and hearing him play is a rare happiness, available to a select few. The last years of the composer's life were sad. His friend Jan Matuszynski died, followed by his beloved father. A quarrel and break with George Sand made him completely lonely. Chopin was never able to recover from these brutal blows. The lung disease that Chopin had suffered from a young age worsened. The composer has written almost nothing for the past two years. His funds have dried up. To improve his difficult financial situation, Chopin undertook a trip to London at the invitation of English friends. Having gathered his last strength, sick, he gives concerts and lessons there. The enthusiastic reception initially pleases him and instills him with cheerfulness. But the damp climate of England quickly had its destructive effect. A hectic life, full of secular, often empty and meaningless entertainment, began to tire him. Chopin's letters from London reflect his gloomy mood, and often suffering:
“I’m no longer able to worry or rejoice - I’ve completely stopped feeling anything - I’m just vegetating and waiting for this to end as soon as possible.”
Chopin gave his last concert in London, which turned out to be the last in his life, in favor of Polish emigrants. On the advice of doctors, he hastily returned to Paris. The composer's last work was a mazurka in F minor, which he could no longer play and only wrote down on paper. At his request, his elder sister Ludwika arrived from Poland, in whose arms he died.
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) - Polish pianist and composer. He was born in 1810, on March 1 (according to other sources on February 22), in the village of Zhelazova Wola, located near Warsaw. Chopin's biography will be discussed in this article.
Family
The composer's father is Nicolas Chopin (1771-1844).
He married Justyna Krzyzanowska (1782-1861) in 1806. According to surviving evidence, the composer's mother received a good education. She was very musical, played the piano, sang well, had French. It was to his mother that Frederick owed the love of folk melodies instilled from a young age, which was then reflected in his work, as well as his first musical impressions. Some time after the boy was born, in the fall of 1810, the father moved to Warsaw.
First achievements in music
Frederic Chopin, whose biography is already in early years marked by achievements in music, even in childhood he showed musical abilities. The famous Catalani foresaw a great future in him, then still a ten-year-old boy. Frederic Chopin began playing the piano and composing music at the age of seven. From the age of nine, the boy began studying with Wojciech Zivny, a Czech and serious teacher. Chopin's performing talent developed so quickly that by the age of twelve the boy was on par with the best pianists in Poland.
The first public performance of this musician took place in Warsaw in 1818. By this time he was already the author of several pieces for piano - marches and polonaises. Chopin, whose biography and work are covered in our article, entered one of the Warsaw schools in 1823. Here his music studies continued.
Biography of Chopin and interesting facts about it are supplemented by the following event. In 1825, the composer was invited to perform before Alexander the First, the Russian Emperor. He received a reward after the concert - a diamond ring.
Continuing training
Givny was Chopin's only piano teacher. Seven years after studying with him, in the early 1820s, Frederick began studying with J. Elsner. By this time his talent had developed greatly. Chopin's biography was replenished with new facts in 1826, when in July he graduated from the Warsaw school, and in the fall he entered the Warsaw school to continue his education. high school music. Here Frederick studied for about three more years.
Patrons Princes Chetverinsky and Anton Radzwill introduced him into high society. In appearance and manner, Chopin made a pleasant impression. This was noted by many of his contemporaries. Liszt, for example, said that Frederick made a “calm, harmonious” impression.
Works created while studying with Elsner
Under the guidance of the excellent teacher and musician Elsner, who immediately noticed Chopin's genius, Frederic made great progress. Elsner's photo is shown below.
During his studies, Chopin wrote many works for piano, from which one can highlight the Rondo, the first sonata, variations on a theme by Mozart, Nocturne in E minor, Krakowiak and others. This composer was already strongly influenced by the folk music of Poland, as well as the poetry and literature of this country (Witwicki, Slovacki, Mickiewicz, etc.). In 1829, upon completion of his studies, Frederick went to Vienna, where he performed his works. Chopin's biography was marked by the first independent concert, held in 1830 in Warsaw. He was followed by a number of others.
Chopin leaves his homeland
Chopin played in Warsaw for the last time in 1830, on October 11, after which he left his homeland forever. He lived in Vienna from the end of 1830 to 1831 (the first half). Visiting theaters musical dating, concerts, trips around the city had a beneficial effect on the development of the talent of such a musician as Chopin. The biography and work of this composer in those years were marked by the following events.
Chopin left Vienna in the summer of 1830. He spent the beginning of September in Stuttgart, where he learned of the fall of Warsaw and the failure of the Polish uprising. Then, having traveled through Munich, Vienna, Dresden, he arrived in Paris in 1831. Chopin's biography and his work can be studied in more detail by turning to the diary that the writer kept on the road ("Stuttgart Diary"). It describes state of mind the composer while in Stuttgart, where Frederick was overcome by despair over the defeat of the Polish uprising. This event was reflected in his work, which we will tell you about now.
New works by the composer
Frederic Chopin, whose biography interests us, was impressed by this news and wrote an etude in C minor, which is often called revolutionary, as well as two deeply tragic preludes: D minor and A minor. Among the new works of this composer at that time were also a polonaise in E-flat major, concertos for piano and orchestra, nocturnes, Polish songs based on works by Mickiewicz and Witwicki, etc. Frederick subordinates the technical elements of the works entirely to musical and poetic images.
Chopin in Paris
So, as we have already said, the biography of Chopin in 1831, in the fall, was marked by the move of this composer to Paris. His life since then has been connected with this city. Here the composer became close to Bellini, Berlioz, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Hiller, and also met such artists and writers as Georges de Sand, Lamartine, Hugo, Delacroix, Heine, Musset, and Balzac. In 1832, on February 26, Chopin gave his first concert in Paris, in which he performed variations on the theme of Mozart's Don Giovanni, as well as a piano concerto. Liszt, who was present at the performance, noted that Chopin’s talent, together with his innovations, opened a new phase in the development of art. Even then it was clear that Frederic Chopin would achieve great success as a composer. The biography briefly outlined in the article allows you to verify this.
Life in Paris in the 1830s
From 1833 to 1835, Frederick often performed works together with Hiller, Liszt, and the Hertz brothers. He rarely performed in concerts, but in the salons of the French aristocracy and the Polish colony, the fame of this composer grew very quickly. He also had opponents (Field, Kalkbrenner), but this did not prevent Frederick from gaining many admirers in society, including among artists. The years 1836-1837 were decisive in the personal life of this composer. Then the engagement to Maria Wodzinskaya was broken off, and Chopin became close to Georges Sand. In 1837, Frederick felt his first attack of lung disease. This was the biography of Chopin at that time ( summary).
Creativity flourishes
The greatest flowering of Frederick's work occurred in the period from 1838 to 1846. It was at this time that Chopin wrote the most significant and perfect works, including the second and third sonatas, polonaises in F sharp minor and A flat major, ballads, barcarolles, polonaise fantasias, nocturnes, scherzos, preludes, mazurkas, etc. He also continued to perform in concerts with Francom, Pauline Viardot, Ernst, but much less frequently than before. Frederick usually spent the winter in Paris, in Nohant, and the summer in the estate of Georges Sand. Due to poor health, he spent only one winter (1839-1840) in the south, on the island of Majorca in Spain. It was here that his 24 preludes were completed.
The death of his father and the break with George Sand are two tragic events that Chopin experienced
The biography, briefly described, is supplemented by the following two important events in the life of the composer. First, Chopin's father died in 1844, in May. The composer took his death extremely hard. His health began to cause concern. The second event that occurred in 1847 was the break with Georges Sand. It completely undermined the composer's strength. A portrait of this woman by the artist Delacroix, painted in 1838, is presented below.
Wanting to leave the city of Paris in order to get rid of everything that resembled what he had experienced here, Frederic went to London in 1848, in April.
The last two years of Chopin's life
The last two years of Frederic Chopin's life passed in excruciating suffering. He practically does not compose music and does not perform at concerts. In 1848, on November 16, his last performance took place in London at a Polish evening. The climate, nervous life, unexpected success - all this undermined the composer’s painful nature, and, returning to Paris, great musician slightly Frederick stops teaching his students. In the winter of 1849, his health suffered a significant deterioration. Neither the arrival of Louis, his beloved sister, nor the concerns of his friends in Paris bring relief, and he dies after severe agony.
Death of Chopin
The death of Frederic Chopin was a blow to the world of music, and the funeral attracted his many fans. In Paris, at the Père Lachaise cemetery, Chopin was buried. The ashes rest between Bellini and Cherubini. Frederick placed Mozart above other composers. His adoration of the Jupiter symphony and the requiem reached the point of cult. At his funeral, in accordance with the wishes of the deceased famous artists Mozart's Requiem was performed. The composer’s heart, by his will, was later transported to his homeland, to Warsaw, to the Church of the Holy Cross.
Dance genres in Chopin's works
Chopin's work was inspired by his boundless devotion to his people, his homeland, and the struggle for national liberation. He tapped into the riches of Poland's folk music. Various dance genres occupy a significant place in Chopin's heritage. It should be noted that danceability is one of the integral qualities inherent in musical folk culture Poland. Waltzes, polonaises, mazurkas (which featured the features of three folk dances - oberek, kujawiak and mazura) reveal the connections that exist between Frederick's work and the folk music of Poland in all its diversity. Frederic Chopin, whose biography we have described, showed innovation in their transformation and interpretation. For example, his polonaises significantly expand and democratize this once solemn and ceremonial genre. Mazurkas poeticize and deepen folk dance. Waltzes have the features of Slavic folk dance melody.
Non-dance genres
Chopin also reinterprets various non-dance genres. His sketches are highly artistic creations, where ideological and emotional content is combined with original means of their implementation. Chopin's scherzos are also quite unique compositions. They differ from scherzos, which are used in classical symphony, as well as from the sonata. Ballads - inspired poetic images dramatic plot narratives, full of romantic freedom, contrasts, and diversity of life.
Chopin's musical language
Chopin's genre innovation is organically combined with the novelty of his musical language. Frederick created a new type of melody - flexible, extremely expressive, unfolding continuously, combining various instrumental and vocal, dance and song features. Also, Frederic Chopin, whose biography is described above, revealed new possibilities of harmony. He fused together various elements of Polish folk music with romantic harmony. Chopin strengthened the role of colorful and dynamic elements. His discoveries in the field of polyphony (all voices are saturated with melodic expressiveness) and musical form (the use of the technique of variation development, characteristic of Polish folk music) are very interesting. The innovation of this composer fully affected his performing art. He, like Liszt, made a real revolution in the technique of playing the piano.
The influence of Chopin's work on other composers
Chopin's work as a whole is characterized by clarity of thinking and harmony. His music is far from either isolation, academic coldness, or romantic exaggeration. She is alien to insincerity, fundamentally folk, spontaneous, and freedom-loving.
Chopin's biography and his works have inspired many musicians. Frederick's work had a great influence on many generations of composers and performers. The influence of Frederic Chopin's melodic and harmonic language can be traced in the works of Wagner, Liszt, Debussy, Fauré, Albéniz, Grieg, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Szymanowski, and Rachmaninoff.
The Meaning of Creativity
Chopin's biography and music are of great interest today, and this is no coincidence. This great composer interpreted many genres in a new way. He revived the prelude on a romantic basis, also created a piano ballad, dramatized and poeticized the dances: waltz, polonaise, mazurka, and turned the scherzo into an independent work. Chopin enriched the piano texture and harmony, combined the classical form with fantasy and melodic richness.
He composed about fifty mazurkas, the prototype of which is a waltz-like Polish folk dance with a three-beat rhythm. These are small plays. In them, harmonic and melodic turns sound Slavic.
Frederic Chopin gave only about thirty public concerts during his life. He performed mainly at his friends' houses. His performing style was very unique. He was distinguished, according to contemporaries, by rhythmic freedom - the prolongation of some sounds due to the fact that others were shortened.
Memory of Frederic Chopin
Every five years in Warsaw, since 1927, international Chopin competitions have been held, in which the most famous pianists participate. In 1934, the Chopin Institute was also organized, called the Society. F. Chopin since 1950. Similar societies also available in Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia. They also existed in France before World War II. In the town of Zhelyaznova Wola, where the composer was born, the Chopin House Museum was opened in 1932.
The International Federation of Societies named after this composer was founded in 1985. In Warsaw in 2010, on March 1, the Frederic Chopin Museum was opened after modernization and reconstruction. This event is dedicated to the bicentenary of his birth. 2010 was also declared the year of Chopin in Poland. This composer, as you can see, is still known, remembered and loved not only in his homeland, but throughout the world.
Chopin's biography and all the dates of events that happened to this great composer were described in our article as fully as possible. IN music schools Today the work of this author is included in the compulsory program. However, young musicians study Chopin's biography briefly. This is enough for children. But in adulthood I want to get to know such interesting composer. Then the biography of Chopin, briefly written for children, no longer satisfies us. That is why we decided to create a more detailed description of the life and work of this great man. Chopin's biography, a summary of which you can find in various reference books, has been supplemented by us based on various sources. We hope you found the information presented interesting. Now you know what events Chopin’s biography consisted of and what works he wrote. All the best!
1838., portrait by Eugene Delacroix
Chopin's music is characterized by lyricism and subtlety in conveying various moods; His works are distinguished by the breadth of national folklore and genre connections. Chopin reinterpreted many genres. He enriched the harmony and piano texture, combined classical form with melodic richness and imagination. His piano performance combined depth and sincerity of feelings with grace and technical perfection.
Chopin - Nocturne Op.9 No.2 (Arthur Rubinstein)
CHOPIN(Chopin) Fryderyk (March 1, 1810, Zelazowa Wola, Poland - October 17, 1849, Paris), Polish composer and pianist. Chopin's music is characterized by lyricism and subtlety in conveying various moods; His works are distinguished by the breadth of national folklore and genre connections. He interpreted many genres in a new way: he revived the prelude on a romantic basis, created a piano ballad, poeticized and dramatized dances - mazurka, polonaise, waltz; turned the scherzo into an independent work. Enriched the harmony and piano texture; combined classical form with melodic richness and imagination. 2 concertos (1829, 1830), 3 sonatas (1828-44), fantasy (1841), 4 ballads (1835-42), 4 scherzos (1832-42), impromptu, nocturnes, etudes and other works for piano; songs. His piano performance combined depth and sincerity of feelings with grace and technical perfection.
Young genius
Born into a mixed French-Polish family; Chopin's native language was Polish. In 1816-1822 he studied piano with Wojciech Zywny (1756-1842), whose teaching was based on the music of J. S. Bach and Viennese classics. Apparently, at the same time the future composer’s first acquaintance with Italian bel canto took place. Chopin's unique melodic style developed under the combined influence of Mozart, Polish national music, in particular, the salon plays of his older contemporaries M. K. Oginski, M. Szymanowska and others, as well as Italian opera. Chopin's first compositional experiments (two polonaises) date back to 1817. Since 1819, he has been performing as a pianist in Warsaw aristocratic salons. In 1822 he began studying privately with the leading Polish composer J. Elsner. In 1823 he entered the Warsaw Lyceum, shortly before graduating from which he published his first opus - Rondo c-moll (1825). In 1826-1829, Chopin studied in Elsner's class at the Warsaw Main School of Music. This period includes Variations on a theme of a duet from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni for piano and orchestra, Op. 2, First Sonata Op. 4 and a number of plays. Upon graduating from the conservatory, Chopin was officially awarded the characteristic of “musical genius.”
Chopin - Nocturne No.19, Op.72 No.1 (Richter)
Chopin House
Voluntary exile
In 1829 and 1831, Chopin gave successful concerts in Vienna. At the same time, R. Schumann spoke enthusiastically in the press about the Variations Op. 2 (“Hats off, gentlemen, before you is a genius!”). The news of the defeat of the Polish uprising of 1830-1831 found Chopin while he was in Stuttgart (according to popular legend, Chopin responded to it with a piece that is now widely known as the “Revolutionary Etude”).
Chopin - Rondo à la Krakowiak, Op. 14
A staunch supporter of Polish independence, Chopin refused to return to his homeland and settled in Paris, where he soon gained a reputation as an outstanding teacher and pianist. He was accepted in the highest circles of the Parisian aristocracy, met the popular virtuoso pianists F. Kalkbrenner and C. Pleyel (who provided him with practical assistance in the first period of his Parisian life), musicologist F. J. Fetis, composers F. Liszt, V. Bellini, artist E. Delacroix, writers G. Heine, V. Hugo, and other prominent representatives of the Parisian artistic elite; among his friends there were also representatives of the Polish emigration. In 1835 and 1836, Chopin traveled to Germany (where he met, in particular, with Schumann and F. Mendelssohn), and in 1837 - to London. Meanwhile, he developed pulmonary tuberculosis, the first symptoms of which were discovered back in 1831. Soon Chopin actually abandoned his career as a virtuoso, limiting his concert activities with rare performances, mainly for a small audience, and focused on composition, publishing his opuses simultaneously in Paris, London and Leipzig.
Next to George Sand
GeorgesSand
Chopin - Nocturne Op.15 No.3 in G minor (Arthur Rubinstein)
In 1837, Chopin began an affair with the famous French writer Georges Sand, who treated Chopin partly in a maternal way, as a fragile and immature creature who needed constant care. Chopin and J. Sand spent the winter of 1838-1839 on the island of Majorca (Spain), which had a beneficial effect on the composer’s health. His relationship with the writer lasted about 10 years. After the break with J. Sand (1847), Chopin's health deteriorated sharply.
Frederic Chopin - photo 1848
In February 1848 he gave his last concert in Paris. The revolution that began a few days later forced Chopin to leave for Great Britain, where he spent seven months playing in aristocratic salons (including for Queen Victoria) and giving lessons. Upon returning to Paris, Chopin was no longer able to teach students; in the summer of 1849 he wrote his last work - Mazurka in f-minor op. 68 No. 4. At Chopin's funeral in the Parisian Church of St. Mary Magdalene was attended by about three thousand people; his Preludes in e-moll and b-moll from Op. 28 and Mozart's Requiem. At the funeral, the orchestra played the funeral march from his Second Sonata in B minor, Op. 35. At Chopin’s request, his heart was transported to Poland; it rests in the Warsaw Church of the Holy Cross.
Chopin - Prelude No.4
MuseumChopin
Virtuoso and improviser
Almost all of Chopin's music is intended for piano (among the few exceptions is the late Sonata for cello and piano, dedicated to the composer's friend, cellist O. Francomme, and a dozen songs based on words by Polish poets). According to contemporaries, Chopin was an inspired improviser. He composed as he played, painfully trying to capture his musical ideas in notes. Chopin's legacy is small in scope, but the art world universal.
Chopin - Grand Valse Brillante
One of the poles of Chopin’s work consists of youthful virtuoso pieces (including rondos) and works for piano and orchestra (two concertos, 1829-30, etc.), in which he still adheres to the traditional forms of romantic “grand style” pianism. At the other pole are the monumental Third Sonata in B minor (Op. 58, 1844) and the surrounding Fantasia (1841), Lullaby (1843-44), Barcarolle (1845-6), Third and Fourth Ballads (1840-41, 1842) , Fourth Scherzo (1842), three mazurkas op. 56 (1843), three mazurkas op. 59 (1845), Polonaise-Fantasy (1845-46), nocturnes op. 62 (1846) - works of enormous expressive power and nobility, innovative in form (the late Chopin is characterized by a free three-part form with a long-prepared abbreviated reprise, which usually turns into a compressed coda), texture, and harmonic language. Between these two poles are etudes, preludes, nocturnes, waltzes, mazurkas, polonaises, impromptu - invariably perfect in all details and as varied as life itself. The poet and musician B. L. Pasternak considered this diversity distinctive feature Chopin and called his work “an instrument for the knowledge of all life.”
Chopin - Nocturne Op.48 No.2(Arthur Rubinstein)
Monument to Chopin
Chopin's music is almost entirely homophonic-harmonic; the lack of counterpoint in the usual sense is compensated for by the rich play of accompanying voices, creating the effect of the finest subvocal polyphony. Many of his plays were written in popular everyday, salon, educational (etudes) genres, but under the pen of Chopin their genre prototypes take on a completely new scale. Schumann’s words about one of Chopin’s etudes: “This is not so much an etude as a poem” apply to all other etudes, as well as to most mazurkas, waltzes, preludes, nocturnes, etc. (the genre principle prevails over the poetic one only in some of Chopin’s early plays ). His harmony is characterized by unusually bold tonal juxtapositions and modulations (often taking the form of sudden “slips” into distant tonal realms), excursions into the realm of pure chromaticity or modality. The influence of Chopin's harmonic and melodic language can be traced in the works of such different composers as F. Liszt, R. Wagner, G. Fauré, C. Debussy, E. Grieg, I. Albeniz, P. Tchaikovsky, A. Scriabin, S. Rachmaninov, K. Szymanowski. Since 1927, the International Chopin Competition has been held in Warsaw.
Chopin - Nocturno en si bemol menor Op.9 No.1
Department of History of Foreign Music
Department of History and Theory of Performing Arts
Research Center for Methodology of Historical Musicology of the Moscow Conservatory
Scientific conference
“The legacy of romanticism in modern science:
Schumann, Chopin, Liszt"
Conference program
December 1, Thursday
12.30 - 14.00
Opening of the conference
Lecture by Prof. Eero Tarasti(University of Helsinki)
Fantasia in C major (op.17) by Robert Schumann in the light of existential semiotics
14.00 -15.00 Break
15.00
Sergei Vladimirovich Grokhotov(Moscow Conservatory)
Fryderyk Chopin and Biedermeier culture. To the problem statement
Konstantin Vladimirovich Zenkin(Moscow Conservatory)
On the mobility of structures in Liszt's works. From the romantic form-process to the “open” form
16. 00
Ekaterina Mikhailovna Tsareva(Moscow Conservatory)
Schumann and Liszt on Chopin
Vladimir Petrovich Chinaev(Moscow Conservatory)
Author - co-author - interpreter. The paradox of romantic sheet music
17. 00
Round table
December 2, Friday
15. 00
Konstantin Anatolyevich Zhabinsky(Rostov Conservatory)
Musical dialogues of Chopin and Schumann (dedications and reflections)
Olga Pavlovna Saygushkina(St. Petersburg Conservatory)
Paganini's Capricci in transcriptions by Schumann and Liszt
16. 00
Alexander Mikhailovich Merkulov(Moscow Conservatory)
Piano arrangements of Schumann's music: history and modernity
Olga Vladimirovna Loseva(Moscow Conservatory)
Russians against Schumann, or “How not to orchestrate”
17. 00
Irina Arnoldovna Skvortsova(Moscow Conservatory)
Chopin. Lyadov. Scriabin. Through the prism of the mazurka genre
Round table
December 3, Saturday
12. 00
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Kokoreva(Moscow Conservatory)
“I completely came out of Chopin’s Fourth Ballade” (Debussy)
Ekaterina Vladimirovna Ivanova(Moscow Conservatory)
Two editions of F. Liszt “Fantasies and Fugues on a Theme BACH”
13. 00
Dmitry Anatolyevich Shumilin (Russian Institute history of art, St. Petersburg)
F. Chopin's student M. A. Garder
Elena Markovna Shabshaevich(Moscow Conservatory)
Liszt's Moscow tour
Alexander Vladimirovich Naumov(Moscow Conservatory)
Between secret hostility and outright denial. Music by F. Chopin and F. Liszt in the play Sun. Meyerhold "Teacher Bubus"
Round table
The conference is supported by BP
Applications with a topic statement and abstracts of 4500 to 5000 characters will be accepted until October 1, 2011 at
We kindly request:
- send applications only if it is possible for you to participate in most of the conference sessions;
- together with the topic statement, indicate one of the thematic headings listed below.
The topic of the conference (all formulations imply coverage of the work and activities of Schumann, Chopin or Liszt).
- Individual composer style and style of the era
- Romantic composer in the context of the arts
- National as a problem of musical art
- Specifics of romantic programming
- Phenomena of early or late creativity composer.
- Romantic composer and religious faith
- The composer is a man and an artist
- Issues of interpretation and editing
- Composer and traditions of romantic pianism
- Specifics of romantic musical text and its performing interpretation
- Music autograph and its editions
- Composer in the musical art of the 20th and 21st centuries
- Composer in modern scientific concepts
In early November, the Organizing Committee will decide on the composition of participants and formulate the conference program.
Travel for conference participants is provided at the expense of sending organizations.
The issue of providing a free hotel will be decided by the Organizing Committee.
From the Organizing Committee,
K.V.Zenkin
