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Mordasova, Ekaterina Ivanovna. The creative heritage of F. Chopin in the theory and practice of teaching music: dissertation... candidate pedagogical sciences: 13.00.02 / Mordasova Ekaterina Ivanovna; [Place of protection: Moscow. state humanitarian University named after M.A. Sholokhov].- Tambov, 2011.- 191 p.: ill. RSL OD, 61 11-13/1508
Introduction
Chapter 1 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 12
1.1 Current state of the problem of studying works. romantic style in music pedagogy 12
1.2 The creative heritage of F: Chopin as an artistic and stylistic phenomenon of the era of romanticism 35
1.3 F. Chopin’s pedagogical principles and their relationship with his compositional and performing arts 76
1.4. Methodology of complex use creative heritage F. Chopin 103
Chapter 2 Experimental study of the effectiveness of the method of complex use of F. Chopin’s creative heritage in the study of the romantic piano style 130
2.1 Pedagogical observations 130"
2.2 Interviews and questionnaires 149
2.3 Formative experiment 155
Conclusion 171
Bibliography 174
Applications 185
The current state of the problem of studying works. romantic style in music pedagogy
What does a professional musician encounter in his line of work? with the need to perform music various styles and eras. Confident. orientation in various stylistic zones is a necessary condition for the professional activity of a musician: However, in current situation on the performing stage, the gradual departure of the new performing style from the values traditional for the romantic piano style provokes their gradual loss, which inevitably has a negative impact on piano pedagogy.
Considering current state domestic music and performing scene, the following should be noted. V:S. Gritsevich, analyzing the repertoire of pianists during the 20th century, c. Among some of the patterns he derived, he also notes that “after the Second World War, the interest of pianists in the works of Chopin, Schumann and Liszt decreased somewhat, while interest in the legacy of Brahms, Rachmaninov and the sonatas of Schubert increased noticeably,” and also that “ works by Debussy, Ravel, Bartok; Prokofiev entered the repertoire of almost all major pianists, occupying a permanent place in it.” It should be noted that the vision of the expressive capabilities of the piano by composers of the 20th century was built on a fundamentally different basis compared to the creative heritage of the authors of music of previous eras. Based on the analysis carried out, the researcher concludes that there are two interrelated trends in the piano repertoire: the politics of the 20th century, manifested in a decrease in the “proportion of emotionally vibrant and at the same time pianistically elegant pieces” and at the same time “in a shift in the interest of artists towards such works that manages to perform with limited co-creative initiative and moderate return of mental strength” [ibid.].
The possibility of the performer's co-creative initiative is predetermined by the style of the composition and the manner of its presentation. Thus, analyzing the Prelude in E-dur, J.E. Bach, 1st movement of the sonata Es-dur by Haydn and Polonaise-Fantasy by Chopin as examples of musical works - various styles; the author comes to the conclusion that the structure itself musical composition, its presentation determines the measure of such an initiative: “There is reason to assume that the work is more monolithic internally than it is homogeneous in appearance? manner of presentation, the less it stage fate depends on the co-creative initiative of the artist." The researcher also notes that the least monolithic in this sense are the free-form works that emerged in the romantic era - fantasies; ballads, symphonic poems, etc. Due to the complex organization of the structure of such works, the expansion of their emotional range, complexity, form and other conditions, they necessarily require from the performer the greatest co-creative initiative, the personal participation of the performer in the creation of the work during its performance.
A.A. Kandinsky-Rybnikov comes to similar conclusions regarding the performing arts of the 20th century, but views them from a slightly different perspective. Thus, the researcher sets approximately the same time limit for the end of the era of romantic performing art; that - and V: S. Gritsevich - approximately the middle of the 20th century. A.A. Kandinsky-Rybnikov emphasizes significant progress in terms of stylistic expansion and universalization of the modern performing repertoire. Regarding the place in it of the works of romantic composers, the author notes: “The repertoire has by no means become anti-romantic; quantitatively, romance even takes first place in it (our italics - E.M.). But now this is primarily due to the fact that piano literature consists almost more than half of the works of the romantics.” The researcher considers the second important feature of the modern performing scene to be increased historicity in approaches to interpretation; and as a consequence - the emergence of the “performer-researcher” direction, i.e. a musician who performs ancient music on authentic instruments and studies the problems of its interpretation. The author considers another manifestation of increased historicity to be the principle of construction concert programs, often based on exposure in some direction; genre, game style, etc., i.e. the strengthening of the art historical element in modern performing culture, which, according to the scientist, “determines its increased intellectuality, which has made” manifestations of improvisation less frequent and less frank. Hence, in general, less than. first, the dependence of the artists’ performance on direct contact with the audience, and the desire and ability to record records inherent in most of them.”
In turn, N.G. Drach in his work devoted to the consideration of stylistic trends in performance of the second half of the 20th century; highlights such trends as neo-baroque, neoclassicism, neo-romanticism and folklorism. Among the named styles, according to the researcher, neo-romanticism as such “is developing “extensively”, in to a greater extent absorbing the novelty of the means of performing expressiveness of other stylistic trends in the performing style of the second half. XX century". Despite the fact that N.G. Drach points out as features characterizing the neo-romantic performing style, the improvisational manner of performing the fixed text, as well as the desire “not to lose emotional support in the interpretation” [ibid], in the future the author emphasizes “philosophy and cultural orientation... an intellectual approach to the process of interpretation piano piece; typical for performing neo-romanticism (author’s italics - E.M.) of the second half of the 20th century.” Thus, the neo-romantic movement experienced, as already mentioned, significant influence from other stylistic trends in performance.
However, on performing stage influenced not only by the emergence of new composer names, but also by the activities of performers of a pseudo-romantic nature, who in their interpretations carried the deviations of tempo, dynamics, and agogics inherent in romantic art to extremes bordering on absurdity. Such performers have significantly compromised the romantic musical culture in the eyes of the listeners. Not least associated with this phenomenon are the memories of one of the prominent Chopinists, A. Borovsky: “At the time of the formation of my musical taste; from 1908 to L915, I was surrounded by musicians who did not hold Chopin in high esteem... With the fervor and exaggeration characteristic of youth, we considered Chopin's music outdated, old-fashioned, ordinary, sugary; in short - banal." Such a perception of the work of one of the greatest romantic musicians was undoubtedly connected not with the content of his work, but with its interpretation by musical figures from pseudo-romanticism.
The creative heritage of F: Chopin as an artistic and stylistic phenomenon of the era of romanticism
In order to find out why exactly the works of the romantic era require the greatest degree of “co-creativity” and, as a result, emotional flexibility from the performer, it is necessary to consider the features of romanticism not only as a musical style, but also as a style of the era as a whole, and remember that how musical performance pedagogy has changed in this era. Romanticism is known in encyclopedic literature as an ideological and artistic movement in European and American spiritual culture of the late XVIII - 1st half of the 19th century cc: However, in terms of its content, the romantic style was significantly less monolithic compared to the chronologically preceding styles, and representing wide circle ideological and aesthetic trends, in which the historical situation, country, and interests of the artist created certain accents and determined various goals and means.” Despite this, romantic art also has important general features relating to both an ideological position; so ististics.
Materials from large-scale studies of romanticism allow us to characterize this era as follows1. Romanticism was a kind of reaction to the achievements of the Enlightenment that preceded it, the negative consequences of scientific, economic, social progress, which brought new contrasts and antagonisms, as well as stratification, spiritual devastation of the individual, and the loss of its meaning. Inheriting traditions. The arts of the Middle Ages, Spanish Baroque and English Renaissance, and romance revealed the extraordinary complexity, depth and antinomy of the inner, subjective world of man, the infinity immanent to the individual personality. The essential features of romantic art in general are an intense interest in strong and vivid feelings, all-consuming passions, in the secret movements of the soul, in the intuitive and unconscious. At the same time, romanticism is characterized by the protection of freedom and self-worth of the individual, the cult of individuality, as individual, and “entire nations and eras, which predetermined the value of folklore in the described period of time.
In the field of aesthetics, romanticism contrasted the “imitation of nature” characteristic of classical art with the creative activity of the artist, the transformation of the real world. Manifestations of these processes in romanticism were the openness of literary genres and genres, the interpenetration of arts, the synthesis of art, philosophy, and religion. In the visual? In art, romanticism manifested itself most clearly in picturesque graphics, and less clearly in sculpture.
Like any phenomenon; The concept1 of style can be considered from different points of view. In any work of art, style is the organizing principle, “the highest form of artistic unity” [YUG, 10]. Artistic (including musical) style influences the formation of creative thinking, but creative thinking is also expressed through style. Thus, according to L.A. Mazel, style can be characterized as a system of musical thinking, which includes both content and means of musical expression.
Style in music is a hierarchical concept. Thus, M.K. Mikhailov distinguishes such style levels as historical style (epoch style), directional style and individual style. The style of an era covers works that arose within a deterministic period of time. The style of a direction characterizes the features that distinguish movements, schools, etc. that existed within the historical style. Individual style, that is, the style of a particular composer, is the basis, the primary element of the collective stylistic levels described above and has a significant influence on them.
Thus, style in relation to the composer’s work is some formative factor; on the other hand: on the other hand, it itself is formed under the influence of the individual creative activity of the composer, which provides the basis? talk about the integrative unity of style in musical art and creative art; the manners of a particular composer; owned; to: this direction? Author's style; manifests itself through a system of stylistic features; - general patterns; underlying his musical thinking/Such patterns may be inherent in the entire stylistic direction as a whole, however? - their embodiment in an individual author bears the imprint of his individual vision;
Romanticism; How, style - era! is a rather complex question.: Creativity? composers; related to the romantic style, has. significant differences not only on the individual level? level, but f and?, in the styles of schools, directions; and, also in relation to the national musical element? creativity, however? . m overall-. undoubtedly; is there a specific system? style features; allowing one to define “romanticism precisely as the style of the era; The complexity and ambiguity of the style of romanticism is also reflected: in its periodization; including: early romanticism, associated; continuity with the previous one; classic style(first twenty years of the 19th century); the middle stage (from the 30th century to the 80s: XIX: century) and the subsequent late stage; during which the transition to subsequent stylistic models takes place. This periodization is quite conventional; however, it allows us to get an idea: about development? musical romantic style - and the changes that accompanied it [see. 38];
In musical art, the tendencies common to the romantics towards programmaticity, towards the connection of music with the word, towards a closer combination and interpenetration of the properties of vocal and instrumental genres, the desire to bring the expressiveness of the melody closer to the expressiveness of the intonation of living speech, appeared. Romantic music differs significantly from the previous music of the Viennese classical school; it is less generalized in content, reflects reality not in an objective-contemplative plane, but through the individual, personal experiences of a person (artist) in all the richness of their shades.
Pedagogical principles of F. Chopin and their relationship with his composing and performing creativity
Chopin's pedagogical activities received significant attention in the works of authoritative biographers of the composer [see. 15; 56; 65; 103; 108; 128; 131-132], as well as musicians who studied the features of his pedagogical1 method. Innovative for its time pedagogical system Chopin necessarily reflected the composer's views on, content - musical works. In his own writings musical means are determined by the idea, and, in turn, determine the technical side as a means of realizing this idea. At the same time; the formation5 of pedagogical attitudes is associated, first of all, with performing activities. Chopin, since the beginning of his pedagogical work is associated with his arrival in Paris; where he arrived, being already an established performer:
Since Chopin gained significant fame in Paris precisely as a virtuoso pianist, it was precisely this aspect of his talent that attracted many people to him? who want to learn piano playing from him. Chopin's performing talent, associated with his talent as a composer; allowed him to master extremely practical and effective piano technology; which was realized in the process of his studies? with students. In addition, a reflection of this technology can be observed in the texture of Chopin’s works, which will be discussed further.
Regarding Chopin’s original performing image, it should be noted that it was formed largely thanks to his enormous natural talent as a composer. Various biographies of the composer describe how, as a small child, he independently selected pieces on the piano at night that his mother played during dance lessons; held at the Chopin boarding house. Chopin's sister Ludwika taught him how to read music and basic fingering techniques. Although Chopin studied for six years with V. Zhivny, to a large extent his performing apparatus was formed as a result of his active inner hearing. Even during his studies, Chopin began to improvise, fantasizing about the themes of the musical impressions that he received every day. It is the activity of the inner ear that is inherent in musical talent; Chopin; contributed to the formation of auditory-motor connections; .and;... as a consequence, optimal gaming movements;, emanating: from the musical content itself:,
D.K. Kirnarskaya? at work; dedicated to the genesis musical abilities; notes: “The leading role is hearing in the occurrence; hearing motor connections leads to what are these connections? easily “formed - music; herself; contains in? optimal movements for yourself; expressing it, they are encrypted in it; intonation appearance;; V; her rhythmic pattern (our italics; -E.Mf)” 1 Chopin’s talent as a composer allowed; Chopin the performer; respond to the requirements in your game as adequately as possible? melody, rhythm; intonation; because learned; img musical; logics? of the pieces being played) did she conduct? a novice musician, for himself; telling him how to play.
In: Conrad in large-scale work dedicated to individual style elements? music? composers; different: eras;, also: noted that not a single researcher of Chopin’s work has been able or has been able to separate the content; the beginning and instrumental-technical side in his compositions. Scientist" indicates that from an early age Shopesh was distinguished by instinctive inventiveness in relation to the search for a variety of sounds and techniques; playing the piano, and this ingenuity was inseparable from his talent as a composer; [see 129; 189]: Exactly what that Chopin's playing process was controlled by ear and musical imagination, which allowed him to become a virtuoso; - whose talent was recognized not only in Warsaw, but also in such sophisticated musical capitals as Vienna and Paris It is interesting that E. Whiteside in the book dedicated to. studying Chopin's etudes, also notes that the pianist should always remember when working on these works: natural playing movements are much more effective than playing techniques carefully worked out in individual details. The very nature of the musician uses the entire playing apparatus in response to the desire to achieve a certain sound result. [see 134, 26]. Chopin's natural, organic virtuosity came from the plasticity of the musical image, so maintaining it at the proper level did not require, as was prescribed in many methodological manuals of the era, long hours of practice filled with endless repetitions of technically difficult passages. In support of this, reference should be made to a letter from the composer’s father, dated November 1831, in which he questioned Kalkbrenner’s recommendation to undergo a three-year course under his supervision to improve Chopin’s pianistic technique. Recalling the composer's Warsaw years, his father wrote that while practicing the instrument, Chopin devoted relatively little time to technique - preferring mental stress to physical stress, while he managed to learn other people's works within one hour, while others spent their entire days at the keyboard. 133]. Penetration into the musical image of a composition allowed Chopin to learn even other people's compositions as expediently as possible, based on their musical logic.
Later, when he was already a practicing teacher in Paris, Chopin stopped his students from practicing for many hours, not unreasonably believing that the desired result could be achieved in a much shorter time, and extra hours spent at the instrument only prove that the student5 does not understand what he should do. pay attention when practicing. Chopin was well aware that virtuosity as the best way actions on the instrument, which also allows you to play quickly and accurately, do not depend on time; spent at the instrument, but on how much hearing and imagination lead the movements of the gaming machine. Thus, what helped Chopin most expediently organize the process of playing the piano was the fact that the position of his hands, as well as the manner of playing in general, were “auditory-dependent.”
Methodology for the integrated use of F. Chopin's creative heritage
Modern educational process, subordinate to the subject-content principle c. in relation to both general and special education, inherited from the field of scientific development such a historically established characteristic as increased differentiation of scientific directions. In the scientific sphere, the result of this strengthening was the priority of technocratic goals and a decrease in the importance of humanistic goals. However, compensation for the described process in science is possible thanks to the synthesis various directions, which allows the scientist to think in general cultural categories c. in order to maintain balance in scientific knowledge.
Culture acts as the most important regulatory element in the development of science and technology, being the basis for the ethical assessment of the results of this1 development. However, in modern higher1 education; few components are aimed at the formation of moral ethical positions from the point of view of which such an assessment is possible. The education system follows a parallel path to the development of science; as a result, she also found herself in a situation where intellectual development came to the fore, leaving other aspects of personality formation in the shadows. The growing role of technological progress has led to the dehumanization and dehumanization of education, a departure from the idea of the formation of a moral personality.
In the context of a humanitarian worldview main task personality is the determination of the meaning of what is happening, the ability to make independent judgment, choice, and action. In the context of the humanitarian educational paradigm, the ability to understand and create meaning is one of the main, deepest human traits. The possibility of developing such an ability is achieved through humanization - animation - of the entire structure modern education; the process of humanization, in turn, is carried out through humanitarization, that is, the study of subjects of the humanitarian cycle and the introduction of humanitarian methods of revealing subjects.
The humanitarization of education is understood as a system of measures aimed at the priority development of general cultural components in the content of education and thus at the formation of the personal maturity of students:
The most effective impact of the humanitarian environment is possible through the humanization of education. If the humanization of education implies the formation of an educational system that corresponds to humanistic values, then the humanitarization of education, in turn, characterizes a new quality of education associated with the educational and methodological content of teaching, aimed at introducing students to humanistic values.
In the modern information society, information as such can be presented with the help of modern computing power in a variety of aspects, which helps to comprehensively study the object or phenomenon in question. Information compiled in a different way, however, can lead to diametrically opposed conclusions, which further enhances the importance of a critical, independent assessment of the proposed data. Without evaluation, in turn, it is impossible to understand any phenomena, since, as M. M. Bakhtin rightly notes, understanding and evaluation are simultaneous and constitute a single integral act [see: 9]: Understanding, in turn, acquires a special role as a way of proactive organization8 of knowledge, based on the subjectivity, meaningfulness and integrity of all human activity. However, modern educational practice is characterized more by teaching skills and knowledge, rather than revealing the actual content side.
The goals of humanitarization of education are to overcome the one-dimensionality of the human personality, determined by vocational training, as well as the formation of the student’s foundations of a humanistic worldview - as a means of introducing young man into the sphere of spiritual and cultural values as a counteract to the negative consequences of narrow specialization.
Understanding, as a necessary condition for assessment, requires active participation in the emotional-volitional sphere: “For many centuries, the human race has been developing only mental abilities. At the same time, the emotional world is becoming increasingly poor... It is impossible to achieve great results in education by influencing only the human mind. The sphere of feelings makes it possible to impart an existential, reverent quality to rational information; human meaning. Through it comes understanding, which draws to itself the boundless world of the human soul.”
Due to the fact that emotions express, in the most general form, direct biased experience - life meaning phenomena, their main function is assessment. Emotions evaluate the subjective significance of reflected objects and events, express it, and signal it to the subject. In Russian psychology, for a long time, emotional processes in humans have been studied much less intensively than cognitive processes. IN? in particular, L.S. Vygotsky in his works develops a dialectical-materialistic approach to the psychological study of emotions and feelings, believing it necessary to consider the emotional side in a dialectical relationship with the intellect; The scientist was based on the following views: “Whoever has torn thinking away from affect from the very beginning has forever closed the way to explaining the causes of thinking itself, because a deterministic analysis of thinking necessarily involves revealing the driving motives of thought, needs and interests, motivations and tendencies that direct movement of thought in one direction or another."
The idea of the unity of cognitive and emotional processes permeates all the works of S.L. Rubinstein, finding expression in the conclusion about the unity of the emotional and intellectual in emotions. The scientist also noted the need to connect thinking with the affective sphere of a person, pointing out that mental processes have both a cognitive and an emotional-volitional side, expressing not only knowledge about phenomena, but also an attitude towards them: “Speech... is it not just about the fact that emotion is in unity and interrelation with the intellect or thinking with emotion, but about the fact that thinking itself, as a real mental process, is itself? the unity of the intellectual and emotional, and emotion is the unity of the emotional and intellectual."
“We were subjected to the fury of the unbridled Moscow rabble. Oh, why can’t I destroy at least one Muscovite!” Who could say these words? Semyon Petliura? Stepan Bandera? No. The author of these words is one of the greatest composers of the 19th century centuries - Fryderyk Chopin. Fryderyk Franciszek, and this is how the baby was named, was born in the town of Zhelazova Wola, near Warsaw, into a family of citizens Russian Empire- French emigrant Nicolas Chopin And Justyna Krzhizhanovskaya. This event took place in 1810, but the exact date is difficult to determine. The metric does not match family archives- either February 22, or March 1. Be that as it may, the boy was lucky - his mother was a great lover of music and an outstanding pianist. At her insistence, her husband Nicolas purchased a rather expensive item for those times - a piano.
19 year old Frederic Chopin. 1829 Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Genius of unclean blood
And Fryderyk, even at the age of eight, realized that he owed his career primarily to his mother. At his first public performance in Warsaw, where Chopin played a polonaise of his own composition, he received an enthusiastic ovation from the audience. After the concert, he ran up to his mother with words of gratitude. “Mom, did you hear them clapping? That’s because you sewed a white lace collar onto a brown jacket - very beautiful!” - a scene that seems to have been copied from a current advertisement for whitening products.
The official reaction to this musical breakthrough did not at all suffer from childish naivety: “Chopin - a real genius music, composing dances and variations that delight connoisseurs and connoisseurs. If this prodigy had been born in France or Germany, he would have attracted real, great attention.”
It seems that Chopin's parents, and he himself, completely agreed with this - subsequent music career The composer's work took shape far from Poland, in the then “capital of the world” - Paris. There he is caught by events that force him to make speeches that can now be classified as inciting ethnic hatred. Polish uprising 1830-1831 It started out quite cheerfully and joyfully. The proud nobles quite successfully managed to slaughter the Russian garrisons, whose personnel were classified as a “disabled team” according to army records. But then the Muscovites again captured Warsaw and deprived Poland of all privileges, in particular the Constitution. Chopin's grief and pain cannot be described. He is especially burdened by the fact that he will hardly be able to see his homeland again.
Chopin, 1849. The only surviving photograph. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Louis-Auguste Bisson
What would await him in Poland? His compatriots could admire his talent, but high society he, a plebeian, the son of a French governor, had no choice. When he wanted to marry an aristocrat Maryse Wodzińska, her parents made it clear that nothing would work out. “I regret that your last name is not Shopinski,” Marysia’s mother wrote to the composer, whose name had already thundered throughout Europe.
Farewell to weapons!
Paris is a different matter. The local elite receives Chopin with delight. He makes friends with such giants as Heine, Berlioz, Bellini. He admires him painter Eugene Delacroix. Warm relations connect him with Mendelssohn. But relations with another contemporary, Franz Liszt, did not work out.
In 1836 in the salon Marie d'Agoux Chopin meets the famous writer George Sand. This is how he describes this meeting: “The face of Mrs. Dudevant, known as George Sand, is unsympathetic. I didn't like her at all. There’s even something repulsive about her.” However, Sand herself needed Chopin to the extreme. What's the matter? Why did she so want to get this Pole for herself? The reason is simple. Marie d'Agoux counted among her lovers famous virtuoso And composer Franz Liszt.
Her friend, Georges Sand, who apparently missed not only literary fame, but I also wanted female glory, Marie was desperately jealous. She urgently needed to acquire an equally famous lover. And then Chopin appears... The two ladies throw off the masks of secular friendship and begin a protracted duel, in which two geniuses serve as weapons. But George Sand was unlucky. Her “weapon” in terms of damaging factors was above all praise, but in terms of physical health, Chopin was much inferior to Liszt. Consumption is a bad helper in public speaking. But George Sand did not care about Chopin's health. When Liszt gives his triumphant concert in the hall of the Paris Conservatory, Sand makes a decisive counterattack and arranges a chamber performance of Chopin in the Pleyel hall. He, despite the emerging hemoptysis and inhuman fatigue, is forced to agree. The concert is going great. Heinrich Heine calls Chopin “the Raphael of the piano”, George Sand triumphs...
Constant performances completely undermined the composer's health. The "weapon" is out of order. What do you usually do when a tool becomes unusable? That's right - they throw it away. Exactly the same fate was in store for Chopin. In 1847, George Sand, realizing that the duel was lost, abandoned his lover.
Grateful homeland?
Two years later, Chopin dies. But the writer continues to take revenge on him, as if he had not lived up to expectations, even after death. At her insistence, a paired portrait, where Eugene Delacroix depicting Chopin improvising on the piano and George Sand as a listener, was cut in two.
George Sand ordered this canvas to be cut in two...
Chopin's posthumous fate is full of sublime romance and bitter irony. The composer's body rests in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, and his heart, according to his will, was sent to Warsaw, where it remains in the Church of the Holy Cross to this day. But the Poles had a strange attitude towards Chopin himself. Less than half a century after his death, his compatriots managed to completely forget about him. Russian composer Mily Balakirev, a great admirer of Chopin’s talent, arrived in Warsaw and was amazed. “I found the house in which the brilliant Fryderyk was born in a terrible state of abandonment, and the current owner of the village did not even know who Chopin was... The result of my activity was the establishment of a monument in Zelazowa Wola, which took place on October 14, 1894.” The irony of fate is that Chopin’s cursed “Muscovites, these eastern barbarians” cared about preserving his heritage almost more than the proud nobles...
Beginning of Frederic Chopin's Nocturne No. 18 in E major, Op.62 No. 2. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The life story of the great Polish composer Frederic Chopin touches to the core. This extraordinarily gifted, charming romantic with refined manners and a sensitive heart, during all the short years of life allotted to him by heaven, never truly experienced a feeling of true happiness. He was always a favorite of the public and the object of adoration of numerous fans, who continually bombarded him with expensive gifts. However, in his personal life, this inspired lyricist was deeply unhappy - his heart was torn by pain, longing for his homeland, torment from a terrible illness and unhappy love...
Read a short biography of Frederic Chopin and many interesting facts about the composer on our page.
Brief biography of Chopin
Frederic Franciszek Chopin was born near Warsaw in the family of an emigrant from France, Nicholas Chopin, and a Polish woman, Justyna Krzyzanowska. There are still heated discussions about the date of his birth - some historians believe that the future composer was born on March 1, 1810, while others are convinced that he saw this world a few days earlier - on February 22. The future composer's mother became his first music teacher, instilling in the boy a taste for beauty. According to the recollections of contemporaries, she came from a well-born family, received an excellent education, knew French, had a beautiful voice, knew how and loved to sing.
Since childhood, Chopin has been spoken of as small miracle. And many even compared him with Mozart, because he had the ideal musical ear, masterfully improvised and had a keen sense of the instrument. Frederick was always emotional, he could cry while listening to a concentrated melody that touched the soul. In a fit of musical inspiration, he jumped out of bed in the middle of the night and ran to the instrument to play the fragment he had dreamed about. At the age of seven, the little composer composed his first work - a small polonaise in G minor. The news about this even made it into an issue of a Warsaw newspaper, where the music was assessed as the professional work of a talented master, and the boy was called a genius.
At the same time, Chopin was sent to study with the outstanding Czech pianist Wojciech Zivny. The boy began his studies with all seriousness, although he combined them with his studies at the school. His success was so great that when he reached the age of 12, Zhivny refused to teach Frederic further, saying that he could give him nothing more. The fame of Frederic Chopin as a wonderful performer had already spread throughout Warsaw; it is not surprising that the boy had influential patrons who opened the door to high society for him. There he immediately became one of his own: his contemporaries described him as a young man of exceptionally pleasant appearance, with an excellent sense of humor and a sharp tongue, who from the first words upon meeting could win over his interlocutor. At that time, Frederic traveled a lot around Europe, attending concerts famous musicians, which helps define his personal musical style.
Such rich life does not interfere with his education and, according to Chopin’s biography, in 1823 he became a student at the Warsaw Lyceum, and in 1826 – a student at the Higher School of Music.
Farewell, Motherland...
From Chopin's biography we learn that in 1829 the period of his active touring began. Ferenc planned to stay a little in Kalisz, then go to Berlin, Dresden, Vienna, and finally travel through the cities of Italy and France. In 1830, he left his native Poland forever, and he was no longer destined to return to his homeland. He has no choice but to preserve his love for his country throughout his life and bequeath his yearning heart to it.
Chopin learned about the uprising that broke out in Warsaw while in Austria, and immediately decided to go home. But in the letter, Frederick's father insisted that he remain abroad, and he had to obey. The news of the fall of the Polish capital was a big blow for him. Impressed by this terrible event, he created his best tragic creations - “Revolutionary Etude”, prelude in d minor, and final preludes op.28.
Chopin decides to temporarily settle in Paris, where he gives his first piano concert. Success comes to him immediately, he becomes a favorite of the public. In the wake of the popularity that befell him, he gained many fans, enjoyed female attention, and made friendly connections with famous composers - F. Mendelssohn , G. Berliz, F. Liszt and V. Bellini. He maintained friendships with many of them throughout his life.
Frederic Chopin discovered his love for teaching early on. Unlike many of his colleagues, he devoted himself entirely to this craft; many subsequently famous musicians were his students.
A story of great and tragic love
They were not destined to become husband and wife, and she did not have the chance to give him heirs. It seemed that fate laughed, pushing them together: the pale, sick Frederick, a handsome young man of 26 with impeccable manners and a burning gaze, and a divorced, rude, masculine woman who could not be imagined without a cigarette clenched in her teeth. Nevertheless, the romance, which lasted almost ten years, gave both of them not only pain and disappointment, but also love, a lot of sincere feelings and creative forces. He wrote his brilliant music, she wrote books, they inspired each other every day, which is probably why they continue to talk about their romance to this day.
When George Sand and Frédéric Chopin first met, she was a divorced, independent woman with two children, and he was engaged to Maria Wodzinska. Perhaps the reason for the passion that flared up in the woman’s heart was the fact that at the time of their acquaintance Chopin was sick and weak, and she had feelings for all her lovers that were similar to her mother’s. One way or another, Sand drew attention to the unfortunate young man, and his engagement soon ended, as Maria’s parents considered him unworthy of their child.
When he first met the extravagant George Sand, dressed in rough male attire, Chopin did not pay any attention to her, only a few days later he casually remarked: “What kind of disgusting woman is this Sand? And is she even a woman?” However, it was in her arms that Frederick found solace, painfully experiencing a break in his relationship with his fiancée. Sand knew the right and shortest path to a man’s heart; she quickly conquered him with her large, expressive eyes and contradictory nature.
Chopin settled in a neighboring house next to his beloved. They carefully protected their relationship from prying eyes; it happened that, having met at a reception with mutual friends, they remained distant and did not betray their feelings in any way. Later, the lovers rented a cozy apartment in one of the residential areas of Paris, but when receiving guests, they pretended that Chopin was only a guest in their common home. In 1838, Sand with two children and Frederic went to Mallorca to take a break from the bustle of the city and improve the composer’s health. Periodically they returned to Noana, where the writer’s estate was located. There, Sand had to take on all the household chores, because Frederick, due to his constant illnesses, was practically useless at home. George Sand's children were very unhappy with the fact that they had to live under the same roof with Chopin. Son Moritz was painfully jealous of his mother for the man, and Solange plotted and even tried to seduce Frederick in order to destroy her mother’s relationship. The unhealthy environment in the house had a detrimental effect on Chopin's mood. Tired of the endless squabbles, Moritz's painful jealousy of his mother and Solange's intrigues, which did not subside in the house, he told Sand that he intended to visit his native land, and she did not interfere with him. Frederic leaves Nohant forever and goes to Paris.
For some time, George Sand and Frederic Chopin continued to communicate through letters. However, regularly bumping into Solange in Paris, he listened to her stories about her mother’s new love affairs and intrigues, mostly fictitious. As a result, the girl achieved her goal: Chopin hated his former beloved and broke off the correspondence. The last time they met was in 1848, a year before the composer's death. Sand, seeing Chopin, wanted to speak to him, but he turned away and walked out.
Chopin decides to forget this failed relationship in London. It is there that he gives his last concert. The British climate finally broke the composer, in recent months During his life he could not compose or perform music, and tuberculosis and persistent depression brought him to the grave at the age of only 39 years. On October 17, Frederic Chopin died.
After Chopin's death, Sand settled down. Until her death, for 15 years she lived with one man, Alexander Manso, devoting herself to home, family and her favorite work.
Interesting facts
- Two early works by Chopin have survived to this day. This is a B major polonaise and “Military March”, which he wrote at the age of 7. The march was often performed at military parades in Warsaw.
- Since 1927, the Chopin Piano Competition has been held in the capital of Poland every 5 years.
- Chopin suffered all his life from the fact that his palm was not wide enough to play complex chords. While still a boy, he invented a special device for stretching his fingers and wore it without taking it off even in his sleep, although it caused unbearable pain.
- The composer retained the habit of playing in the dark throughout his life. This is how, he argued, inspiration comes to him. When the composer performed his music at parties, he always asked to dim the lights in the room.
- Several objects are named after Chopin - the airport and university in Warsaw, Irkutsk music college, as well as a crater on Mercury.
- The composer did not like to talk about his personal life. His friends never heard a word from him about his affairs of the heart, but he himself always enjoyed discussing their love affairs with them.
- Outwardly, Chopin was very attractive: he was fair-haired, blue-eyed, had a slender physique, and had been successful among ladies all his life, but for ten years he loved the one whom, at the first meeting, he did not even consider to be like a woman.
- After meeting the composer, Georges Sand sent him a note consisting of one phrase: “I bow before you. J.S.” Chopin put this note in his personal album and kept it until the end of his life.
- The only painting depicting the composer and Sand together was discovered torn into two after his death.
- Only a small part of the composer’s epistolary heritage has reached us. The composer's lovers K. Gladkovskaya and J. Sand chose to destroy almost all the letters that Chopin sent to them. Frederick's letters to his family, and with them his beloved piano, were turned to dust by a fire in the apartment of his sister I. Barcinska.
- Chopin’s legacy includes “Waltz of the Little Dog,” which is listed as No. 1 op.64. Many people mistakenly believe that this piece is the same famous, simple “Dog Waltz” that almost every inhabitant of the planet has heard. In fact, these are two completely different works, and the authorship of the latter has not been reliably established.
- Due to health problems, the composer practically did not compose in the last years of his life. The most famous work of that time can be called the “Mazurka” in f minor, which Chopin never had the opportunity to perform on his own.
- Frederic Chopin had no children.
- All his life, Chopin loved his homeland - Poland, according to him in my own words no matter where he was, his heart was always at home. These words were reflected in his will. He asked his sister Ludovika after his death to transfer his heart to the Motherland, and so it happened. The composer's heart was embedded in the wall of the Church of the Holy Cross in the Polish capital, and his body was buried in Paris. During the funeral, a handful of earth was poured into the grave home country, which Chopin carefully kept and carried with him on endless travels.
- During his lifetime, Chopin admired Mozart, considered him a genius and his music incredible. In accordance with his will, at Chopin’s funeral, which was attended by several thousand people sincerely saddened by the death of the composer, the famous "Requiem" by Mozart .
- In Warsaw you can find 15 “Chopin” shops, which are installed in places somehow connected with the composer’s life. By clicking on a special button, you can listen to a 30-second excerpt of the most famous works composer.
- Recently, comic books have been released in Berlin that tell the story of Chopin's life as if he were living today. In the story, the composer comes to give a concert in prison, he is accompanied by a shaven-headed gangster-looking guy. In Poland, these comics were considered offensive and demanded to ban their distribution, but the author himself explained that he did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but only decided to introduce young people to the composer’s work in an accessible form.
- Franz Liszt characterized Chopin’s art with one Polish word – zal. Translated into Russian it means “tender pity.”
- The performance that marked the beginning of the musician’s fame abroad took place at the age of 15. The public remembered his performance at a charity concert not because he played the piano brilliantly. He attracted attention by the fact that he masterfully improvised on the eolopantaleon - musical instrument, which is a combination of organ and piano.
- Chopin's playing was not only admired, but also criticized. For example, the Viennese public did not like his performances, because, in their opinion, he played too quietly. Frederick, talking about this in letters to his friends, wrote that listeners in Vienna were simply accustomed to “the pattering of local pianists.”
- Biographers are still puzzling over what really happened between Chopin and Countess Delphine Potocka, whom he met during his stay in Dresden. He dedicated some of his compositions to her, and a few days before his death he preferred to hear her sing. The composer often wrote letters to her, although no one saw them. It is believed that most of these unknown documents are still kept by Delphine's heirs.
- In Poland, since 1995, there has been a music award from the Recording Academy “Frederick”, which is a kind of analogue of the American Grammy.
- In 1983, the song “I Like Chopin” topped many European charts. Italian singer Gazebo. At the heart of this musical composition lies piano theme, which has nothing to do with the Polish composer.
- In 2007, Japanese developers released computer game"Eternal Sonata". The main character of the game is Chopin, who 3 hours before his death falls into fairyland, where he will have to find a cure for his illness. The game features Chopin's music performed by Russian pianist Stanislav Bunin.
Liszt and Chopin – friends or rivals?
Explorers of the lives of two geniuses XIX century so we found a single answer to this question. Some are convinced that Chopin and Liszt were secretly competing with each other. This also explains the fact that the pianists often performed in duets, thereby trying to avoid comparison. At large-scale concerts, virtuosos appeared on stage together, and sometimes included others in their ensemble famous performers- this was the case, for example, in 1833, when Sheet , Chopin and the Hertz brothers played an ensemble for two pianos, eight hands. Historians suggest that Liszt was haunted by the elegant play of his opponent, from which he was very far, and that is why, with the appearance of the Pole in Paris, he chose to go into the shadows. A contemporary of the composers, pianist F. Giller, later explained Ferenc's action - according to him, during this period he worked hard to master everything that Chopin showed to the Parisian public.
However, most biographers are inclined to believe that these two greatest musicians were close friends. They often met, discussed the latest world events and played their compositions. In 1836, Chopin took part in Liszt's concert. That evening they performed each other’s works - Ferenc played Frederic’s etudes, and after that they performed his “Brilliant Waltz” together.
Whatever their creative union actually was, it did not last long. Why this happened is not known exactly. Musicologists cite the influence of the women who were next to them as a possible reason for the cooling of the relationship between the two geniuses. Thus, it is known for certain that a passionate admirer of Liszt, the writer Marie D'Agu, was George Sand's worst enemy. It is believed that these two sharks of the pen pitted the pianists against each other, and largely contributed to the strengthening of their friendship. According to another version, the virtuosos themselves were divorced life - with age, their views and characters began to change, which inevitably alienated them.
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)
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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 a good general education. Already as a child, Fryderyk was fluent in French and German languages, was keenly interested in the history of Poland, 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, became close to his being. After graduating from the Lyceum, Chopin entered High school 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 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 Chopin concerts mostly performed his own compositions: 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 at musical evenings with Chopin.
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, which belongs to the highest achievements of the composer, of 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. Recent years The composer's life was 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 suffered from since youth. 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.
Mysterious, devilish, feminine, courageous, incomprehensible, tragic Chopin, understandable to everyone.
S. Richter
According to A. Rubinstein, “Chopin is a bard, a rhapsode, the spirit, the soul of the piano.” The most unique thing in Chopin’s music is associated with the piano: its trembling, sophistication, “singing” of the entire texture and harmony, enveloping the melody with a shimmering airy “haze”. All the colorfulness of the romantic worldview, everything that usually required monumental compositions (symphonies or operas) for its implementation, was expressed in the great Polish composer and pianist in piano music (Chopin has very few works with the participation of other instruments, the human voice or orchestra). The contrasts and even polar opposites of romanticism in Chopin were transformed into the highest harmony: fiery inspiration, increased emotional “temperature” - and strict logic of development, intimate trust of the lyrics - and conceptuality of symphonic proportions, artistry brought to aristocratic sophistication, and next to it - pristine purity " folk pictures" In general, the originality of Polish folklore (its modes, melodies, rhythms) permeated all the music of Chopin, who became musical classic Poland.
Chopin was born near Warsaw, in Zelazowa Wola, where his father, a native of France, worked as a home teacher in a count's family. Shortly after Fryderyk's birth, the Chopin family moved to Warsaw. Phenomenal musical talent manifests itself already in early childhood; at the age of 6 the boy composed his first piece (polonaise), and at the age of 7 he performed for the first time as a pianist. General education Chopin studies at the Lyceum; he also takes piano lessons from V. Zhivny. The formation of a professional musician was completed at the Warsaw Conservatory (1826-29) under the direction of J. Elsner. Chopin's talent was manifested not only in music: from childhood he wrote poetry, acted in home performances, and drew wonderfully. Throughout his life, Chopin retained the gift of a caricaturist: he could draw or even depict someone with facial expressions in such a way that everyone unmistakably recognized this person.
The artistic life of Warsaw provided many impressions for the aspiring musician. The Italian and Polish national opera, the tours of major artists (N. Paganini, J. Hummel) inspired Chopin and opened up new horizons for him. Often during the summer holidays, Fryderyk visited his friends' country estates, where he not only listened to the village musicians play, but sometimes he himself played an instrument. Chopin's first experiments as a composer were poeticized dances of Polish everyday life (polonaise, mazurka), waltzes, as well as nocturnes - miniatures of a lyrical and contemplative nature. He also turns to the genres that formed the basis of the repertoire of the virtuoso pianists of that time - concert variations, fantasies, rondos. The material for such works was, as a rule, themes from popular operas or Polish folk melodies. met with a warm response from R. Schumann, who wrote an enthusiastic article about them. Schumann also wrote the following words: “...If in our time a genius like Mozart is born, he will begin to write concertos more like Chopin’s than Mozart’s.” 2 concertos (especially E minor) became highest achievement early creativity Chopin, reflected all the facets art world twenty-year-old composer. The elegiac lyrics, akin to the Russian romance of those years, are set off by the brilliance of virtuosity and spring-like light folk-genre themes. Mozart's perfect forms are imbued with the spirit of romanticism.
During a tour to Vienna and the cities of Germany, Chopin was overtaken by the news of the defeat of the Polish uprising (1830-31). The tragedy of Poland became a powerful personal tragedy, combined with the impossibility of returning to their homeland (Chopin was a friend of some participants in the liberation movement). As B. Asafiev noted, “the collisions that worried him focused on various stages of love longing and on the brightest explosion of despair in connection with the death of the fatherland.” From now on, genuine drama penetrates his music (Ballad in G minor, Scherzo in B minor, Etude in C minor, often called “Revolutionary”). Schumann writes that “...Chopin introduced the Beethoven spirit into concert hall" Ballad and scherzo are genres new to piano music. Ballads were extended romances of a narrative-dramatic nature; Chopin has this large works poetic type (written under the impression of A. Mickiewicz’s ballads and Polish thoughts). The scherzo (usually a part of the cycle) is also being rethought - now it has begun to exist as an independent genre (not at all comic, but more often of elemental-demonic content).
Chopin's subsequent life is connected with Paris, where he ends up in 1831. In this seething center artistic life Chopin meets with artists from different countries Europe: composers G. Berlioz, F. Liszt, N. Paganini, V. Bellini, J. Meyerbeer, pianist F. Kalkbrenner, writers G. Heine, A. Mickiewicz, George Sand, artist E. Delacroix, who painted a portrait of the composer. Paris 30s XIX century - one of the centers of new, romantic art, which was established in the fight against academicism. According to Liszt, “Chopin openly joined the ranks of the romantics, nevertheless writing the name of Mozart on his banner.” Indeed, no matter how far Chopin went in his innovation (even Schumann and Liszt did not always understand him!), his work bore the character of an organic development of tradition, its magical transformation. The idols of the Polish romantic were Mozart and especially J. S. Bach. Chopin generally disapproved of contemporary music. This was probably due to his classically strict, refined taste, which did not allow any harshness, rudeness or extremes of expression. For all his social sociability and friendliness, he was reserved and did not like to open his inner world. Thus, he spoke rarely and sparingly about music and the content of his works, most often disguised as some kind of joke.
In those created in the early years Parisian life In his etudes, Chopin gives his understanding of virtuosity (as opposed to the art of fashionable pianists) - as a means that serves the expression of artistic content and is inseparable from it. Chopin himself, however, performed little in concerts, preferring big hall intimate, more comfortable atmosphere of a secular salon. There was not enough income from concerts and music publications, and Chopin was forced to give piano lessons. At the end of the 30s. Chopin completes the cycle of preludes, which have become a real encyclopedia of romanticism, reflecting the main conflicts of the romantic worldview. In preludes - the smallest pieces - a special “density”, concentration of expression is achieved. And again we see an example of a new attitude towards the genre. IN ancient music the prelude was always an introduction to some work. For Chopin, this is a valuable piece in its own right, preserving at the same time some understatement of the aphorism and “improvisational” freedom, which is so consonant with the romantic worldview. The cycle of preludes was completed on the island of Majorca, where Chopin made a trip together with George Sand (1838) to improve his health. In addition, Chopin traveled from Paris to Germany (1834-1836), where he met Mendelssohn and Schumann, and in Carlsbad he met his parents, and to England (1837).
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