Oh...one more thought.

Chopin was no Beethoven. But Beethoven was no Chopin.

Kathleen

I'm surprised anyone would have raised a question about the title, except to marvel at it.

For one thing, the question seems to assume that the title was meant in a literal way. Stop me if I'm wrong, Kathleen, but I have assumed:

-- It wasn't meant literally at all. Nobody can be "totally" devoted to anything, because we have other things to do -- except maybe to dearest loved ones.

-- Yet, it's also meant more than literally, because it's more than just "devotion," and in fact it's things that can't be captured in words.

Plus, I'm sure you never had any intention to bar people who were only partly devoted or even just a little interested, right?

So -- not literally, yet more than literally, and since you didn't really mean to exclude anyone, it's a message, not an insistence. I think it misses the mark to approach it literally and to look for any specific concrete thing that was meant.

Just my $0.02.

The title is brilliant, and poetic -- and says it all.
But nobody should try to pin it down. Nor worry about it.

Yup, Fryc has to deal with the other men in my life.

I've been meaning to post a bit of Fontana. Here's my favorite piece of his so far, a very respectable mazurka. There are no audio samples available for the album I told you about, but this will give you an idea of the quality:

"a la Mazourka" from Douze Reveries, Op. 8

Elene
(maybe 85% devoted to Chopin)

Can anyone type down the best books about Chopin in the whole market? I will buy.

Thank you...

There's nothing more useful than Eigeldinger's Chopin: Pianist and Teacher (originally Chopin vu par ses eleves-- "Chopin as Seen by His Students"). That's a must for any serious Chopinologist.

Elene

My percentage today: about 2% -- busy with other things.
I know that means I'm not allowed on here, so I'm scooting out.

My percentage usually hovers around 10%... but these last few months (and the next few) it's shot up to 70 - 80. I'm working on a lot of Chopin these days.

-J

Note to Kathleen: Would you consider changing the title to:
"Just for those at least 70-80% devoted to Chopin"?




BTW: Don't.

Mark C.
:-) When I asked about the "totally devoted" it was meant with some humor not as a literal question. Online doesn't carry humor well for me. I like the title of the thread--it conveys a heartfelt love for Chopin but also a sense of excluding other composers in the same love. Kind of like marriage. No one takes his place and what he does with the piano is incredible. As much as I love Chopin I may not be able to play the pieces I'd like to have under my fingers. But I love to listen to others who can.

Y'know, it did pop into my head a couple of days later that you might have meant it that way.

And you're right about humor (as well as many other things) not necessarily carrying over online very well, probably for everyone.

That's part of why I use all these silly faces.
Of course they look stupid but y'know, they help convey the tone!

BTW, I don't mean you should suddenly start using these stupid things.
Everything after "you're right" was just a digression.

LOL Mark. The goofy faces do add some tone...they just don't work with my straight face humor. Ah....online communication...both blessing and curse. We talk about it when I teach Communication Theory. Have a fabulous day...seriously fabulous.

I am really getting a kick out of reading the above responses. Of course and by all means this thread invites everyone to read or post. I adore Beethoven and love Schumann and really like Rachmaninoff. But I have to admit that I'm ga-ga over Chopin. He was the first to capture my heart and hasn't let go even after 6 decades.

I came up with the name on the spur of the moment; it just sort of popped into my head. Little did I realize that it would survive as long as it has. But if given the chance to change it, I wouldn't. The same thing happened when I chose my avatar name. Now I am stuck with it forever. Not a bad thing, however.

I can only play about 7% of what Chopin has written and often not very well. But I derive the most pleasure by listening to it.

Another book I would recommend highly is Chopin's Letters. Since both are primary sources, I believe you get the most accurate picture of the man. I especially like his letters. Through them he reveals every side of his personality and character.

So, as always, my gratitude to all for keeping this going. Wouldn't it be great if we could all meet - some kind of reunion, somewhere? Maybe to celebrate the 10 million mark!

Kathleen

Jeff Kallberg kindly reminded me where to find Bill Rodriguez's site about his ancestor Julian Fontana, which contains a bunch of PDFs of sheet music:

http://www.julianfontana.com/index.html

Woohoo! The piece I posted here yesterday is included.

(Although that will take me away from my current fascination with playing fake harpsichord music-- that is, real harpsichord music but fake harpsichord-- on my MOX8 keyboard. I am interested in that electronic stuff, although I don't know a great deal about it yet.)

Elene

Hi peeps,

There's a radio programme this week on BBC Radio 4, about Chopin, his illness and the relationship to his music. I think you can pick this up online on BBC iplayer even outside the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dttzh

Yes, thanks!
That does get it!
And I was able to get a direct link for the program.

Anyone have the autograph of the Fantaisie Impromptu?

[This is a copy of a post I just made in the Pianists Corner.]


I just stumbled on "Play It Again Swig", the weekly podcast of concert pianist Jocelyn Swigger, in which she chronicles her goal of learning the 27 etudes. (She has playing familiarity with about half of them already.)

She's articulate, honest, funny, and insightful. She talks in detail about hand position on 10/2, strategies for memorization, music theoretic insights, and many other ideas. It's a fascinating glimpse into how a pianist at that level organizes her time and energy. Highly recommended.

http://playitagainswig.com/


-Jason

Yes: it is owned by the Chopin Museum in Warsaw.

FWIW the evidence from the sources suggests that the title of the piece should just be "Impromptu." (This probably counts as the musicological finding least likely to be adopted by the musical public!)

Jeff Kallberg

Angela Lear always refers to it as the 'Posthumous Impromptu' which I think is a useful title.

Well...I'm enjoying the Chopin in the Intro to Chopin. I can only imagine playing the etudes but one has to begin with smaller steps sometimes. I'm working on the Polonaise in G minor (written when he was 7...can you believe it) and it has many musical challenges. I especially enjoy the trio and hope to let my inner musician go and allow the music and speed to just flow...

chopin r us, did you mean the version of the Fantaisie-Impromptu/Posthumous Impromptu in C# minor/whatever that was what Chopin apparently decided on as his official version and sold to the Baroness, or the actual autograph? If the former, I've got it in an Alfred publication, "Chopin: Music Inspired by Women in His Life." A questionable concept for a collection, I'd say, but it's a useful book because it has alternative versions of a number of pieces.

Elene

I am listening to the radio program right now.

I am already crying after just 2 minutes...

I saw it's in the Chopin Museum Jeff - I thought someone may have a copy. Elaine - I've ordered Chopin: Music Inspired by Women in His Life - what the heck?

Gee, that radio program was way back last week. It was better than I expected based on previous experience. Still not sure how people read Chopin's letters and get the impression of him being an unpleasant person, which was what one of the people on the program said. (We've discussed that issue here at length.)

I was interested in the suggestion that Chopin's art helped to keep him alive. The question of whether chronic disease in itself makes one creative, though, seems stupid to me. Any of us who have long-term pain or illness to deal with knows that it saps time and energy, leaving fewer resources for one's art or other activities.


Yesterday (Easter) a friend referred to hard-boiled eggs colored and flavored by pickled beet juice, which she remembered from her old home in Pennsylvania. I was reminded of the purple, also beet-dyed fried egg I had at La Chatre, near Nohant, as part of a plate of local specialties. I wondered at the time if Chopin had liked them. Being that they were purple, I suppose he would have been in favor of them.

Elene

In case you'd like to weigh in:

Would you like to live in the times of classic composers?

Elene

Looks like I and several other PW members will be saying hello to Chopin and Warsaw this September!

Contestants in amateur Chopin competition

Will be contest be broadcast online live?

Lots of people are wondering. I think all we can say is maybe. They did it for the professional Chopin competition in 2010 for (I think) the first time, and hopefully they'll do it for this too.

Wow, I'm so proud to know you guys! I certainly do hope that the competition will be broadcast. One way or another, our thoughts will be with the contestants.

I'm not sure what's going to happen to my own keyboard life in the near future. The universe has seen fit to give me a small harpsichord on a long-term loan! It's more like a virginal than a Bach-era instrument, which is fine for most of what I want to do with it. I had only been hoping to get my hands on a harpsichord for a short time, in order to answer some questions about how to handle Baroque music on the piano, but now this thing is living right next to my piano, and will be for some months at least. Playing it has already changed my piano reflexes. I think eventually I'll just be able to switch back and forth without major issues, but that may take a while.

I'm told that one of our local harpsichordists once said, "I don't play Chopin on the harpsichord, so why should you play Bach on the piano?" But wait a minute, Chopin played Bach on the piano! And pianos existed in Bach's time.

Elene