Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Just for those totally devoted to Chopin

I often say to myself while practicing, only half joking, "Chopin is a cruel man." I've learned that if a piece seems easy at first, I am missing something!

But the "torture" is well worth finding one's way through.

I'm terrible at memorizing music anyway, but my teacher says that it's typical to have trouble memorizing Chopin. It's because he keeps changing things all the time, altering a passage just a bit each time it repeats, so that you have trouble remembering which was which. It's part of his charm, though.

Elene

Maybe it is just tough love!

That is the one piece I always procrastinate about. Every year I tell myself, "I will learn Opus 106 this year," and then I never quite get around to it.

It's an amazing work. The fugue is to die for, and if you try to play it then you very well might.

Well there are worse ways to die...

I've been exploring a very contrapuntal mazurka, 50/3, in the past week, and can concur with Rusty:



(Not that EVERY piece looks so simple, not by a long shot! But many are quite deceptive that way.)

With regard to our discussions of the exact "right" tempi for certain pieces, check this out:
"Your tempo request is under review"

The day before yesterday I saw a dance performance choreographed by UNM students. Some wonderful works. The last piece, "Ash," used 48/1 for its second half (with something by Arvo Part for the first). The piece was a tale of war, death, destruction, and despair. I didn't think 48/1 worked at all well in this context. Although it is deeply brooding, it seems to me that triumph and enlightenment shine through it as well. The choreographer didn't use it that way. A worthwhile effort, though– and another example of Chopin showing up everywhere.

Elene

Polish food porn


I never knew there was an edible form of mazurka.

Elene

The mazurka looks very artistic! Not one dish I could eat there I'm afraid, being almost vegan and having wheat, diary, egg and sugar intolerances. It's all German rye bread, spelt bread, salads, honey, fruit, oat crumbles and flapjacks, vegetables, pulses and some vegeterian feta cheese for me! The borsht without any cream and meat would be tempting tho- I love beetroot.

Does anybody know that Chopin stole the first two bars of the theme of the last movement of the B minor sonata from something else? I just discovered this the other day.

I'm trying the mazurka (though obtaining the blueberry vodka is problematic)

I hope you manage to get it Frycek! You will have to post of a picture of it when you have baked it!

I'll try.. My baked goods are not usually very photogenic.

Well if it is tasty the effort will be all worth it Frycek!

xxx

For everyone's information, the forum recital of the complete Chopin Mazurkas has just gone live on Pianist Corner.

I haven't been here in quite a while, and I'm very excited to hear that the mazurka recital is available now! I hope I can find it. If not, I'll ask for a link.

For Polyphonist's question from November: No, I didn't know that Chopin stole anything for the B minor sonata. What was it stolen from?

For EdwardianPiano and anyone else who likes beets: I used to make barszcz regularly with potatoes and cabbage as well as beets, but now that my mother is on Coumadin, she can't have that. I tried making a very simple barszcz czerwony by putting 2 cans of plain and 1 can of pickled beets in the blender with a little onion, garlic, marjoram, and pepper. It comes out surprisingly delicious. If you like it more sour, as my mother does, use 1 to 1 plain and pickled beets.

This seems sort of like cheating, but then, it leaves more time for practicing!

Going to make some Slovak-style kolachi today, can't remember what they call it in Poland but I think they have similar stuff. I guess I can listen to the mazurka recital while working on that.

Happy holidays,

Elene

Beethoven's Funeral March Sonata Op.26 A-flat major 3rd movement and Chopin's Op.10 No.12.

See recent threads on the Pianist Corner. Or look in Mendelssohn's SWW 19/6 and see what you find.

I was at, um, another website, and they have free PDFs of the Fantaisie-Impromptu in both versions. They say that their members' favorite composer is Chopin. No surprise, right?

Fantaisie-Impromptu downloads

On the same page you can find an "instructive" version of the E minor prelude. One might or might not agree with the instructions.

Elene

I need to ask of you people...

I saw an upload. It was a Chopin piece. Rather bluesy.
Bear in mind. I don't have to have the blues style to have the blues. I think the play: Les Miserables is full of blues songs. It's something that comes from the heart. Not necessarily a style.
I have been unable to find it again. No big deal. Can you all point me toward other Chopin pieces that I would consider Bluesy? The commenter said there are many Chopin pieces like this. I could get into Chopin if so.

I'm a bit lost. What does Bluesy mean?