CHOPIN.
FREDERIC FRANCOIS CHOPIN.
Born March 1, 1809, at Zelazowa-Wola, near Warsaw.
Died October 17, 1849, in Paris.
Chopin was the son of a French father who had lived in Warsaw and was
teacher in the gymnasium there; his mother was a Polish woman.
Chopin's early talent for music was unmistakable, both his parents
having been gifted in this direction. The child, therefore, was put at
music very young and appeared as a wonder-child at an early age. His
teachers were a Bohemian named Zwyny and Joseph Elsner. But the most
of his work he must have accomplished by himself, since we find that
before he was nineteen he had written his theme and variations upon "La
Ci Darem la Mano," and all his works up to and including the Concerto
in E minor, opus 11. It is believed that the so-called second concerto
in F minor was also completed before this period. This mass of works
included not alone the very remarkable variations upon Mozart's air,
already mentioned, and the brilliant concertos, with certain rondos and
mazurkas and other characteristic illustrations of the Chopin genius,
but also the studies for pianoforte, opus 10, which in methods of
treating the piano amount to a most astonishing advance over anything
which had appeared before them. They are also as beautiful and
original from a musical standpoint as they are remarkable from that of
piano-forte technic.
[Illustration: Frederic Francois Chopin]
Accordingly, when Chopin, in 1828, went upon a concert tour to Paris,
Vienna, and Munich, he was received everywhere with astonishing
enthusiasm, and was very much surprised to hear himself called one of
the first virtuosi of the time, as, indeed, he must have been. At
Paris his opus 2 was published (the variations just mentioned), and
this was the composition which attracted Schumann's attention and
concerning which he wrote such a glowing and enthusiastic account. In
1829 he came to Paris to reside, and immediately became an active
member of a small but extremely brilliant art circle, among the members
of which were to be found such celebrities as Liszt, Berlioz, Heine,
Balzac, Ernst, and Meyerbeer.
Chopin's father having died, he assumed the care of his mother, and
supported himself partly by concert playing and partly by teaching. As
early as 1838 the symptoms of pulmonary weakness began to appear, and
from that time to the end of his life he was more or less an invalid,
always in delicate health and sometimes unfit for any exertion. From
the brilliancy of his position in Paris, the death of Chopin was a
great shock to the artistic world, and he was buried with most
impressive ceremonies. His grave is not far from those of Bellini and
Cherubini. He was a man of fine wit, aristocratic presence,
distinguished manners, and a highly sensitive and poetic nature, all of
which qualities reached expression in his music.
The best biography of Chopin is that by Fr. Niecks, in two volumes.
The so-called "Chopin," by Liszt, is merely a rhapsody upon his
departed friend, having very little biographical but a great deal of
critical value, because no one knew better than Liszt how to estimate
the innovations which Chopin had made in piano playing.
It will be noticed by the attentive reader that the art of modern piano
playing, as we now have it, depends practically upon the works of
Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt, with possibly a little advance help from
Weber and Thalberg. The three artists first mentioned began to work in
their several provinces at about the same time; Chopin and Liszt
between 1826 and 1830, and Schumann from 1830 on. Liszt, however, did
not produce works of distinguished originality until after the contest
with Thalberg in Paris and after hearing Paganini, somewhere about
1834, so that, on the whole, if superior eminence were to be accorded
either of these artists in point of priority of invention, we would
perhaps give the credit to Chopin; and in point of precocity of genius,
considering the astonishing innovations he made, I think Chopin is to
be held even in advance of Mozart, Schubert, and Mendelssohn, all of
whom created remarkably mature works in new styles at a very early age.
Chopin's works are almost entirely for the pianoforte, and he was the
originator of several forms which have now become types; the salon
waltz was practically created by him, although Weber's "Invitation to
the Dance" opened the way, and the ballads, scherzi, and nocturnes of
Chopin were new types, showing his genius in the most beautiful manner.
PROGRAM I. (Easy.)
Polonaise in A major, opus 40, No. 1.
Polonaise in C-sharp minor, opus 26, No. 1.
Preludes: Opus 28. No. 4, E minor.
No. 6, B minor.
No. 7, A major.
No. 9, E major.
Prelude in D-flat, opus 28, No. 15.
Waltz in C-sharp minor, opus 64.
Waltz in D-flat, opus 64, No. 1.
Nocturne in E-flat, opus 9, No. 2.
Waltz in A-flat, opus 42.
PROGRAM II. (More difficult.)
Polonaise in A major.
Fantasia Impromptu in C-sharp minor, opus 66.
Scherzo in B-flat minor, opus 31.
Nocturne in E-flat major, opus 9, No. 2.
Nocturne in G major, opus 37, No. 2.
Ballad in A-flat, opus 47.
PROGRAM III. (Still more difficult.)
Études: Opus 10, No. 1, C major.
No. 2, A minor.
No. 3, E major.
No. 4, C-sharp minor.
No. 5, G-flat (black key).
Ballad in A-flat, opus 47.
Romanza from First Concerto, in E minor. (Reinecke's arrangement or
with second piano.)
Impromptu in A-flat, opus 29.
Nocturne in D-flat, opus 27, No. 2.
Polonaise in A-flat, opus 53.
In order to fully understand the individuality and genius of Frederic
François Chopin (1809-1849) it would be necessary to study his work
from three standpoints. First, naturally, for what it is in and of
itself--the moods, the qualities of style, the peculiar individuality
of his musical thought; second, with reference to the modifications of
pianoforte style inaugurated by this gifted genius--modifications
which, while having their source in certain improvements of the
mechanism of the pianoforte made immediately before Chopin began to
write, would not have come so soon but for his genius and insight; and,
third, to study the relation of this master in his style of musical
ideas and working out, his fancy, his imagination, his representation
of many sides of human nature, to the music of the other composers of
the romantic school, and especially to that of Mendelssohn and
Schumann, whose compositions were produced contemporaneously with those
of Chopin. To cover all this ground is naturally impossible in one,
two, or even in several, chapters, wherefore I shall confine myself in
the present program to illustrating a few of the characteristic
individualities of Chopin and the essential features of his style.
There are difficulties in doing this adequately, arising from the fact
that as piano virtuoso, Chopin, when fully expressing himself, did so
without regard for the convenience of imperfectly-trained hands upon
the pianoforte. Hence the works of his which represent his genius at
its best are mostly too difficult for any but very accomplished players.
In recognition of this difficulty I have made three programs, each more
difficult than the preceding, from which the student may make his
choice, since the qualities are mainly the same in all, excepting that
his complete treatment of the pianoforte is more perfectly illustrated
in the more difficult examples of his style. These, I may add, are no
longer the utmost limit of pianoforte difficulty, as they were at the
time when written; later writers have passed considerably beyond even
the most difficult works of Chopin. But for pianists in general some
of the Chopin works still remain along the farthest borders of their
art.
Among the most striking peculiarities of Chopin's style are, perhaps:
first, melodiousness, combined with a certain melancholy, almost
morbid, mood; second, pleasing running work, especially for the right
hand, generally overlying an entirely simple bass, or a bass
essentially simple upon the harmonic side but broken or modified so as
to conceal this fact from the superficial observer. All his later life
Chopin was an invalid or semi-invalid, and much of his music
illustrates a certain feverishness and morbidness of temperament.
The originality of Chopin shows best, perhaps, in his polonaises,
ballads, preludes, and nocturnes; but the two sonatas, while presenting
marked differences from those of the older writers, are, nevertheless,
tone-poems of strong originality. Practically, he may be said to have
invented the polonaise, the nocturne, and the ballad. The preludes are
short pieces of marked originality and expression, which have always
seemed to me like chips struck off in working at something else. Very
likely they may have been beginnings of larger works which were never
completed. Possibly they may have never been intended to reach any
larger dimensions than those in which we find them. First, his
polonaises.
The polonaise, as perfected by Chopin, is a composition in 3/4 measure,
having really six beats to the measure, arranged in three twos; the
second of these six beats is divided, and there is an extra accent upon
the fifth.
Moreover, this rhythm must be kept quite strictly, like a march, for a
march the polonaise is in its general characteristics, rather than a
dance properly so called. The fanciful description of the polonaise
given by Liszt in his memoir of Chopin may be taken as in the main
correct. He says:
"While listening to some of the polonaises of Chopin we can almost
catch the firm, nay the more than firm, the heavy, resolute tread of
men bravely facing all the bitter injustice which the most cruel and
relentless destiny can offer with the manly pride of unblenching
courage.
"The progress of the music suggests to our imagination such magnificent
groups as were designed by Paul Veronese, robed in the rich costume of
days long past; we see passing at intervals before us brocades of gold,
velvets, damasked satins, silvery, soft, and flexible sables, hanging
sleeves gracefully thrown back upon the shoulders, embossed sabers,
boots yellow as gold or red with trampled blood, sashes with long and
undulating fringes, close chemisettes, rustling trains, stomachers
embroidered with pearls, head-dresses glittering with rubies or leafy
with emeralds, light slippers rich in amber, gloves perfumed with the
luxurious attar of the harems."
The delicacy of Chopin's playing is traditional, but Liszt is authority
for the statement that Chopin was fond of hearing his larger and more
heroic works played with a power of which he himself was incapable. It
is related by some one that upon one occasion a very talented young
pianist called upon Chopin, and, being invited to play, did so, the
great polonaise in A-flat being the matter. Excited by the work and by
the presence of the author, and full of the heroic spirit of the music,
he broke several hammers--an occurrence quite common in heavy playing
in those days. Naturally, the young man was extremely mortified at
this, and endeavored to apologize over and over again. But the
composer cut him short. "Say not a word," said he; "if I had your
strength I would break every hammer in the piano when I played that
piece." This may be one of those "ben trovato" anecdotes which, if not
true, ought to be.
Both the polonaises upon the first program illustrate the breadth,
impassioned force, and vigor of Chopin's idea to a marked degree, as
well, perhaps, as anything he ever composed. The first, commonly known
as the "Military Polonaise," is one of those pompous pieces which
inevitably suggest some kind of great ceremonial. The movement begins
in stately march-like rhythmic swing, and goes on with interruptions of
brilliant effect, as if where the cannon and drums add their noisy
emphasis. The pomp resumes its march, but presently gives place to a
middle part--a trio. This, again, is in the key of D major, with a
great swinging melody like a trumpet, the military rhythm going on
uninterruptedly below. At length the original movement is resumed, and
presently comes the end. In all, it is a matter of pomp, brilliant
ceremony, stately march, like some national festival.
The second polonaise is of a wholly different character. The
expression is even more forcible than that of the first, but the
character is not the same. It is now as if one remembered some of the
heroes of Poland. With what fervor enters the leading subject (first
four measures)! It is complete in itself. Then comes a softer and
more capricious melody, but little more heroic than a nocturne. The
second principal idea (measure 25) is mystic, as if some kind of
ceremonial were being conducted. The rhythm goes on, but softly and
with interruptions. At length the principal idea again. Now comes the
middle piece, in the key of D-flat--a beautiful melody, one of the
finest of Chopin's, supported upon very delicate and sensitively
changing harmonies, full of chromatic and enharmonic modulation. After
this a second idea, in which two voices carry on the interest; the
upper a soprano, the lower a baritone or tenor, and they have a sort of
dialogue (measure 66). Then the soft melody again. In the first
editions of this work the da capo was not marked, and for about forty
years critics gave themselves headaches in trying to explain why Chopin
invented a new form of this anomalous construction,--a first part in
the key of C-sharp minor; a second part in the key of D-flat major.
"Where," they asked, "was the unity?" And by way of emphasis they
spelled the word Unity with a capital initial. At last, however, some
Solomon among editors affixed the missing letters "D. C.," and behold!
we had our Unity all right. It was simply a case of a middle piece in
the major key of the same tonic, with the notation changed
enharmonically for the sake of simplicity, the key of D-flat being, for
the majority of players, easier to read than that of C-sharp major.
The preludes which follow represent individual moods. The first, in E
minor, consists of a slow melody, almost stationary, while against the
long tones a chord accompaniment softly pulsates, the harmonies
shifting chromatically.
The second, No. 6, in B minor, has a lovely melodic idea in the bass,
while the right hand carries a soft harmony and a slow pulsation in the
upper voice. The impression of the whole is most mysterious,
melancholy, and tender.
No. 7, in A major, is one of the preludes which seems as if it might
have been a beginning for a longer composition, perhaps a slow waltz.
No. 9, in E major, a very grave, serious, organ-like movement, in which
massive, tremendous chord-successions march onward to a climax through
unheard-of modulations. This piece, by the way, has been arranged for
organ very effectively by A. W. Gottschalg. In playing it the slow
movement, the sustained and deep melody, and the steady rhythm all
require careful attention.
The prelude in D-flat represents a larger flight of the Chopin fancy.
It begins with a lovely melody, like a nocturne. This exquisite melody
gives place to a somewhat broken part in the key of C-sharp minor, in
which the remarkable thing is the incessant repetition of the note
G-sharp. This continues in eighth-note motion throughout all the
measures of this part of the work. It can only be made tolerable by
careful observance of the "sotto voce" at beginning and gradually
increasing in power up to the fortissimo in the fortieth measure.
Again it subsides into pianissimo, and again the crescendo. Finally
the original melody in D-flat is resumed--and with what grateful
sweetness!--and the piece is carried through to the close.
The waltzes of Chopin are not to be taken too seriously. They are
salon music, but of a particularly pleasing character. One of the most
charming, although a small one, is that in C-sharp minor, which is
built upon three leading motives. First the motive of two measures
which opens the work; then the little passage of eighth notes which
answers it; and finally the running work beginning in measure 33.
Farther along there is a melody in D-flat, which stands in place of a
trio. It is a sentimental and lovely melody. The effect of the whole
is light, capricious, and musical.
Following this is the little waltz in D-flat, opus 64, so often heard,
and so many times built over in all sorts of double notes, thirds,
sixths, etc. It illustrates the knack which Chopin had of developing a
pleasing whole out of very slight materials. Observe the extreme
simplicity of the bass.
The name nocturne was invented by John Field, who wrote twelve pieces
with this title (the remaining ones of the twenty usually printed were
named by the publishers) which are, in effect, sonnets; little lyric
pieces, of greater or less depth, having the general type of a song
without words, but preferably of a melancholy or tender character, and
the form of a melody with accompaniment. Chopin took up this form and
greatly ennobled it. His nocturnes are vastly more beautiful and
original than those of Field; they have greater variety, deeper
tenderness, and in every way are more distinguished and characteristic.
The little nocturne in E-flat, opus 9, is one which is now very
generally played upon every sort of instrument capable of singing a
soprano melody.
The waltz which concludes the first program is of a more brilliant
character than the two little ones earlier upon the list. It begins,
after the introduction, with a double rhythm, the right hand playing a
melody in double measure, while the left hand goes on in triple rhythm.
It should be played with brilliancy, the left hand quite crisp and
clear, but light; the right hand rather brilliantly. The syncopation
gives place to agreeable running work for the right hand, and this
again to another subject in double notes, a very earnest melody. A
little later there is another short melody, and the double-note subject
returns, and so all the material over again.
SECOND AND THIRD PROGRAMS.
The Fantasia Impromptu in C-sharp minor belongs to that class of
Chopin's works mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, in which
pleasing effects are made by fluent running work, containing more or
less changing notes and other forms of dissonance--running work so fast
that the ear does not follow each note, but skims along the melodic
thread, as it were, the general impression of an "effect" being the
form of conscious delight. This kind of effect in music, which depends
in part upon the persistence of the pianoforte tone after the keys are
released, was original with Chopin; or, if we can not say that he fully
originated, he certainly brought it to greater perfection than any of
his predecessors ever did. Moreover, the runs of Chopin are more
complicated and daring, yet at the same time better adapted to rapid
performance than any of those by the older writers for pianoforte. In
the present instance, moreover, there is a further unsettling element
in the fact that against the six tones of the right hand groups, the
left hand plays groups of four tones. This, which was never carried
out upon so extensive a scale before, is now perfectly easy to perform,
although in Chopin's time it was considered a difficulty. It serves to
impart an elusiveness to the effect of the music, entirely in keeping
with the name.
The place of "middle piece" in this Fantasia Impromptu is filled by a
slow melody which in effect is a nocturne--quite in the manner of the
middle piece in the Impromptu in A-flat. The principal ideas in this
are also somewhat varied in their repetitions, and light and delicate
arabesques occur, which add to the charm. The slow part affords a
repose, after which the principal subject returns and the whole comes
to a brilliant ending by means of a coda. The entire piece is
extremely characteristic of Chopin's genius.
The Scherzo in B-flat minor is more analogous to a ballad than to any
one of the varieties of piece known under this title in the classic
works of Beethoven. It consists substantially of about four primordial
elements. First there is the principal subject, the characteristic
expression of which is due to the unexpected answer of the suggestive
query of the low notes by strongly accented chords. Still in emphatic
mood the second idea comes in (measure 48) with running work.
Then follows a delightful melodic idea (measure 64), which is repeated
in different keys no less than five times, the entire period extending
to forty-nine measures. The accompaniment of this charming melody is
thoroughly Chopinesque, consisting of arpeggio figures generally
covering the compass of a tenth. In spirit this passage is much the
same as that of the second idea in the Polonaise in C-sharp minor.
After the second idea there is a coda concluding this part of the work.
It is then repeated with a few very slight modifications. Then follows
the middle piece, a melody in the key of A, a novel relation of keys
which no doubt troubled the contemporaries of the composer more than it
need us, since the key of the piece is properly D-flat, the B-flat
minor predominating only at the beginning, and the first part, as well
as the last, closing in D-flat major. From this to the key of A,
counting by the keyboard, is a major third, and everybody knows that
the major third above or below is an agreeable relation of keys;
moreover, we have here the music to tell us. This middle part is
mystic and truly charming. Several other ideas meet us presently, one
of which, with triplets in the alto, is rather troublesome to play and
still more troublesome when it occurs again near the end of the piece.
Also some very pretty running work, charmingly supported upon a bass
containing considerable melody of its own. This running work is
afterward given considerable development, as also is the subordinate
idea already referred to characterized by the triplets in the alto, and
then the first part of the piece is repeated, and so at length the end.
The name "scherzo" in this connection is to be taken as signifying a
play of fancy, rather than an especially playful mood in the sense of
mirthfulness; in fact, it is not easy to find a rational explanation of
the grounds upon which Chopin named his pieces, especially as between
the ballad and the scherzo. Probably, however, he called those ballads
which begin with a lyric melody and depend for their interest mainly
upon the development of lyric melodies, reaching at times a tragic
elevation; but even with this explanation the line between the
nocturnes and ballads will be very difficult to draw, since the
Nocturne in G major, of which we shall speak presently, lacks only a
more brilliant treatment in the middle part to raise it to the grade of
a ballad. On the whole, we may as well confess that all these names
are more or less fanciful and perhaps applied without any very deep
reason, but simply because it was necessary to call the pieces by some
title in particular.
The Nocturne in G major is one of the most pleasing of all the
compositions of this kind in the works of Chopin. It is also rather
difficult, since the principal subject runs in thirds and sixths more
or less chromatic and in the course of the treatment these figures are
carried into a large number of keys, in all of which they have to
retain a singing quality of tone in the soprano and a very clean and
legato style of performance; but when adequately done the effect is
very charming indeed. The middle part again consists of a very
beautiful digression, something like a cradle song, or a barcarolle,--a
gentle, peaceful, rocking motion,--and then again the principal subject
returns. It will be seen that in spite of the quite considerable
length to which this nocturne is developed, it never rises to the
impassioned diversification which Chopin seems to have considered as
belonging to the ballad. For all his ballads, no matter how quiet
their opening subject, become more or less dramatic before they are
completed.
The Ballad in A-flat is one of the most frequently played compositions
of Chopin. It opens with a very pleasing and melodious subject, which,
by the aid of various subordinate ideas, is carried out to the extent
of fifty-two measures. At this point a new motion begins and a very
pleasing second subject, of a more playful character, perhaps, than the
first. Later on, in measure 115, some very pretty running work comes
in; then again, still farther on, where the signature changes to four
sharps, the second subject appears in the treble, somewhat changed,
against some very pretty running work in the bass; and then begins a
charming and elaborate building up to the climax, when the first
subject is brought back in fortissimo form. For the player and for the
hearer this piece, when well treated, is one of the most pleasing piano
solos possible to mention. I do not know, however, that it is
necessary to turn it wrong side out in the effort to find some hidden
or recondite meaning. It is pleasing and well made rather than deeply
impassioned, and it is a mistake to overdo the contrasts in it.
The studies of Chopin form a literature by themselves. In all, there
are twenty-seven published. The first book, opus 10, containing twelve
studies, was composed when Chopin was a boy of sixteen or seventeen,
and I do not think the history of music shows any similar case of
precocity. These studies were vastly more difficult than anything
existing at that time excepting the fugues of Bach, and they spring out
at once, fully armed as it were, with a well-developed style in melody,
in harmonic handling, and especially in the application of the hands to
the piano; thus they turned over an entirely new leaf; and what is more
significant, and to the credit of the young genius, is that he seems to
have divined, by a sort of intuition, the strategic points of modern
piano playing as it was to be, so that in spite of these works having
now been before the musical world more than fifty years and their
having entered into conservatory and boarding-school curricula to an
almost universal extent, the pianist who can play them all in the
manner in which Chopin intended is already an artist. They belong to
the most poetic and sagaciously conceived compositions for the
instrument. The five here selected are not particularly better than
the five next following, or the last numbers of this same opus, and
perhaps no better than those in the second set, the opus 25. The first
study, in C major, has for its object to accustom the hand to wide
extensions, the arpeggio figure nearly always covering a tenth and
sometimes an eleventh. This extension should be accomplished by the
fingers themselves as far as possible, and then by slightly turning the
wrist. To play this study well betokens first-class execution. The
second study, in A minor, has a chromatic scale for soprano with
staccato chords below, and its technical object is to impart greater
flexibility and usefulness to the fourth and fifth fingers of the right
hand. The third, also, is a cantabile in a beautiful singing melody,
with some very interesting contrasts in the middle part. Here, again,
Chopin addresses himself to the weak fingers of the right hand, since
these are the ones which will experience the greatest difficulty in
securing a proper effect in this study. No. 4 is a very impassioned
presto in C-sharp minor, in which strong single notes and octaves
occur, along with an insistent and very rapid sixteenth-note motion.
The effect of the whole is very strong and striking, and esthetically
considered it belongs to the dramatically conceived moods of Chopin.
No. 5, in G-flat major, is commonly known as the "black-key study," and
its object is to accustom the hands to the black keys and to very rapid
changes from one part of the keyboard to another. It is a charming
piece, producing the effect of a delightful scherzo.
It is interesting to note in this connection that all of these studies
and many others belonging to this set have, in recent times, been
rewritten for the left hand. This has been done in various ways. Mr.
Phillippe, of Paris, has simply transferred the right-hand part to the
left, and left the right hand with nothing or with but little to do.
Mr. Leopold Godowsky, the distinguished Russian pianist, has taken a
different course. The first study he has placed with the arpeggio
figure in both hands simultaneously, and a heavy melody of chords is
also added. The second study gives the chromatic runs to the weak
fingers of the left hand. The black-key study also is written for the
left hand, while an entirely new part has been composed for the right.
One of the most curious of all these arrangements of Chopin's material
is that of the late eminent organist, August Haupt, of Berlin, who
arranged this fourth study in C-sharp minor for the organ for Mr.
Clarence Eddy, by whom it is often played in concerts with an effect
extremely remarkable, especially when the pedals have the
sixteenth-note motion.
It should not be forgotten that all these five studies, as well as the
others in the whole collection, are tone-poems no less than exercises
for the pianoforte, and they can not be said to have been played until
this poetic sense is derived from them.
The romanza from the Concerto in E minor is a very beautiful
nocturne-like movement, and if given with an accompaniment of second
piano, or, better still, a very soft accompaniment of organ, it
produces the most delightful effect.
The Impromptu in A-flat, opus 29, might just as well have been called a
study, since the essential part of it is a rapid movement in eighth
notes having for its object, in part at least, the freer and more
delicate treatment of the left hand in accompaniments. It will require
a great deal of practice to play well, but when so played it produces a
very pleasing pianoforte effect. It belongs to the same class of
Chopin's works as the Fantasia Impromptu in C-sharp minor, already
mentioned. The middle part of this impromptu, as in the case of the
other, is essentially a nocturne-like movement.
The Nocturne in D-flat, opus 27, No. 2, is very often played. It is a
very beautiful composition, and while representing a number of serious
technical difficulties, esthetically considered, it is perhaps
sufficiently plain to any student capable of mastering it. In all
these cases it is to be observed that Chopin takes the implication of
the term "nocturne" somewhat freely, often developing the idea with
considerable force and dramatic spirit.
One of the most celebrated of all the compositions of Chopin is the
famous Polonaise in A-flat major, which seems in the fullest manner to
illustrate the description of the polonaise already quoted above, from
Liszt's Chopin. This remarkable work opens with a rather striking
introduction, the principal subject entering in the seventeenth
measure, very bold and strong. In the forty-ninth measure an extremely
forcible and dramatic idea begins which presently, in the fifty-seventh
measure, gives place to a more quiet melody. The most remarkable part
of this piece, and the one which has had much to do with its use by
virtuoso pianists, is the middle part in E major. Here, after a series
of heavy chords, a sixteenth-note motion enters in octaves for the left
hand, and for the right hand a melody, which is at first soft and
afterward built up. This octave middle figure continues without
interruption for sixteen measures, and then, after the chords are
repeated, is continued again for the same length of time. When this is
properly done, the passage begins quite softly and works up by degrees
until the very imposing climax at the end, and in the repetition the
same thing takes place again. The difficulty consists in this
insistent repetition of the same figure in the left hand, and a very
clear note of Chopin's genius is seen when he changes this bass figure
from E major to E-flat major. This change, although apparently not
significant on paper, has the keyboard peculiarity of giving the left
hand a rotary motion in the opposite direction from that necessitated
in the E major, and in three measures of it the player unwinds himself,
as it were, and is ready to begin again with the original figure.
Still another pleasing Chopin peculiarity is noted at the close of this
strong part, where there is a page or more of very delightful dreamy
work, at first in G major, afterward in F minor, and so at length the
original subject is resumed and the Polonaise brought to an end. A
work of this magnitude admits of being considered in so many different
lights as to make any short discussion of it seem fragmentary and
suggestive merely, and such, in fact, is the intention of the present
comments. Enough that we have in it a poetic suggestion brought to
expression.