Chopin - Piano Music

Frédéric Chopin

Both in terms of harmony and piano technique, Chopin invented a completely new style, always instantly recognizable, and with far-reaching influences. Few composers command such universal love - above all for the unique charm of his lyrical, floating melodies. But Chopin’s style is also one of great energy and virtuosity, joy and humor, philosophical reflection, and raging storms. Many works contain an element of nostalgia and sorrow, born out of the exiled composer’s longing for Poland.



Top Pieces:


Nocturne 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2

Chopin’s best-known Nocturne is intensely lyrical, with a gentle, exquisitely decorated melody.

Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, Op. 66

It's easy to see why the Fantaisie-Impromptu is among Chopin's most popular works. The sweeping melody of soaring sixteenth notes is hard, but fun, to play - and exciting to listen to.

Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28 No. 4

Each of the 24 Preludes is a miraculous example of Chopin's virtuosity in translating human emotions to piano music. This is one of the most well-known and also one of the saddest: Chopin himself requested that it should be played at his funeral.

Prelude (Raindrop) in D-flat Major, Op. 28 No. 15

This Prelude has been likened to a beautiful dream that turns into an oppressive nightmare. Both moods are accompanied by the same obsessively repeated note, like stubborn raindrops indifferent to human emotion.

Ballade 1 in G Minor, Op. 23

From the very first notes in the first Ballade there’s a feeling that Chopin means to tell us something extraordinary – a tale that grows slowly until we reach the powerful and ecstatic coda.

Nocturne 20 in C-sharp Minor, B. 49

The unique, nostalgic mood of this Nocturne apparently makes it able to melt the most hardened hearts - there is a famous story that the pianist Natalia Karp’s life was spared as a direct result of playing this Nocturne in the concentration camp where she was a prisoner during World War II.

Biography

Brought up in Warsaw by a Polish mother and a French father, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was more or less self-taught as a performer. Even his first teacher Wojciech Zywny didn’t have much to offer him in terms of technique, but still did his pupil a great service by introducing him to Bach and Viennese Classicism. Later, Chopin received thorough training in composition at the High School of Music in Warsaw. Around his twenties, he grew increasingly troubled about his future – he loved his native country, but at the same time deplored the provinciality of it. He embarked on a European tour, still doubting the path of public pianist-composer and resenting the extreme publicity surrounding his concerts.

One week after arriving in Vienna, he had news of the Warsaw uprising against the Russian rulers. Chopin would have liked to return immediately, but was dissuaded by friends pointing out that his contribution to the Polish cause could best be made in other ways. The Russians were victorious, which made a return to Poland impossible; Chopin continued to Paris. From the start he felt at home there, not least because there were Polish émigrés everywhere but also because he was overwhelmed by the city’s cultural life. He made friends with other young artists, including Liszt and Berlioz, and with the help of Frédéric Kalkbrenner arranged his first Parisian concert early in 1832. In the following years his reputation grew steadily, and he settled into a stable routine of teaching, composing and performing, mostly in the intimate setting of the salons.

In 1838 Chopin began his love affair with the novelist George Sand; together they spent the winter months of 1838–9 in Majorca. This proved an ill-considered venture: their accommodation was quite unable to withstand the harsh winter, and Chopin’s already fragile health worsened. During the first half of the 1840s, Chopin would spend the summers composing in Sand’s home in Berry, but work became increasingly slow and laborious as his health deteriorated further. In 1846, the relationship with Sand came to an end; her novel Lucrezia Floriani, published the same year, was blatantly autobiographical and far from flattering to Chopin. In his last year, he managed to make a tour of the British Isles; after his return, as the word quickly spread that he was dying, friends and acquaintances gathered constantly around him. Pauline Viardot remarked cynically that "all the grand Parisian ladies considered it de rigueur to faint in his room." He died in the presence of his pupil Adolphe Gutman and Sand’s daughter Solange.


Quotes by Chopin

"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art."

"Mould the keyboard with a velvet hand. And feel the key rather than striking it. Since each finger is individually shaped, it is best not to seek to destroy the particular charm of each, but to develop it. As many different sounds as fingers."

Quotes about Chopin

"It was an unforgettable picture to see Chopin sitting at the piano like a clairvoyant, lost in his dreams; to see how his vision communicated itself through his playing, and how, at the end of each piece, he had the sad habit of running one finger over the length of the plaintive keyboard, as though to tear himself forcibly away from his dream." (Robert Schumann)

"His hands would suddenly expand to cover a third of the keyboard. It was like the opening of the mouth of a snake about to swallow a rabbit whole." (Ferdinand Hiller)

"Chopin is the greatest of us all, for through the piano alone he discovered everything." (Claude Debussy)

Chopin Piano Sheet Music

for digital devices or to download & print

Total pieces by Chopin: 208

ID:8
TitleKey YearLevel

Most popular pieces:

Nocturne 2 Op. 9 No. 2E-flat Major 18337
Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66C-sharp Minor 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 4E Minor 18345
Prelude (Raindrop) Op. 28 No. 15D-flat Major 18347
Ballade 1 Op. 23G Minor 18358+
Nocturne 20 Op. posth. B. 49C-sharp Minor 18308

All pieces:


Concertos

Piano Concerto 1 Op. 11E Minor 18338+
Piano Concerto 2 Op. 21F Minor 18368+

Sonatas

Sonata 1 Op. 4C Minor 18278+
Sonata 2 Op. 35B-flat Minor 18378+
Sonata 3 Op. 58B Minor 18448+

Nocturnes

Nocturne 1 Op. 9 No. 1B-flat Minor 18338
Nocturne 2 Op. 9 No. 2E-flat Major 18337
Nocturne 3 Op. 9 No. 3B Major 18337
Nocturne 4 Op. 15 No. 1F Major 18348
Nocturne 5 Op. 15 No. 2F-sharp Major 18347
Nocturne 6 Op. 15 No. 3G Minor 18347
Nocturne 7 Op. 27 No. 1C-sharp Minor 18368
Nocturne 8 Op. 27 No. 2D-flat Major 18368
Nocturne 9 Op. 32 No. 1B Major 18378
Nocturne 10 Op. 32 No. 2A-flat Major 18377
Nocturne 11 Op. 37 No. 1G Minor 18407
Nocturne 12 Op. 37 No. 2G Major 18407
Nocturne 13 Op. 48 No. 1C Minor 18428
Nocturne 14 Op. 48 No. 2F-sharp Minor 18428
Nocturne 15 Op. 55 No. 1F Minor 18447
Nocturne 16 Op. 55 No. 2E-flat Major 18447
Nocturne 17 Op. 62 No. 1B Major 18468
Nocturne 18 Op. 62 No. 2E Major 18468
Nocturne 19 Op. 72 No. 1E Minor 18377
Nocturne 20 Op. posth. B. 49C-sharp Minor 18308
Nocturne 21 Op. posth. B. 108C Minor 18487

Ballades

Ballade 1 Op. 23G Minor 18358+
Ballade 2 Op. 38F Major 18398+
Ballade 3 Op. 47A-flat Major 18418+
Ballade 4 Op. 52F Minor 18428+

Scherzi

Scherzo 1 Op. 20B Minor 18338+
Scherzo 2 Op. 31B-flat Minor 18378+
Scherzo 3 Op. 39C-sharp Minor 18398+
Scherzo 4 Op. 54E Major 18438+

Impromptus

Impromptu 1 Op. 29A-flat Major 18377
Impromptu 2 Op. 36F-sharp Major 18398+
Impromptu 3 Op. 51G-flat Major 18428
Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66C-sharp Minor 18348+

Preludes

Prelude Op. 28 No. 1C Major 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 2A Minor 18347
Prelude Op. 28 No. 3G Major 18348
Prelude Op. 28 No. 4E Minor 18345
Prelude Op. 28 No. 5D Major 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 6B Minor 18346
Prelude Op. 28 No. 7A Major 18344
Prelude Op. 28 No. 8F-sharp Minor 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 9E Major 18346
Prelude Op. 28 No. 10C-sharp Minor 18348
Prelude Op. 28 No. 11B Major 18348
Prelude Op. 28 No. 12G-sharp Minor 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 13F-sharp Major 18348
Prelude Op. 28 No. 14E-flat Minor 18348+
Prelude (Raindrop) Op. 28 No. 15D-flat Major 18347
Prelude Op. 28 No. 16B-flat Minor 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 17A-flat Major 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 18F Minor 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 19E-flat Major 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 20C Minor 18346
Prelude Op. 28 No. 21B-flat Major 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 22G Minor 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 23F Major 18348+
Prelude Op. 28 No. 24D Minor 18348+
Prelude KK IVb:7A-flat Major 18347
Prelude Op. 45C-sharp Minor 18417

Etudes

Etude Op. 10 No. 1C Major 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 2A Minor 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 3E Major 18328
Etude Op. 10 No. 4C-sharp Minor 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 5G-flat Major 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 6E-flat Minor 18328
Etude Op. 10 No. 7C Major 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 8F Major 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 9F Minor 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 10A-flat Major 18328+
Etude Op. 10 No. 11E-flat Major 18328
Etude Op. 10 No. 12C Minor 18328+
Etude Op. 25 No. 1A-flat Major 18368
Etude Op. 25 No. 2F Minor 18368
Etude Op. 25 No. 3F Major 18368+
Etude Op. 25 No. 4A Minor 18368
Etude Op. 25 No. 5E Minor 18368
Etude Op. 25 No. 6G-sharp Minor 18368+
Etude Op. 25 No. 7C-sharp Minor 18368
Etude Op. 25 No. 8D-flat Major 18368+
Etude Op. 25 No. 9G-flat Major 18368
Etude Op. 25 No. 10B Minor 18368+
Etude Op. 25 No. 11A Minor 18368+
Etude Op. 25 No. 12C Minor 18368+
Etude B. 130 No. 1F Minor 18398
Etude B. 130 No. 3D-flat Major 18398
Etude B. 130 No. 2A-flat Major 18398

Waltzes

Waltz 1 Op. 18E-flat Major 18328
Waltz 2 Op. 34 No. 1A-flat Major 18358
Waltz 3 Op. 34 No. 2A Minor 18346
Waltz 4 Op. 34 No. 3F Major 18387
Waltz 5 Op. 42A-flat Major 18407
Waltz 6 Op. 64 No. 1D-flat Major 18477
Waltz 7 Op. 64 No. 2C-sharp Minor 18477
Waltz 8 Op. 64 No. 3A-flat Major 18476
Waltz 9 Op. 69 No. 1A-flat Major 18356
Waltz 10 Op. 69 No. 2B Minor 18296
Waltz 11 Op. 70 No. 1G-flat Major 18328
Waltz 12 Op. 70 No. 2F Minor 18427
Waltz 13 Op. 70 No. 3D-flat Major 18298
Waltz 14 B. 56E Minor 18297
Waltz 15 B. 44E Major 18297
Waltz 16 B. 21A-flat Major 18277
Waltz 17 B. 46E-flat Major 18307
Waltz 18 B. 133E-flat Major 18405
Waltz 19 (Sostenuto) B. 150A Minor 18495

Mazurkas

Mazurka 1 Op. 6 No. 1F-sharp Minor 18326
Mazurka 2 Op. 6 No. 2C-sharp Minor 18326
Mazurka 3 Op. 6 No. 3E Major 18327
Mazurka 4 Op. 6 No. 4E-flat Minor 18328
Mazurka 5 Op. 7 No. 1B-flat Major 18326
Mazurka 6 Op. 7 No. 2A Minor 18326
Mazurka 7 Op. 7 No. 3F Minor 18326
Mazurka 8 Op. 7 No. 4A-flat Major 18326
Mazurka 9 Op. 7 No. 5C Major 18326
Mazurka 10 Op. 17 No. 1B-flat Major 18347
Mazurka 11 Op. 17 No. 2E Minor 18347
Mazurka 12 Op. 17 No. 3A-flat Major 18347
Mazurka 13 Op. 17 No. 4A Minor 18346
Mazurka 14 Op. 24 No. 1G Minor 18366
Mazurka 15 Op. 24 No. 2A Minor 18367
Mazurka 16 Op. 24 No. 3A-flat Major 18367
Mazurka 17 Op. 24 No. 4B-flat Minor 18367
Mazurka 18 Op. 30 No. 1C Minor 18376
Mazurka 19 Op. 30 No. 2B Minor 18377
Mazurka 20 Op. 30 No. 3D-flat Major 18378
Mazurka 21 Op. 30 No. 4C-sharp Minor 18378
Mazurka 22 Op. 33 No. 1G-sharp Minor 18387
Mazurka 23 Op. 33 No. 2D Major 18388
Mazurka 24 Op. 33 No. 3C Major 18387
Mazurka 25 Op. 33 No. 4B Minor 18386
Mazurka 26 Op. 41 No. 1C-sharp Minor 18407
Mazurka 27 Op. 41 No. 2E Minor 18406
Mazurka 28 Op. 41 No. 3B Major 18407
Mazurka 29 Op. 41 No. 4A-flat Major 18407
Mazurka 30 Op. 50 No. 1G Major 18426
Mazurka 31 Op. 50 No. 2A-flat Major 18427
Mazurka 32 Op. 50 No. 3C-sharp Minor 18427
Mazurka 33 Op. 56 No. 1B Major 18447
Mazurka 34 Op. 56 No. 2C Major 18447
Mazurka 35 Op. 56 No. 3C Minor 18447
Mazurka 36 Op. 59 No. 1A Minor 18467
Mazurka 37 Op. 59 No. 2A-flat Major 18467
Mazurka 38 Op. 59 No. 3F-sharp Minor 18467
Mazurka 39 Op. 63 No. 1B Major 18477
Mazurka 40 Op. 63 No. 2F Minor 18476
Mazurka 41 Op. 63 No. 3C-sharp Minor 18477
Mazurka 42 Op. 67 No. 1G Major 18357
Mazurka 43 Op. 67 No. 2G Minor 18496
Mazurka 44 Op. 67 No. 3C Major 18356
Mazurka 45 Op. 67 No. 4A Minor 18467
Mazurka 46 Op. 68 No. 1C Major 18297
Mazurka 47 Op. 68 No. 2A Minor 18277
Mazurka 48 Op. 68 No. 3F Major 18297
Mazurka 49 Op. 68 No. 4F Minor 18497
Mazurka 50 (Notre Temps) KK IIb:4A Minor 18407
Mazurka 51 (À Émile Gaillard) KK IIb:5A Minor 18407
Mazurka KK IIa:2G Major 18265
Mazurka KK IIa:3B-flat Major 18265
Mazurka KK IVa:7D Major 18295
Mazurka KK IVb:1B-flat Major 18325
Mazurka KK IVb:2D Major 18326
Mazurka KK IVb:3C Major 18338
Mazurka KK IVb:4A-flat Major 18346

Polonaises

Polonaise 1 Op. 26 No. 1C-sharp Minor 18368+
Polonaise 2 Op. 26 No. 2E-flat Minor 18368+
Polonaise 3 Op. 40 No. 1A Major 18408+
Polonaise 4 Op. 40 No. 2C Minor 18408+
Polonaise 5 Op. 44F-sharp Minor 18418+
Polonaise 6 (Heroic Polonaise) Op. 53A-flat Major 18438+
Polonaise-Fantaisie Op. 61A-flat Major 18468+
Polonaise 8 Op. 71 No. 1D Minor 18278+
Polonaise 9 Op. 71 No. 2B-flat Major 18288+
Polonaise 10 Op. 71 No. 3F Minor 18298+
Polonaise 11 B. 1G Minor 18175
Polonaise 12 B. 3B-flat Major 18175
Polonaise 13 B. 5A-flat Major 18217
Polonaise 14 B. 6G-sharp Minor 18228+
Polonaise 15 B. 13B-flat Minor 18268
Polonaise 16 B. 36G-flat Major 18298+

Miscellaneous pieces

Introduction & Variation on "Der Schweizerbub" E Major 18268+
Largo (God Save Poland) B. 109E-flat Major 18376
Wiosna B. 117G Minor 18383
Fugue B. 144A Minor 18416
Galop Marquis A-flat Major 18464
Rondo Op. 1C Minor 18258+
Variations on Mozart's "La ci darem la mano" Op. 2B-flat Major 18308+
Rondo à la Mazur Op. 5F Major 18278+
Variations Brillantes Op. 12B-flat Major 18338+
Fantasy on Polish Airs Op. 13A Major 18348+
Rondo à la Krakowiak Op. 14F-sharp Major 18348+
Rondo Op. 16E-flat Major 18338+
Bolero Op. 19C Major 18338+
Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brilliante Op. 22G Major 18368+
Tarantella Op. 43A-flat Major 18418+
Allegro de Concert Op. 46A Major 18418+
Fantasia Op. 49F Minor 18418+
Berceuse Op. 57D-flat Major 18448
Barcarolle Op. 60F-sharp Major 18468+
Marche Funèbre Op. 72 No. 2C Minor 18298+
Three Ecossaises Op. 72 No. 3N/A 18307
Rondo Op. 73C Major 18288+
Rondo - for two pianos Op. 73C Major 18288+
Bourrée 2 A Major 18463


Forum posts about Frédéric Chopin

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Hi. I'm currently going to college next summer and have some pieces that I have perfected, but I interpret a couple of them differently ...

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What's your favorite decade of music? It could be the 1780's (Mozart's final works, Beethoven's early period, etc) 1830'...

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Why is it that old recordings usually have classical music played much faster than how musicians play today? I think over time as the audie...

Need Help With Scales by palmtree
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What piece is this? by glerzhus
if anyone is bored and wants to help me out... i have been searching for hours trying to remember what piece is playing in this movie hahaha...

I need music to work on passagework by sempre_piano
It's a problem for me that I neglect most pieces with passagework. I have an irrational fear of sounding like I'm trying to showoff....

What Chopin/Liszt/rachmaninoff piece should I learn? by lucasejp
In terms of playing I am grade 8 ABRSM level (if not higher). I am looking to learn a really flashy Chopin/Liszt piece, that at the same tim...

My upcoming Schumann and Chopin thread by frodo4
Hello Pianostreet! Fresh from drinking a cup of coffee and listening to the stirring conclusion of Schumann’s op 50 secular oratorio “P...

an attempt to define and quantify the standard piano repertoire by de.schreiber.de
Using the Carnegie Hall website and its dataset of over 35,000 works performed in recitals at Carnegie Hall from 1891 to 2022, I've crea...

ARCT repertoire suggestions by draganpower
I am a 33 year old and was taught paino at a young age and got my grade 10 in hi school. I've learned a few pieces for fun this last dec...

Confession: I both like and don't like Chopin by lelle
I have a confession to make: Chopin is probably my favorite composer in terms of having the most pieces I absolutely adore. At the same ti...

Were the virtuosi of Liszt's time all ladies' men? by cuberdrift
As far as I know Liszt's generation saw the peak of the concert pianist's popularity (correct me if I'm wrong). Liszt and Chopi...

Chopin REALLY didn't like it when you changed the title of his works! by mjames
[QUOTE]He returns to the intoxication of Towianism: ‘Mickiewicz will end up in a bad way if he does not mock You’. He intends to break h...

Chopin Piece - Help Please by kony
So I was watching the Chopin Competition from last month, and one piece that I hadn't heard before really stuck out at me as quite a fe...

Complete list of easiest Chopin pieces? by tiberiuszgo
So thank you to the people who replied to my last topic. Now to add a few more pieces to my list (don't worry, I know how to manage) I ...