Frédéric Chopin
Etude
in E Major, Op. 10 No. 3
Chopin famously said about this etude, nicknamed Tristesse: “In all my life I have never again been able to find such a beautiful melody.”
Piano score: PS Urtext 
Audiovisual Study Tool
Tristesse
Chopin called the theme of the Etude, Op. 10, No. 3 to be the most beautiful he ever composed. The piece is charming and simple, lacking the fiery pyrotechnics of the other etudes. It is somewhat similar in scope, style and atmosphere to the second movement of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata. Others have called the piece "Tristesse", but rather than just “sadness” it seems to express a kind of warm nostalgia and love for the homeland.Background
Chopin famously said about this etude, nicknamed Tristesse: “In all my life I have never again been able to find such a beautiful melody.” When he played the piece for a student once, he reportedly burst into tears and cried "Oh, my homeland!" It's interesting to note that Chopin marked it at 100 beats per minute, which is quite a lot faster than most people play it nowadays.Forum posts about this piece:
Did Liszt pull a Kathy Perry? by amc252
Hello everybody, today I was listening to Claudio Arrau playing Transcendental Étude No. 9 in A-flat "Ricordanza" by Liszt, and was stunned by how closely several passages reminded me of...
How can I study Chopin's "Waterfall", Etude op 10 no 1 without getting hurt? by faa2010
I have started to play this Etude, this will be my second one, the first one has been Chopin's Etude op 10 no 3, "Tristesse", one of my favourite pieces of the whole world, and one which I will...
What piano piece should I learn next? by pianoperson2008
Recently I have learned Chopin's Étude 10 no. 3, Étude 25 no. 7, and his Waltz 64 no. 2 (which took much less time to learn than the other two). What piece do you think I should learn next? I'm...
Difficulty in Chopin's Étude op 10 no 3 by faa2010
The middle section is pretty a challenge, specially if you want to play faster the parts of the third and sixth intervals. Do you have any advice, tips or recommendations so you can play it accurately and...
How to improve in the middle section of Chopin's Etude op 10 no 3? by faa2010
Hi, since last year, I started to learn, practice and play Chopin's Etude op 10 no 3. My advance was great, but after I took out the metronome and I wanted to play faster, the middle section has become a...
What do you learn by studying and playing Chopin's Etude op 10 no 3 "Tristesse"? by faa2010
Hi, I am learning Chopin's Etude op 10 no 3 since September (or July, I just can't remember when I began because I was also keeping for October Chopin's Nocturne op 48 no 1 and I have...
Fingering in Tristesse “von bravura” section by thepianolad
Hi I’m currently learning op 10 no 3 Chopin Etude, and I am in the process of learning the poco piu animato section. I’ve now made my way up to the terrifying con bravura part of the piece which I am...
Learning Chopin Nocturne or Etude by thepianolad
I’ve been playing piano for quite a while now (9 years) and I want to improve my repertoire by an Etude or a harder Nocturne. The two that I would really love to learn are the opus 10 no 3 Etude, and the op...
Some problems in Chopin Etudes Op10 no 2,3 and 5 by ssssass
Hi, I am an amateurish piano player with small hands. I can more or less reach a 9th, but a 10th is almost impossible. Also due to to small fingers some chords seem really difficult to play. For...
What to learn after Rach C# Minor? by sparoz
I have just finished the prelude - not quite at concert standard yet and a bit of polishing to do, but my teacher wants a new piece. She suggested the G minor, but I am struggling to connect with the...
Learning Chopin Etude op 10 no 3 by zipnix
Hey everyone Might consider asking my teacher if I could learn this Chopin etude. Even though I have faced harder pieces before in terms of grades, I still don't feel ready for it yet (10+ years...
help with memorizing a run by pianodude1
i'm playing chopin op 10 no 3 in a competition in a month and a half and there's one run i can not memorize. the parallel 6ths measures 46-53. any...
First piano competition. help! by pianodude1
i'll be performing in the first annual steinway and sons washington piano competition and the repertories is two pieces of contrasting styles and a playing limit of 15 minutes. i'll be using:
Chopin's Etude op.10 no.3 by pianoviolin
Hey guys :) I've been working on this Etude, and I must say, its a beautiful piece but it is a sort of challenging piece (especially the middle section) which i LOVE! Well when it gets to the...
Chopin's Etude Op. 10 No. 3 by vincentl
I was wondering how everybody else plays this etude, I read somewhere that you should use as little pedal as possible, but it's a little difficult to rely purely on legato (For me that is). I hold down the...
Chopin - Etude Op.10 No.3 by chopianist123
Hi all ! I have a question about Chopin's Etude No.3. In bar 30, I believe the first two notes played by the right hand would be A and C#. Then bar 31 it would be A and C...
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Etude in E Major, Op. 10 No. 3 by the composer Frédéric Chopin who lived from 1810 to 1849.
The piece was published in 1832 and is included in Chopin's Etudes.