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Topic: What is Chopin's greatest piece?  (Read 44167 times)

Offline bozzyraven

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What is Chopin's greatest piece?
on: March 27, 2011, 02:31:37 PM
Try not to go for the obvous choices, be personal

Offline stevebob

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #1 on: March 27, 2011, 03:08:31 PM
Are you really asking (as the title of the thread indicates) for Chopin's "greatest" piece?   If so, then by what standards and by which musical criteria?

Try not to go for the obvous choices, be personal

That seems to imply the selection of one's favorite piece irrespective of "greatness" (whether perceived or demonstrable).  (And, as surveys go, that makes a lot more sense to me.)

But still, how could anybody choose just one?  Even with a near-comprehensive familiarity with Chopin's entire oeuvre, I couldn't possibly pick a single favorite that I would elevate above the rest.
What passes you ain't for you.

Offline djealnla

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #2 on: March 27, 2011, 03:44:34 PM
Objectively, the 4th Ballade.

Personally, the 4th Ballade.

Offline Derek

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #3 on: March 27, 2011, 03:52:28 PM
I have no idea what is considered obvious, but for me probably the b-flat minor scherzo. I remember when I first heard it when I was about 14, and being really struck by the calmer middle sections and how different it sounded from anything I'd ever heard before.

Offline nataliethepianist

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #4 on: March 27, 2011, 07:56:02 PM
I am going to have to go for the obvious coice here, although I am sure I will get a lot of bashing for this. Please keep in mind that Chopin is my favorite composer and I do enjoy ALL of his pieces and do not just listen to the overplayed pieces.

My favorite is Fantasie Impromptu because it will always have a special place in my heart (and that does sound cheesy). No one, and I mean no one, thought I would be able to learn it, and I did. I think it is a very challenging piece and to be able to play it is very rewarding.

But then again, who could choose? I think he is one of the greatest composers to shape our classical perspectives. His etudes are magnificent as well. Another piece I find highly underplayed is his Rondo Op. 16. I hope to learn it someday, and share it with others.

Thank you for the question!

- Natalie

Offline nanabush

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #5 on: March 28, 2011, 04:32:20 AM
I almost want to say the second scherzo, for the same reason as mentioned above.  I had heard a few of Chopin's Preludes, Waltzes and some of the easier nocturnes (when I was around 11-12), but when I heard the second Scherzo, I was literally blown away; it was kind of my first listen at a very advanced piece, and I had the same reaction in the middle section.  It was that and Liszt's second Hungarian Rhapsody that really caught my attention.

Other than the Scherzo, I'd probably either say the set of Preludes or his First Ballade.

Personal opinion.
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Offline fleetfingers

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #6 on: March 28, 2011, 06:03:19 AM
I have no idea what is considered obvious, but for me probably the b-flat minor scherzo. I remember when I first heard it when I was about 14, and being really struck by the calmer middle sections and how different it sounded from anything I'd ever heard before.

Wow! I had never heard the b-flat minor Scherzo before but, after reading your post, searched for it on youtube and watched/listened to Rubenstein play it. Right now I'm listening to Richter. Thank you for introducing me to this piece! I love it!

Offline omar_roy

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #7 on: March 28, 2011, 06:58:39 AM
I think the 4th Ballade makes a strong case for this.  I think the 4th Ballade also makes a strong case for being the epitome of Romantic solo piano music.

Offline alessandro

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #8 on: March 28, 2011, 11:29:10 AM
Personnaly - and I find it a little strange that nobody mentioned it yet, but it is maybe a little bit soon - I would like to mention Sonata n°2.   Soo deep and adventurous, big splendid harmonies, and soo dark, oh my, and very bitter.   Maybe not a "total" masterwork, but still a great variety of beautiful moods.   Mostly black, sometimes devillish, and... mysterious !A cruel, hard beauty.

XXX Alessandro

Offline liszt1022

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #9 on: March 29, 2011, 02:54:25 AM
There's a big difference in "greatest" and "favorite," which has been said already.

For greatest I'd go Fantasie in F minor, because every time I hear it I love it more.

Current favorites: Etude Cmaj 10-1, Emin 25-5, Emin Concerto, Bbmin Scherzo, Ab Ballade

Offline thinkgreenlovepiano

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #10 on: March 29, 2011, 03:28:37 AM
 Well I'm not sure what you mean by greatest. Sadly I'm not an expert in music, so I can't really talk about how wonderful and ingenious the harmonies and melodies etc are. So I'm just going to list my favourites. Which by the way, change all the time, depending on my mood.  8)

 Right now, I'm absolutely addicted to the Fantasie in F minor, like liszt1022 said, every time I hear it I love it more.  And that's a good thing, because it's been stuck in my head for about 2 months. And definitely the sonatas...!!! I'm not sure which one I like better but I find myself listening to Sonata no. 2 a lot lately. It's just so... dramatic...! and words don't do it any justice. Also, I really like the barcarolle, it sounds like magic...


As for the shorter pieces... I've always had an affinity for Chopin nocturnes... maybe it's because for the longest time I've had a huge nocturne addiction. ( For months I'd listen to Faure, Field, Chopin, and that one Barber nocturne... on repeat ;D )
 
 My all-time favourites are op. 27 no 1, and op. 48 no 2, it just seems to speak to me and relate to my feelings so well... really hard to explain. I've only played Nocturne 27/1, 9/1 and the other c sharp minor nocturne. But maybe one day, if I have it in me, I'll learn them all. :) After I learn all of Bach's WTC of course, if that's possible. ;)
"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence."
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Offline joeplaysthepiano

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #11 on: March 30, 2011, 11:54:44 PM
4th ballade is 1a and fantasy in f minor is 1b.  These pieces are awesome and I would argue very unique.

Offline ongaku_oniko

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #12 on: March 30, 2011, 11:58:49 PM
Right now I'm listening to Scherzo No.2

Previous ones were op.10 no.12, and fantasie impromptu.

Offline thebuchertrain

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #13 on: March 31, 2011, 05:07:23 AM
hmm.. I'd say the op.10 and op.25 etudes, but idk if that really counts as a "piece"... Otherwise i'd have to agree with the 4th Ballade. I also like the Andante Spianto and Grande Polonaise a lot.

Offline pianisten1989

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #14 on: March 31, 2011, 06:00:00 AM
Ha! I thought this would be another "NOO! THERE IS NOT ONE GREAT PIECE YOU FOOL!!!"-thread,  but obviously, only stevebob went for that one.. Who could guess?

It's either the fantasy or the Polonaise-fantasie. I mean, there is a reason why we could hear the p-f 5000 times in the chopin competition...
Or maybe his B-minor sonata...

Offline stevebob

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #15 on: March 31, 2011, 10:28:59 AM
Ha! I thought this would be another "NOO! THERE IS NOT ONE GREAT PIECE YOU FOOL!!!"-thread,  but obviously, only stevebob went for that one.. Who could guess?

As there is not, by your own admission, just "one great piece," then I surmise that your intention here was to confirm that I was correct.

Thanks for pointing that out, though I'm not sure what "Who could guess?" means.
What passes you ain't for you.

Offline pianisten1989

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #16 on: March 31, 2011, 04:52:06 PM
though I'm not sure what "Who could guess?" means.

Oh, nothing...

Offline richterfan1

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #17 on: April 11, 2011, 07:25:13 AM
kinda hard question  :P many many great pieces by our lovely Polish composer, heres some:

-Heroic Polonaise
-Fantasie Impromptu (Chopin didnt like it!)
-Piano concerto No.1
-Many Preludes: etc: No.15 in D flat "Raindrop" No.24 in d minor
-Nocturnes
-4 BALLADES (real masterpieces)
.........

Offline sjeon

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #18 on: April 11, 2011, 07:43:43 AM
scherzo no.1,2
ballade no.1,no.4
sonata no.2
etude op.25 no.11,12 op.10 no.3,4,12
heroic polonaise
and so much  more 8)

Offline pianisten1989

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #19 on: April 11, 2011, 09:12:11 AM
I don't understand how you can say that the heroic polonaise is one of his greater works when you don't even mention the f#minor.

I think this has gone from 'Greatest' to 'Most famous'... too bad =/

Offline stevebob

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #20 on: April 11, 2011, 11:05:23 AM
I guess it had to happen that Fantaisie-Impromptu would be placed on a "Chopin's Greatest" list.

An eye roll deserves a paragraph of its own:   ::)

Also, for what it's worth, it's simplistic and inaccurate to state that "Chopin didnt [sic] like it!"; he chose to withhold from publication a significant number of compositions with which he was apparently dissatisfied for one reason or another; in this case, a further concern may have been a similarity to the Impromptu Op. 89 by Moscheles.
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Offline nanabush

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #21 on: April 12, 2011, 12:35:11 AM
Even though some mentioned are famous, they are still great pieces!

The revolutionary etude, I'd consider a 'great piece'.  Who cares if everyone loves it.
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Offline stevebob

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #22 on: April 12, 2011, 02:52:25 AM
Even though some mentioned are famous, they are still great pieces!

The revolutionary etude, I'd consider a 'great piece'.  Who cares if everyone loves it.

I don't think anyone claimed that fame or popular appeal precludes greatness.  (Of course, neither fame nor popular appeal confers greatness either.)

Some people surely consider Fuer Elise a great piece (even if they realize that everyone does not love it).
What passes you ain't for you.

Offline lohshuhan

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #23 on: April 12, 2011, 07:20:06 AM
i'll say opus 28..

 no 8, 16, 24 are my favourite out of the 24.. 

Offline lontano

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #24 on: April 12, 2011, 08:56:59 PM
Try not to go for the obvous choices, be personal
No offense, but this is a completely subjective question, whether the choice be personal favorite OR one's on conclusion as to which work is "greatest". A silly poll IMHO.

So for greatest I say Ballade #4 and for favorite Etude Op.25/12.
...and she disappeared from view while playing the Agatha Christie Fugue...

Offline stoudemirestat

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #25 on: April 20, 2011, 04:03:50 AM
Objectively, the 4th Ballade.

Personally, the 4th Ballade.

+1

Offline redbaron

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #26 on: April 20, 2011, 11:56:22 AM
Very probably the Raindrop Prelude, closely followed by:

Nocturne in Bbm Op 9, No 1
Nocturne in Ab Op 32, No 2
Etude Op 25, No 9

Offline orangesodaking

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #27 on: April 20, 2011, 12:44:04 PM
How about one of the sonatas? B flat minor, B minor, or maybe piano/cello sonata? I'm on a B minor sonata kick right now.

Offline bbush

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #28 on: April 25, 2011, 02:24:07 PM
Yes, this is a completely subjective question, but I find it interesting how diverse are the choices of my fellow Forum-ites!  For instance, because of the many "votes" for Fantasy in Fm, I downloaded sheet music and videos for it (as I was unfamiliar with it), listened while I followed the score, and found it pleasant enough, but nothing nearly as impressive as SO many of Chopin's other wonderful works.

And I even tried to figure out what was deficient within me, that I couldn't see this as a Great Work... since I'm not all about bombast or flourishes or whatever other flashy characteristics other Romantic pieces have that this one doesn't.  I love several of the thoughtful little Preludes and many Nocturnes and the typically-popular show pieces.  But I just realized I have to accept the fact it's just a matter of opinion.

Anyway, my current fav is probably the F#m Polonaise, but Ballades 1 and 4 go through my head all the time, too.

Yours,
Bruce
Romantic aficionado, generally; Alkan lover, specifically.

Offline nearenough

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #29 on: April 26, 2011, 02:53:59 AM
The Polonaise-Fantasy because it is epic and tragic and encompasses the genius of thought, creativity, reminiscences, loves and experience in a single piece with many moods and shifts of feeling, sentimentality unusually combined with the spirited dance of the polonaise. It is crafted in an exceptional manner giving varied expressions without falling into easy or trite repetitions. It seems to express a whole lifetime in a brief and sad diary entry.

Offline alscribjiani

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #30 on: April 30, 2011, 10:16:24 AM
I will say: Polonaise-Fantaisie, Barcarolle, Sonata N. 1 (here a great recording:
) and the Cello Sonata (maybe his best work)

Offline freddychopin

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #31 on: May 16, 2011, 11:45:13 AM
The Polonaise-Fantasy because it is epic and tragic and encompasses the genius of thought, creativity, reminiscences, loves and experience in a single piece with many moods and shifts of feeling, sentimentality unusually combined with the spirited dance of the polonaise. It is crafted in an exceptional manner giving varied expressions without falling into easy or trite repetitions. It seems to express a whole lifetime in a brief and sad diary entry.

I couldn't agree more with this. If you look at Chopin's works on a large scale his Polonaise-Fantasie is his magnus opus! Shame that lots of people confuse this work with his Fantasie-Impromptu which I don't like...

Offline bbush

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #32 on: May 16, 2011, 09:16:19 PM
Hey, FreddyChopin, would you please be a little more specific about your dislike of the Fantasie-Impromptu?  Is there something about it you find intrinsically insipid, or is it the modern-day treatment it has received (a schmaltzy movie music score and/or a quasi-nostalgic pseudo-rock album leader) that you find annoying?  Or is it the extent to which it has been overplayed overplayed overplayed?

Thanks in advance for satisfying my curiosity, since I'm always off chasing rainbows.

Yours,
Bruce
Romantic aficionado, generally; Alkan lover, specifically.

Offline freddychopin

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #33 on: May 17, 2011, 11:23:50 AM
It has to do with many things. Here are a few

- I prefer the other impromptus (especially No.2 in F# minor) over the Fantasie-Impromptu, because of the ending. I think the end is boring. The piece reaches the climax already on the second page  ??? It's a simple A-B-A layout. It's overrated by many and not representative for the other works by Chopin. It's more and more becoming a popular popsong like Beethoven's Fur Elise.

- Overplayed by people who aren't ready yet. I know this argument is a bit lame, but I heard so many people play in a bad way. I can't stand kids with ages between 5 and 9 who play it and are obviously not ready for any romantic composer. If they want to be a great pianists they should stick to Mozart on that age. Campanella is another example. 95% isn't ready...

- It's plagiarism of Ignaz Moscheles's Impromptu in Eb major op.89 (1827). That's why Chopin didn't want to publish it in the first place. Wise man  :) I think we should respect the decision of the artist and burn the piece  ::)

Offline bbush

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #34 on: May 18, 2011, 08:47:49 PM
Thanks FreddyC!  I'm still chuckling over the idea of burning the Fantasie-Impromptu (as it's such a beloved piece) but I have to admit, your reasoning is pretty sound!  Maybe Chopin ought to have named it "Fantasie on a Theme of Moscheles".

Not much we can do about the popularizing/mutilating of classical works, except perhaps to look towards the "silver lining": that people who typically are never exposed to classics get at least SOME taste... and may consequently be moved to look deeper.

Bruce
Romantic aficionado, generally; Alkan lover, specifically.

Offline kevonthegreatpianist

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #35 on: June 20, 2015, 04:59:01 AM
Actually, Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu was highly based on the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata. Here's what Wikipedia said:

The C-sharp minor sonata, particularly the third movement, is held to have been the inspiration for Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu, and that the Fantaisie-Impromptu was actually a tribute to Beethoven.[24] It manifests the key relationships of the sonata's three movements, chord structures, and even shares some passages. Ernst Oster writes: "... With the aid of the Fantaisie-Impromptu we can at least recognize what particular features of the C♯ minor Sonata struck fire in Chopin. We can actually regard Chopin as our teacher as he points to the coda and says, 'Look here, this is great. Take heed of this example!' ... The Fantaisie-Impromptu is perhaps the only instance where one genius discloses to us — if only by means of a composition of his own — what he actually hears in the work of another genius."[25]

The Impromptu sounds like the Moonlight Sonata, too.  

I think the greatest Chopin pieces are:

-Ballade Op.52
-Scherzo Op.20
-Scherzo Op.31
-Preludes Op.28
-Etudes Op.10
-Etudes Op.25
-Ballade Op.47
-Rondo Op.1
-Rondo Op.16
-Polonaise Op.44
-Polonaise-Fantasie Op.61
-Polonaise Op.53
-Rondo for Two Pianos Op.73
-Ballade Op.23
-Ballade Op.38
-Barcarolle Op.60
-Berceuse Op.47
-Fantasie-Impromptu Op.66
-Nocturnes Op.62
-Mazurkas Op.50
-Waltz Op.18
-Etudes B.130
-Prelude Op.45

When I asked what the greatest Chopin's piece is, I have more than one.
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Offline michael_sayers

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #36 on: June 20, 2015, 09:14:12 AM
Actually, Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu was highly based on the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata. Here's what Wikipedia said:

The C-sharp minor sonata, particularly the third movement, is held to have been the inspiration for Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu, and that the Fantaisie-Impromptu was actually a tribute to Beethoven.[24] It manifests the key relationships of the sonata's three movements, chord structures, and even shares some passages. Ernst Oster writes: "... With the aid of the Fantaisie-Impromptu we can at least recognize what particular features of the C♯ minor Sonata struck fire in Chopin. We can actually regard Chopin as our teacher as he points to the coda and says, 'Look here, this is great. Take heed of this example!' ... The Fantaisie-Impromptu is perhaps the only instance where one genius discloses to us — if only by means of a composition of his own — what he actually hears in the work of another genius."[25]

The Impromptu sounds like the Moonlight Sonata, too.  

I think the greatest Chopin pieces are:

-Ballade Op.52
-Scherzo Op.20
-Scherzo Op.31
-Preludes Op.28
-Etudes Op.10
-Etudes Op.25
-Ballade Op.47
-Rondo Op.1
-Rondo Op.16
-Polonaise Op.44
-Polonaise-Fantasie Op.61
-Polonaise Op.53
-Rondo for Two Pianos Op.73
-Ballade Op.23
-Ballade Op.38
-Barcarolle Op.60
-Berceuse Op.47
-Fantasie-Impromptu Op.66
-Nocturnes Op.62
-Mazurkas Op.50
-Waltz Op.18
-Etudes B.130
-Prelude Op.45

When I asked what the greatest Chopin's piece is, I have more than one.

I think we need to combine them all into one composition. ;D


Mvh,
Michael

Offline kevonthegreatpianist

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #37 on: June 20, 2015, 06:03:43 PM
The Ballade-Scherzo-Prelude-Etude-Rondo-Polonaise-Fantasy-Impromptu-Nocturne-Mazurka-Waltz would make a good ship. Or the Basper Pofinmaw.

Basper Pofinmaw in C,G,D,A,E,B,F#,F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb Major, and a,e,b,f#,c#,g#,d#,d,g,c,f,bb,eb minor B.200 was recently discovered a few seconds after I posted this lol
:)
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Offline blackonwhite

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #38 on: June 20, 2015, 07:22:30 PM
Why didn't anybody said anything about the third sonata
The piano a string instrument controlled by means of percussion.

Offline goldentone

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #39 on: June 21, 2015, 02:25:13 AM
I put the Barcarolle, Op. 60 at the summit of his art.
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

Offline michael_sayers

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #40 on: June 21, 2015, 08:37:21 AM
The Ballade-Scherzo-Prelude-Etude-Rondo-Polonaise-Fantasy-Impromptu-Nocturne-Mazurka-Waltz would make a good ship. Or the Basper Pofinmaw.

Basper Pofinmaw in C,G,D,A,E,B,F#,F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb Major, and a,e,b,f#,c#,g#,d#,d,g,c,f,bb,eb minor B.200 was recently discovered a few seconds after I posted this lol
:)

;D


Mvh,
Michael

Offline kevonthegreatpianist

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #41 on: June 23, 2015, 04:10:00 AM
Why didn't anybody said anything about the third sonata


oh my bad

All of the sonatas I consider great, including the less played Op.4 sonata, one of Chopin's early works. The Op.35 and Op.58 sonatas are one of my fav works.

srry blackonwhite
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Offline vansh

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #42 on: July 10, 2015, 03:58:40 AM
Well, you said personal, so personally, it's the Fantaisie-Impromptu for me.

* It came to me at the "right time" so to speak. I started learning it toward the latter part of high school, which was also around when I was starting to mature as a pianist. It was sort of the "big piece" that I played for my high school senior recital.
* When I was little, my mom used to play a cassette tape of various piano pieces as we drifted off to sleep. Fantaisie-Impromptu was one of them. For me, I associate the last few measures (where the left hand plays the cantabile melody) with a peaceful, drifting off to sleep sort of feeling.
* Now that I've come back to playing piano after over a decade of not really playing, I find that there are so many challenges with it, not just technical, but also musical, that I didn't notice back in high school; so many different ways to shape each phrase, and I'm not sure what sounds best. This keeps it interesting because I'll try to play it differently each time. It's the main piece that I can still play from my high school days, and the most polished.

Having said that, I think my main issue with the piece is twofold:
1) It's fairly repetitive; thus, when I play it, I play (mostly) the Fontana version for the first half, and (mostly) the Rubinstein version for the second half, to keep up the variety. But there isn't really much of an exposition type of thing (i.e. where the melody is restated in different ways, in a different key, etc.). On the flip side, I get bored of a lot of Beethoven's stuff because it often seems like he's just restating themes every which way possible and putting in filler instead of just selecting the best ones.
2) Having learned it and polished it, now I'm looking for something "more". I'm not sure what "more" means, but I guess sort of like a deluxe version of the piece or something. Hard to describe. (I feel the same way about Clair de Lune, where I like the sound, but wish there were sort of a higher-level version.) Because of this, I've been looking at Chopin's Bb Scherzo, although I'm kept busy with La Campanella, so it's unlikely I'll work on the next piece for a while.

But in terms of which Chopin piece has had the most impact on me personally, definitely the Fantaisie-Impromptu.

- I prefer the other impromptus (especially No.2 in F# minor) over the Fantasie-Impromptu, because of the ending. I think the end is boring. The piece reaches the climax already on the second page  ??? It's a simple A-B-A layout. It's overrated by many and not representative for the other works by Chopin. It's more and more becoming a popular popsong like Beethoven's Fur Elise.

Depends on how you play it and what you get out of the piece I guess. To me the climax is actually the top of the last page, i.e. after the octave run, before the left-hand melody part. The end is supposed to be tranquil, I don't know if you were hoping for fireworks or something. Maybe it depends on the person, but when I was looking for another piece to play, I listened to Chopin's other impromptus (including F# minor) and none of them struck out at me. (The Ab major was the closest one that I would've wanted to learn.) For me, the ending of the F# minor is what seems out of place, sounding like a wake-up call after the piece gradually faded.

- Overplayed by people who aren't ready yet. I know this argument is a bit lame, but I heard so many people play in a bad way. I can't stand kids with ages between 5 and 9 who play it and are obviously not ready for any romantic composer. If they want to be a great pianists they should stick to Mozart on that age. Campanella is another example. 95% isn't ready...

Overplayed is just indicative of how much people beyond a certain playing level are interested in that piece. I can easily compose a piece of any difficulty, the problem is whether or not it'll sound interesting enough that people would actually want to learn to play it; that it stands out among many other pieces of similar difficulty just speaks to how much it appeals to different people. Kids between 5 and 9 playing it is more indicative of their parents than anything else, not much different than kids with black belts. Realistically, anything that is popular is going to have lots that are done badly. Just because singing is popular doesn't mean everyone doing karaoke is going to sound good. (Many people want to go to Harvard. Just because a lot of people get rejected from Harvard, i.e. don't meet their standards, doesn't mean that Harvard is bad, nor should it reflect badly on Harvard.)

- It's plagiarism of Ignaz Moscheles's Impromptu in Eb major op.89 (1827). That's why Chopin didn't want to publish it in the first place. Wise man  :) I think we should respect the decision of the artist and burn the piece  ::)

I've never understood this theory, despite it being widely touted. Although the right hand melody bears a superficial similarity (in that the melody is composed of 16th notes that goes upwards and ends on an eighth note), the chord structure is different, the texture is completely different (the 4:3 polyrhythm for example), and where the respective sections fit into their respective pieces is also different. That several measures of this piece is similar in rough melodic shape to several measures of another piece seems like a poor excuse to call it plagiarism. There's plenty of other reasons that seem more plausible to me, such as its similarity to the Moonlight Sonata (mentioned above, I mean the melody notes are identical except an octave off to the Moonlight Sonata), and more importantly, that Chopin composed it on commission for someone and thus it wasn't his to publish. (Incidentally, what I hear in the frenetic pace of the Moscheles Impromptu is...Chopin's Minute Waltz.)
Currently working on: Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody 2 (all advice welcome!), Chopin's Revolutionary Etude, Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu

Offline pencilart3

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #43 on: July 10, 2015, 04:23:32 AM
I CONSIDER CHOPIN'S GREATEST PIECE TO BE ECOSSAISE NUMBER 2!
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Offline visitor

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #44 on: July 10, 2015, 10:16:58 AM
Am surpised i did t see either of these giants mentioned. Personally there are two pieces ill actually want to listen to and seek out occassionally.  I dont have any desire to learn most any of his output but jf when i do play fred next it would op 8 or op 65


Offline yellowcat12345

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #45 on: July 18, 2015, 07:17:41 AM
There are many Chopin pieces that I love, for example:

-Ballade Op. 52
-Ballade Op. 23
-Scherzo Op. 54
-Concertos No. 1 and 2
-Barcarolle Op. 60
-Heroic Polonaise
-Andante Spinato et Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22
-Fantasie Op. 49
-Sonata Op. 35
-Nocturne Op. 48 No.

Offline yellowcat12345

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #46 on: July 18, 2015, 07:18:40 AM
There are many Chopin pieces that I love, for example:

-Ballade Op. 52
-Ballade Op. 23
-Scherzo Op. 54
-Concertos No. 1 and 2
-Barcarolle Op. 60
-Heroic Polonaise
-Andante Spinato et Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22
-Fantasie Op. 49
-Sonata Op. 35
-Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1

Offline asiloti

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #47 on: July 21, 2015, 11:08:40 PM
If I had to pick, I would choose Chopin's Nocturne in c minor Op. 48, No. 1

Offline pencilart3

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #48 on: July 21, 2015, 11:11:58 PM
I wouldn't actually say ecossaise no. 2 I would say ballade 1.  :D
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Offline kevonthegreatpianist

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Re: What is Chopin's greatest piece?
Reply #49 on: July 24, 2015, 02:56:25 AM
I wouldn't actually say ecossaise no. 2 I would say ballade 1.  :D
And 2,3, and 4. I would also recommend the Chopin's Cello Sonata, one of his less-known compitisions.
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