chopin

[flontarna]

Hey,

I'm new here!
I have already a question!
I'm searching a good biography of chopin on the net, but don't know where to look? Does anyone has some tips?
I am also searching for an analysis of his first piano concerto? I'm really desperate for help! I hope somebody can help me out!
Thanks
An

[pianistimo]

here's an interesting article with insight into chopin:

www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/PMJ/issue/2.1.99/zakrzewska_bbl.html

go down to the bottom and click on 'abstract' or 'article text.'  also you can read from the recent journals.

here's a book review about his piano concertos:

www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/PMJ/issue/3.1.00/bonkowski_rink.html

will post another message with stuff from michael thomas roeder's 'a history of the piano concerto.'  will quote page numbers for you.

[pianistimo]

page 224

"chopin's two piano concertos come from the following two years, 1829-30, the first completed when he was nineteen, and the second when he was barely twenty.  he wrote them under the influence of the popular pianist/composers of the day - hummel, moscheles, kalkbrenner, and field.  it is doubtful chopin had yet heard or seen a beethoven concerto, but he did know hummel's concerto in a minor and concerto in b minor, moscheles's in g minor, and at least one by john field.  as a consequence chopin's conception of the concerto was based on these models.  none of these composers was particularly concerned with the opportunities for dramatic contrast between the piano and orchestra inherent in the form."   

will print more later.  it's a good book and suggested read.

[pianistimo]

"they simply conceived of the orchestra as the means to provide a framework and unobtrusive background for their principal concern, the soloist, who played in a highly decorative and figurative style.  the result, in the hands of Chopin,is a pair of concertos that may lack in great musical substance and true concerto drama, but which are eminently pianistic and contain a sufficient number of moments of melodic and pianistic magic to have kept them in the standard concerto reperetory to this day."

(the famous words 'hat's off gentlemen, a genius' is quite a compliement from schumann since he found distate for the 'empty virtuosity' of kalkbrenner and moscheles.)

"the piano concerto in F minor was the first to be completed by chopin, but is identified as #2 because it was published after the e minor concerto.  the f minor concerto is the stronger and more attractive, thanks to it's more compact, yet more compelling first movement.  both contain effective nocturne-style slow movements and lively finales that make use of polish dance rhythms.  the finale of the f minor concerto has the rhythmic quality of a mazurka and incorporates a contrasting scherzando section in the style of an 'oberek,' a faster form of the mazurka.  the oberek dance features rapid turns, frequent changes of direction, and lifting of the female partner.  to capture the exuberant nature of this rustic dance, chopin requires the accompanying violins and violas to play 'col legno (with the wooden part of the bow) on static pitches to imitate drums or handclapping.  the finale of the e minor concerto is based on the 'krakowiak.'

for chopin, ornamentation is not a mere addition to a melodic line; it is truly the essence of his melodic thinking.  ample evidence appears throughout the concertos.  a good example is found in the larghetto middle movement of the f minor concerto..."

[pianistimo]

page 225

"both concertos suffer from problems.  the orchestration is generally ineffective, although there are some very nice moments, especially when the bassoon, clarinet, or horn are highlighted against the piano.  later arrangers have endeavored to enliven the orchestration, but more colorful additions in solo sections seem only to detract from the piano writing.  problems of tonal organization further mar the first movements...the ...e minor concerto's first movement ...here the tonic key is maintained throughout the opening ritornello and the solo exposition, providing no relief or contrast for 350 measures.  curiously, when the second theme returns in the recapitulation, it appears in the relative major key, the key in which it would normally have appeared in the exposition."

"one common solution to both the tonal and orchestrational weaknesses of the first movements has been to delete or significantly shorten the long and tedious opening tutti sections in modern performances.  this creates no grave injustice to the music, for chopin did, on occasion, play these concertos unaccompanied, indicating his own assessment of the orchestra's role as insignificant."


(*feel free to use or not use these quotations - will look for something on the form of the concerto itself).

[pianistimo]

for more bio:  www.chopin.pl  (click on english version at the top)

[fiasco]

I read a review of one called "Heartless Romantic", seemed pretty interesting.  Shows Chopin as not too much of a nice guy.

[pianistimo]

and yet, there are cd's that claim his music is the best to make love listening to. (forget the title)  strange dichotomy?  maybe he was eccentric and just acted as he felt according to his health situation and stress levels.  i think he was highly affected by childhood experiences and having to leave poland at a young age.

[flontarna]

thanks for your help!
It has already helped me a lot!
great people!
x

[flontarna]

If you got some information just let me know?
Or other book I might consider reading?
Thank you