Alkan Etude Op35 No 7

[lostinidlewonder]

I was wondering to those who know this peice does it have any story attached to it? When I play pieces I feel compelled to know what it means, what emotion, experience inspired the music. Especially what does that strange low F which totally interrupts the music, what does it mean? Bar 33 for example.

In.... Ravel's Ondine for example, you hear the single note section highlights the water spirits tears dropping one by one into the lake, so sad she never can have the mortal man as her lover. This low F sounds so sinister and what follows after it is terrifying, but this etude starts pretty and ends pretty, so what is all this about!

[brahmsian]

I think the piece was inspired by a fire in a village or something like that. I'm not sure whether Alkan actually witnessed it, or if it was just a story he based the piece on. The etude is named "L'incendie au village voisin", and my French isn't that good, so I'm not sure exactly what that translates as.

The low "F" could possibly signify the fire starting or something like that.

[stevie]

the incident in the neighbouring village, i think.

i love this piece, the calm village people at the start, the low Fs are just for musical dramastic tension, then the fire bursts forth.

and the arpeggios over the left hand tremelos are like the water being thrown upon the fire as it dies down.

the march in the middle is also interesting, that may signify the firemen marching to the scene to put it out? i dont know

but taken purely as music without this story, its a great and exciting piece!

and the very end is a very beautiful hymn of gratitude for the fire being put out, mildly legendary.

[panic]

It's a low G, by the way.
And Stevie, I thought the exact same thing of the march in the middle, perhaps firemen. Some of the texture in the middle is a bit over the top in my opinion, and it could have been better organized, but I particularly love the 25/1-esque section in E-flat right in the middle. I am going to try and play this piece in a few, possibly a couple years, as it is on the fingertip end of my reach right now.
Anyone else catch the last chord, it's an E-flat chord but without a B-flat, so it sounds ambiguous, as if it could belong to either the E-flat hymn or the C minor fire, as if not everything is alright. I absolutely love the beginning and end of this piece - so simple, yet so effective. If only Alkan had been that incredibly artistic in his fast sections...

The name by the way means "Fire in the neighboring village."

[lostinidlewonder]

Perfect responses, thankyou all for sharing your knowledge! !!