Chopin Etudes: why 24 of them?

[austinarg]

This is a question I had in my mind for some quite time now. The logical answer to this question is "Well, since there are 12 major and 12 minor keys, with 24 pieces you cover every possible key, right?".

The problem is, Chopin didn't write an etude for every key! Some of the keys appear twice in the set.

Had he actually planned for an etude in every key and something stopped him from doing it? Or it wasn't his intention all along?

What do you think?

[scherzo123]

This is a question I had in my mind for some quite time now. The logical answer to this question is "Well, since there are 12 major and 12 minor keys, with 24 pieces you cover every possible key, right?".

The problem is, Chopin didn't write an etude for every key! Some of the keys appear twice in the set.

Had he actually planned for an etude in every key and something stopped him from doing it? Or it wasn't his intention all along?

What do you think?

Good Question.

[j_menz]

27, actually. Everyone forgets, or discounts, the Trois Nouvelle Etudes.

Why sets of 12? A dozen is a nice round number and quite often used for grouping things.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Why sets of 12? A dozen is a nice round number and quite often used for grouping things.

Wouldn't 10 be a better for that?  It sounds much more official than 12.

The 10 commandments, 'rate these pieces on a scale of 1 to 10', 'I'm counting down from 10, and if you don't give me the combination to the safe, I'll shoot you!', 'T minus 10 seconds from lift off' etc...

[j_menz]

Wouldn't 10 be a better for that?  It sounds much more official than 12.

The 10 commandments, 'rate these pieces on a scale of 1 to 10', 'I'm counting down from 10, and if you don't give me the combination to the safe, I'll shoot you!', 'T minus 10 seconds from lift off' etc...

The Twelve Apostles, "A dozen a Day", Twelve inches to a foot, twelve pennies in a shilling, a dozen eggs.....

[rachmaninoff_forever]

The Twelve Apostles, "A dozen a Day", Twelve inches to a foot, twelve pennies in a shilling, a dozen eggs.....

You win this time...

[j_menz]

You win this time...

 

Thanks.

[perfect_pitch]

The Twelve Apostles, "A dozen a Day", Twelve inches to a foot, twelve pennies in a shilling, a dozen eggs.....

12 Drummers drumming...

[counterpoint]

12 and 24 are abundant numbers 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundant_number

[davidjosepha]

12 Drummers drumming...

But ten lords-a-leapin'!

 

But yes, 12 is a good number. 16 is the best number, and works very well mathematically. The only reason anyone uses 10 is because we have 10 fingers.

[scherzo123]

lol

[fftransform]

It was, simply, standard, to write sets of 6 or 12 pieces in both the Classical and Romantic eras.  Where that originated I do not know.  But if it had been 7, 5, 11, 13, 8, 19, 10, etc., the question would remain, I presume.