Paper Topic... Chopin

[ymai479]

I need to write a 10 pages research paper about any "Romantic composer's style as exemplified in a work or works"... I was planning on researching Chopin's concerto in e minor and it's orchestration, but I have found very few information...so maybe I should change my topic? I am also thinking about looking into Chopin's nocturnes/melody/ornamentation?
I need suggestions for my topic...so I can come up with a strong thesis soon...
Thank you so much!

[chavador98]

I think you should do Alkan, his style is so original when you get to know his works, if you alerady know him, then you choose, but if you don't, l will give you a hint:

Look his work, especially the etudes op.39 and the esquisses, those two works represent the two sides of Alkan, the first one, a strong pianism, knowledge of the keyboard, and his representation of an orchestra in 88 keys, in the etudes op.39 look first for the symphony for solo piano and the concerto for solo piano(if you are willing to listen to ). And for the esquisses, those represtent more harmonic development, melody, prediction fo later trends, and remembrance of older periods of music. I'll strongly recommend those two works.

But if you continue the Chopin research, i would look for the relationship between his later period to the early period, and explain the later one since its my favorite but its up to you, i'm just a    mexican amateur aspiring to be a pianist, so forgive me if my english sucks. 

[tchristec]

This might not be very helpful to you personally but I just wanted to mention if anyone decided to write a paper on why Chopin enjoyed trolling so many pianists, myself included, by using crazy polyrhythms and gracenote cadenza passages I would be quite interested in reading such a paper. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the genius of Chopin just as much as the next guy but sometimes I just want to                             (ﾉ｀Д)ﾉ:・'∵:.┻┻

Good luck on your paper.

[j_menz]

If you want to do Chopin, his "style" is not very well demonstrated by his orchestration. I fact, he wasn't much of an orchestrater at all and had Liszt help him with the orchestration for this concerto. The piano part is good Chopin, but the orchestral bit is really not. I'd pick something (or several things) written for solo piano. It represents the greater bulk of Chopin's output and is where he was most comfortable.

[austinarg]

I think you should do Alkan, his style is so original when you get to know his works.

+ infinity and beyond.

Or perhaps you could do an anthropological analysis of his sonata? 

[Bob]

That shouldn't be too difficult, unless you want a dissertation level of detail.

I'd pass on the concerto.  I haven't heard great things about his concertoes.

Just find materials geared toward introducing people to music and the Romantic period.  You wouldn't even have to cite those if they're not allowed, but they'd still be useful.  They'll tell you what to look for, at least a refresher if you already know. 

Books on piano literature would be very useful.

Anything written out that specific piece.  Harder to find.

And whatever  you come up with.


I'd just take one piece.  Something you're working on.  It sound like a topic that could be easy to get bogged down in details, to the point that it's a dissertation -- How does Chopin's _____ work reflect the Romantic period -- Cite specific examples and sections.

Or it sounds like something that could be answered in a pargraph too.  But very doable.

[outin]

I fact, he wasn't much of an orchestrater at all and had Liszt help him with the orchestration for this concerto.

Liszt? Are you sure? The concerto was composed in 1930 before they had even met. The first publication I think was 1933, so it is possible that he might have at that point, but there were other people that helped him with his publications. I think this might be one of the many tales about Chopin that are not based on facts. Or maybe it's from the biography written by Liszt himself

[j_menz]

Liszt? Are you sure? The concerto was composed in 1930 before they had even met. The first publication I think was 1933, so it is possible that he might have at that point, but there were other people that helped him with his publications. I think this might be one of the many tales about Chopin that are not based on facts. Or maybe it's from the biography written by Liszt himself

You would appear to be correct (though 100 years out  ). Not sure where I "learned" that from. 

[outin]

You would appear to be correct (though 100 years out 

Ooops 

[roseamelia]

I have a repertoire book that has every period of music! And it has a romantic history page just like all the other ones I have Baroque, Classical, Contemporary, ect. I get some pictures! 

[roseamelia]

I have a repertoire book that has every period of music! And it has a romantic history page just like all the other ones I have Baroque, Classical, Contemporary, ect. I'll get some pictures!