Piano Forum

Hello Pianostreet!

Fresh from drinking a cup of coffee and listening to the stirring conclusion of Schumann’s op 50 secular oratorio “Paradise and the Peri”:

First, I am pleased to announce my reaching level 4 in the Frodo world. frodo1 => frodo2 => frodo3 => frodo4 

Second, I want to announce that I will be starting my new Schumann and Chopin thread THIS FALL when I return from my journey elsewhere.

Schumann and Chopin are among the most beloved of all classical composers.  My goal is to post something in my upcoming thread about Schumann and Chopin at least once a month for the next 10 years.   I may mostly focus on their music but I will also talk about their lives.  Everyone will be welcome to post in this new thread with their thoughts.  Many or most of my posts will be of a contrast and compare nature.  I am in this for the long haul so 1) I will limit my topics to 3 per month with mostly posting 1 topic per month, and 2) some posts may be pretty short, especially as time goes by.

Here is a start:  Both Schumann and Chopin were born in 1810 (about 3 months apart!) and both lived a relatively short life.

Possible future topics that I will talk about include:

1) How popular/great are these composers as judged by history?  I will be sure to include a look at the work done in a recent post by de.Schreiber.de that looks at performances at Carnegie Hall from 1892 to 2022.
2) Variations: Comparison of Schumann op. 1 with Chopin op. 2 and a look at other sets of variations by these 2 composers (e.g. Schumann op. 5).
3) Comparison of Improvisation skills as judged by others.
4) How did Chopin view the works of Schumann and visa vera?  What correspondence, etc. did these composers have with each other?
5) Comparison of the inspiration for composing and method of composing works.  Who was able to write more quickly? How long did it take to write their compositions?  Did they often revise their compositions?
6) Look at the use of dotted rhythm in their compositions.
7) Look at the forms of composition favored by these 2 composers.  No, Ballade is NOT a form of composition.  ABA, Rondo, Sonata allegro, etc., etc. ARE forms of composition.
8.) Look at the health of these 2 composers and how their health impacted their output.
9) Look at the romantic lives of these 2 composers.
10) Comparison of 2 great works: Schuman Op 17 Fantasie with Chopin Sonata #3.
11) Comparison of 2 great works: the Schumann piano concerto with the Chopin concerto #1.
12) Comparison of the contrapuntal writing of these 2 composers.
13) Look at works that were not written for solo piano.
14) Which composers were influenced by Schumann and Chopin?
15) What composers influenced the compositions of Schumann and Chopin?
16) Relationship of Schumann and Chopin to the composers Liszt and Mendelssohn.
17) Humor in the music of Schumann and Chopin - based on my subjective view.

See everyone later!