Chopin Etudes Op. 10
CHOPIN: ETUDES OPUS 10
Some composers write music because it is their passion; some write just to earn money. Some, like Mozart, write with ease; but some, like Beethoven, write with great difficulty. Different composers compose from different impulses. Many times, when we listen to a piece of music, we do not think of its background and the influence it has made to future generations. For example, Carl Czerny’s The School of Velocity was written for the sole purpose of improving finger technique. A piece composed for the development of a specific point of technique is called an etude.1 In Frédéric François Chopin’s case, his etudes were composed for the development of diverse techniques. They rank among his most masterly writings, and they range from early intermediate to advanced study.2 They soon became an important part of piano literature. Chopin’s Études Op. 10 is important to piano literature because of its history, musical techniques, and pedagogical purposes. Chopin, born in 1810 in Warsaw, Poland, was a great pianist. When he was eight years old, he amazed the nobility of Warsaw with his performance at the piano. As an adolescent, he was already composing spectacular music. In 1829, his teacher’s report on his composition classes in the Warsaw Conservatory was: “Lessons in musical composition: Chopin, Frideric, third-year student, amazing capabilities, musical genius.”3 His musical abilities grew as he grew. At the age of twenty, Chopin moved from Poland to Paris. During that time, Chopin was struggling with his identity—a pianist or a composer? He soon became more interested in composing. It was during that time, also, that he wrote his scherzos, ballades, and études—among them, his Études, opus 10. In 1838, Chopin was diagnosed with tuberculosis—the disease that caused his death in 1849.4 Chopin’s Études Op. 10 is important to piano literature because of its history. Chopin wrote his Études Op. 10 under the influence of his friends. Chopin
Some composers write music because it is their passion; some write just to earn money. Some, like Mozart, write with ease; but some, like Beethoven, write with great difficulty. Different composers compose from different impulses. Many times, when we listen to a piece of music, we do not think of its background and the influence it has made to future generations. For example, Carl Czerny’s The School of Velocity was written for the sole purpose of improving finger technique. A piece composed for the development of a specific point of technique is called an etude.1 In Frédéric François Chopin’s case, his etudes were composed for the development of diverse techniques. They rank among his most masterly writings, and they range from early intermediate to advanced study.2 They soon became an important part of piano literature. Chopin’s Études Op. 10 is important to piano literature because of its history, musical techniques, and pedagogical purposes. Chopin, born in 1810 in Warsaw, Poland, was a great pianist. When he was eight years old, he amazed the nobility of Warsaw with his performance at the piano. As an adolescent, he was already composing spectacular music. In 1829, his teacher’s report on his composition classes in the Warsaw Conservatory was: “Lessons in musical composition: Chopin, Frideric, third-year student, amazing capabilities, musical genius.”3 His musical abilities grew as he grew. At the age of twenty, Chopin moved from Poland to Paris. During that time, Chopin was struggling with his identity—a pianist or a composer? He soon became more interested in composing. It was during that time, also, that he wrote his scherzos, ballades, and études—among them, his Études, opus 10. In 1838, Chopin was diagnosed with tuberculosis—the disease that caused his death in 1849.4 Chopin’s Études Op. 10 is important to piano literature because of its history. Chopin wrote his Études Op. 10 under the influence of his friends. Chopin
Bibliography: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992. Weinstock, Herbert. Chopin: The Man and His Music. NY: Da Capo Press, 1981. Huneker, James. Chopin: The Man and His Music. NY: Dover Publications, 1966. Orga, Ates. Chopin: His Life and Times. NJ: Paganiniana Publications, 1980. Hutcheson, Ernest, The Literature of the Piano: A Guide for Amateur and Student. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964. Sadie, Stanley, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd ed. 29 vols. Vol. 3, Baxter to Borosini. New York: Grove, 2001.