Compare And Contrast Chopin And Billy Joel
Stephanie Minton Music 1030-W12
Frederic Chopin and Billy Joel
Nearly two centuries separate two of the greatest pianists of all times; yet Frederic Chopin and Billy Joel have many similarities in their composure of music. The biggest connection among the two is their love for the piano. Not only did they both enjoy playing the piano, it was a way of life for both Chopin and Joel. Chopin, a half-Polish and half-French composer from the Romantic era is known to some as the “prince of the romantics” (Zamoyski). Joel, an American pop musician often referred to by many as the “piano man” (Sandow). Despite the fact these two composers are from different times as well as countries, they do have a number of resemblances. …show more content…
They were both considered pros at playing. Both Chopin and Joel composed and wrote music with a lot of emotion. Chopin’s ballades were full of energetic tones: calm, slow, powerful and dynamic. Alike, many of Joel’s songs had meaning and were written about experiences he had encountered, some good and some bad.
Both Joel and Chopin composed many pieces of work about romance. One of Joel’s most popular love songs is “She’s Got a Way” which was released in 1971. It is a beautiful vocal piece of music with the piano being the main instrument with an accompanying guitar. Most of Chopin’s compositions had a romantic sound about them. Etude Op 25 No 12 is an excellent example of one of Chopin’s masterpieces; it sounds like wonderful dancing music. On another entirely different note, both Chopin and Joel composed music about death. Chopin’s 3rd movement “Funeral March” from Piano Sonata #2 is still very familiar today to most of us today. “A funeral march is usually a slow piece of music with a steady, plodding beat in a minor key that evokes feelings of sadness and grief” (Chiego). Joel also recorded a song about death, “Lullaby (Goodnight,
Frederic Chopin and Billy Joel
Nearly two centuries separate two of the greatest pianists of all times; yet Frederic Chopin and Billy Joel have many similarities in their composure of music. The biggest connection among the two is their love for the piano. Not only did they both enjoy playing the piano, it was a way of life for both Chopin and Joel. Chopin, a half-Polish and half-French composer from the Romantic era is known to some as the “prince of the romantics” (Zamoyski). Joel, an American pop musician often referred to by many as the “piano man” (Sandow). Despite the fact these two composers are from different times as well as countries, they do have a number of resemblances. …show more content…
They were both considered pros at playing. Both Chopin and Joel composed and wrote music with a lot of emotion. Chopin’s ballades were full of energetic tones: calm, slow, powerful and dynamic. Alike, many of Joel’s songs had meaning and were written about experiences he had encountered, some good and some bad.
Both Joel and Chopin composed many pieces of work about romance. One of Joel’s most popular love songs is “She’s Got a Way” which was released in 1971. It is a beautiful vocal piece of music with the piano being the main instrument with an accompanying guitar. Most of Chopin’s compositions had a romantic sound about them. Etude Op 25 No 12 is an excellent example of one of Chopin’s masterpieces; it sounds like wonderful dancing music. On another entirely different note, both Chopin and Joel composed music about death. Chopin’s 3rd movement “Funeral March” from Piano Sonata #2 is still very familiar today to most of us today. “A funeral march is usually a slow piece of music with a steady, plodding beat in a minor key that evokes feelings of sadness and grief” (Chiego). Joel also recorded a song about death, “Lullaby (Goodnight,