Here we experience the power of driving chords in quarter notes which are even more effective arriving after such a glorious singing melody, as if poignancy had given way to a new-found confidence.Īfter a repeat of the exposition Chopin borrows from his opening material at measure 105. Measure 69 begins a change of direction and an emotional climb achieved through the color of intensified harmonies, arriving at measure 81. The performer is urged to summon legato, a singing tone and the roundness necessary to express this rare beauty, not to ignore the rich bass supporting the top. Not until measure 42 does Chopin break into a fully sustained melody in the relative major key of D flat. Rests between the small figures add to the breathless quality of the music, to the motion and angst. Measure 7, agitato, offers snippets of melody over broken chords in the bass. The resolution at measure 5, doppio movimento, or double time, grows out of the introduction organically into an agitated romp as if through a dark forest. Next an accented chord – C#-G#-C# – still in the bass slowly resolves to the V of I and suspends us there momentarily – so much foreboding in the span of four measures. This is undoubtedly one of his most profound works - a piece of mysticism, containing a story-like narrative of incredible power.Like a graveyard bell a long-held octave in D flat plummets a 7th below and heralds the opening of the first movement. The ensuing romance provided the happiness and stability that would inspire some of Chopin's most mature works among them is the f minor ballade from 1842. Although among his most epic creations, its descriptive title is 'scherzo' which means nothing short of 'a joke.' Was Chopin being ironic by trivializing his instrumentally brilliant works which were later to become staples of the concert hall? In this same year Chopin traveled to London and met the French writer Amandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin, better known as George Sand. Consequently, Chopin most often displayed his pianistic talents for his aristocratic friends in the more intimate setting of Parisian salons.Ĭhopin wrote the b-flat minor scherzo in 1837, and it has become one of his most well known works. Chopin was a pianist of high caliber - by some accounts comparable to Liszt - but this did not diminish his dislike for giving public performances. Having already earned early fame in his beloved Poland, he moved while still young to Vienna and then to Paris. 31 Frédéric ChopinĪs compared to the other composers on today's program, Frederic Chopin was perhaps the most well known composer/pianist of his day. Energetic and placing several of the scherzo’s motivic ideas in close proximity, the coda brings the scherzo to an exciting close.
At the conclusion of the scherzo’s reprise, a sudden change back into A major for eight measures signals the arrival of the coda.
Like the scherzo, the trio is also repeated and upon its close leads into a transitory passage, built upon the prior F-sharp minor tune, and soon the return of the Scherzo. The triplet flourishes that underlie this theme eventually lead the music to a beautiful and graceful passage of arpeggios over a descending bass line in E major. A somber tune in F-sharp minor follows the sustained opening and becomes the centerpiece of the trio. In sharp contrast, the trio begins with sostenuto chords with the faint reminiscent sounds of the Scherzo’s melody hidden within. For this reason, it is better to consider D-flat major, instead of B-flat minor, as the key of the Scherzo. As is typical of Chopin, the introduction and melody are repeated again with variation.įollowing a flourishing close in D-flat major, the trio section shifts to the key of A major. The melody gradually unfolds over a lush harmonic accompaniment in the left hand. Establishing firmly the key of D-flat major as the prevailing tonic, elegant passagework leads to the Scherzo’s beautiful con anima melody. This introductory passage, vacillating between the keys of B-flat minor, D-flat major and F minor, and ending in the latter, breaks off in anticipation of the arrival of the scherzo’s main theme. Colossal fortissimo chords then sound in resounding response. It begins with a short motif based around the notes of the B-flat minor triad ending questioningly on its fifth. Chopin composed his second of four scherzos for the piano in 1837.
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