And his all-too-real physical ailments: asthma, frailty, tuberculosis…and perhaps even cystic fibrosis. But what was Chopin, the swain of the salons, so mad about? Well, start with exile. His Prelude in B-flat minor is far angrier than Beethoven’s Rondo. A Chopin student wrote: “He can be as petulant as a small child, bullying his pupils and being very cold with his friends…He is polite to excess, and yet there is so much irony, so much spite hidden inside it!” So why deny Chopin the right to be cranky? He was that, not to mention quirky, moody, irritable, even plain old mean. Beethoven didn’t call one of his rondos “Rage Over a Lost Penny”, but we do… They align with-and it’s tempting to think, explain-some of his music. The tales of his stormy nature and undesirable behaviors enhance his image. Is it hard to take that he was hard to take? Suppose you learn a few things about Chopin that ruin any chance of harboring a romantic notion of the man. He stirred up the audience - and no shortage of rumors - by playing the loudest portion of the piece as softly as possible.ĭecades later, the Baracolle’s sophisticated construction and shimmering beauty led French composer Maurice Ravel to sum up Chopin’s work as “some mysterious Apotheosis.the melodic line is continuous.a gentle melody appears, remains suspended, and subsides softly, underpinned by magical chords.” Why did Chopin, no fan of program music, call it a Barcarolle? Had the desperately ill composer at last made peace with the world? Was he crossing his own river Styx? Was there anyone on the boat with him?įurthering the mystery, Chopin played the Barcarolle at his very last public concert in Paris. Armchair psychologists, however, have had a century and a half to analyze this nine-minute masterpiece….written as his relationship with George Sand was coming apart at the seams. From one of his letters, we do know he wrote it in short order. And even Chopin was urged to try his hand at one. They were all the rage in nineteenth century Europe. Some have called it an “aquatic nocturne ” But Chopin named it Barcarolle, after songs of the Venetian gondoliers.īarcarolles are meant to evoke the swaying motion of a boat on the water. It was one of the last pieces Chopin composed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |