September 2025
performed by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) is one of the most important composers of the Romantic Period (1810-1900). He mainly wrote pieces for the piano but he did write some Polish songs too. As an adult Frederic lived in France, but he was born in Poland. As a young child he enjoyed listening to his mother and older sister play the piano. He tried to copy them and by age six he was composing his own pieces!
Chopin had his own distinct style. His teachers recognized his artistry and creativity and encouraged him to continue developing his own approach to composition and piano technique. Frederic composed many types of piano pieces. Here are few examples:
Mazurka – energetic Polish dance in 3/4 time, sometimes accenting a weak beat (2 or 3).
Polonaise – stately Polish dance in 3/4 time
Prelude – These are some of Chopin’s shorter works. He wrote one in every key (scale), major and minor. Some say they were inspired by J. S. Bach’s “Well-Tempered Klavier” which also had a piece in every key!
Nocturne – pieces that have a singing-style melody for the right hand with tasteful ornamentation, and broken chords for the left hand
The video for this month’s listening log is one of Chopin’s nocturnes. Listen for the singing melody in the right hand with all it’s beautiful turns, grace notes, trills and grouplets. Garrick Ohlsson’s artistry is on full display. You’ll hear how he balances the melody with the harmony notes and plays with the tempo (rubato).
There are two teams of composers: “Absolute Music” and “Programmatic Music.” Franz Liszt and Felix Mendelssohn liked to write music with imaginative titles that guide listeners in how they experience the pieces. For example Lizst wrote “Liebesträume” (Love’s Dream). They were for programmatic music. Chopin was on team “Absolute Music” and preferred titles that indicated the genre or type of music they belong to (like mazurka or prelude). I think Chopin thought that imaginative titles were limiting.
Which team are you on, “Programmatic Music,” “Absolute Music” or maybe both! 🙂
*Information from “Britannica.com,” “Wikipedia.com” & ” polishmusic.usc.edu/research/dances”