Week 4 - Chopin Preludes, Etudes, and Mazurkas

Chopin
24 Preludes, Op. 28
1. Agitato – C major
This prelude is very much in the style of the figuration preludes of J.S. Bach. This is a fitting, though short, introduction to the set, seeing as how Chopin modeled the idea of both the form of his preludes and their relationships of major to minor. The only difference being that Chopin moves to the relative minor where Bach moved to the parallel minor.
2. Lento – A minor
This is a very somber piece that is characterized by a difficult left hand accompaniment supporting an extremely exposed lyrical melody. The end of this piece is unique in its forshadowing of the 9th prelude in E major. This ending serves to tie the works together so as to establish them as a unified set and not as a collection.
3. Vivace – G major
In many ways this is an etude for the left hand. Chopin makes use of a simple and joyful melody. The melody moves at a moderate tempo and the quickened left-hand serves to bring more excitement to the character than a slow accompaniment could accomplish.
4. Largo – E minor
This is the prelude that I have no doubt heard played the most. It seems that in most cases this becomes an etude on rubato. The rubato is necessitated here because the melody mostly functions only on the 4th and 1st beats of each bar. In order to maintain a sustained singing-voice the decay time must be shortened between.
5. Molto allegro – D major
We see here another figuration prelude similarly composed like the first. The figure is altered and is slightly more difficult here. This style is important not only to Chopin’s influences of J.S. Bach but also to the compositional style that makes his etudes so effective.
6. Lento assai – B minor
Sometimes referred to as the “Cello Prelude” this work has a beautifully lyrical left hand melody. In some ways this functions as the mirror image of the E minor prelude. The interest here is in shaping the left-hand effectively while maintining a steady and independent right hand.
7. Andantino – A major
This is the shortest prelude and arguably the easiest. This is remnant of Schumann’s ability of creating a self-sustaining fragment which contains enough interest to communicate its content in the smallest of forms.
8. Molto agitato – F-sharp minor
We return again to the figuration-style etude. The difficulty here is maintaining a convincing melody in the thumb while keeping the difficult left-hand and upper right-hand patterns at only a sparkling ornamental level.
9. Largo – E major
The arrival at this prelude is a sweet one, especially after being set up with the ending of the 2nd prelude. The rhythm’s and timbres of this prelude are similar to the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, which is fitting given that E major is the relative major to the originals c-sharp minor.
10. Molto allegro – C-sharp minor
A very quick prelude indeed… Here we see Chopin’s ability to make his most out of simple scales.
11. Vivace – B major
This is a remarkably beautiful prelude. The upper notes contain not only the melody but also the ornamental accompaniment. In this way Chopin is able to create a masked yet transparent line.
12. Presto – G-sharp minor
This would be an excellent piece to study before beginning work on the Tempest Sonata. The two note groupings here necessitate a strong command of arm weight and a firm yet relaxed attack.
13. Lento – F-sharp major
This is obviously composed in Chopin’s accomplished Nocturne-style. The left hand is a flowing accompaniment that carries the melody through like an un-diminishing voice. In many ways the B section here is similar to the “Raindrop Prelude”.
14. Allegro – E-flat minor
Here we see an extremely difficult study in unison playing. Even the slightest unevenness of sound pierces the texture. This would be a good piece to study before attempting the last movement of the “Funeral Sonata”.
15. Sostenuto – D-flat major ("Raindrop Prelude")
Not much remains to be said of this prelude. There is simplicity in beauty here and Chopin does all he can to let the melody display its perfection. The repeated notes are most likely there in order to showcase Chopin’s beauty of design in his ability to eliminate the percussive nature of the piano. The repeated notes create an illusion that the piano can spin sounds out like any stringed instrument could.
16. Presto con fuoco – B-flat minor
The first instinct here is to assume that this is nothing more than a study of scrambled right-hand scales. I know it to be true, however, that the real difficulty is the left-hand’s leaping pattern. This combination of a leaping hand with a flowing hand requires the performer to be very comfortable with their mind hand control and independence of extremities.
17. Allegretto – A-flat major
If this were an etude it would have to be one in melodically projecting the outer fingers while maintaining proper musical control over the thick inner harmonies. I would liken this to pieces like Liszt’s Vallee d’Obermann and Scriabin’s etude in c-sharp minor.
18. Molto allegro – F minor
Here we see another example of the Chopin scrambled scales. He inserts chromatic leading tones to almost randomized degrees of the scale. The ending here is very unexpected, without the leading tone it is difficult to feel that the piece ends on tonic.
19. Vivace – E-flat major
Another figuration prelude appears here. The style is very similar to the B major prelude.
20. Largo – C minor
This prelude is very familiar to me, and as funny as it is when I played this in my home many years ago my dad thought I was practicing a Barry Manalow song… apparently he ripped it off. The issue here is the proper voicing and dynamic control of chordal playing.
21. Cantabile – B-flat major
This prelude, like the 2nd, makes use of a very unusual left hand accompanimental pattern. Chopin uses the left hand to voice all the evolving chromatic harmonies that one would usually need two hands or even an orchestra.
22. Molto agitato – G minor
This is certainly a quick study in left-hand octaves. The duration and simplicity of the texture requires the pianist to have ample control over the left hand, or else the performance will be quite worthless.
23. Moderato – F major
Chopin uses a delicate and inventive approach to the use of arpeggios as melodic content. The distance of the melody from the accompaniment gives this piece a light and flowing feeling… like water.
24. Allegro appassionato – D minor
From experience I feel that this prelude is a study in left-hand stretching, as well as rhythmic independence when the left-hand must keep or expand rhythm when the right-hand gets a freely flowing scale, arpeggio, or double-note scale. The three D’s at the end serve as a fantastic ending to the set.

Chopin
12 Etudes, Op. 10
No. 1: Étude in C major
This is a fantastic etude on right-hand arpeggios. I became a fan of this piece when I first saw Ashkenazy’s performance of it on youtube. Chopin makes the arpeggios more difficult by spanning them up a tenth and over awkward black-key terrain. This requires that one have freedom of arm and body movement to allow the hand to stretch without injury or awkward sound.
No. 2: Étude in A minor
This, in my opinion, is the most difficult of the Op. 10 set. The difficulty lies in the necessity of the pinky, 4th finger, and occasionally the 3rd to manage never-ending chromatic scales while performing the accompanying staccato chords with the bottom of the hand.
No. 3: Étude in E major
I had heard it said that Chopin felt this to have been the most beautiful melody he ever composed. I could not think of a better way to study melodic projection than with a melody that you desire to hear so badly that the study begins to become nothing but rewarding with every ounce of melodic content you achieve. This Etude is the first in the set to alter accompaniments within the piece. Chopin feels that sixths and tritons can also be difficult settings for achieving melodic projection.
No. 4: Étude in C-sharp minor
This is one of the only etudes which focus on both hands equally. Chopin spares no difficulty here and requires both hands to play swift and crowded hand positions over all settings of keyboard terrain. The diminished arpeggios in the B section are of great difficulty. He adds to his study of 4th and 5th finger technique at the finale of this etude.
No. 5: Étude in G-flat major "Black Key"
This etude requires the right hand to play all over the black keys. This causes the melody to take on the form of a pentatonic scale. Consequently this makes this piece sound very “cowboy-like” to me. Though the popular consensus is that this is one of the easier etudes, it is true that studying this etude GREATLY increases security with black-key playing.
No. 6: Étude in E-flat minor
This etude is interesting in that it is mostly an etude on handling difficult harmonies. The existence of non-chord tones in the accompanying figure necessitates very little use of the pedal. This causes the player to strive for strong legato playing without any aid from the dampers.
No. 7: Étude in C major
The issue here is one of polyphonic playing within one hand. The figures with the right hand require a great deal of finger independence, with even enough control to control the dynamic ranges therein.
No. 8: Étude in F major
The contents of this etude are very similar to the prelude in B-flat minor. The right hand is required to flow without end through varying scales, while the left hand takes control of a melody that occurs in no way by a flowing motion. This juxtaposition of leaps with stepwise movement once again requires the performer to have a strong command of right-hand security.
No. 9: Étude in F minor
Like the D minor prelude this etude works as an excellent study for left-hand reach. The melody in the right-hand necessitates a strong enough rhythmic constitution that the hands will be able to play in unison even on the weaker beats.
No. 10: Étude in A-flat major
There is a combination of difficulties within this etude. One of them would certainly be an ability to play swift and never resting broken chords while maintaining both musical shape and proper rhythmic emphasis. The other issue would be the two note slurs occurring between the 2nd and 1st fingers of the right-hand.
No. 11: Étude in E-flat major
This etude is obviously a study in rolled chords. Chopin makes these chords more difficult by increasing the intervals to sizes that necessitate larger gestures of the upper-arm. The presence of the melody would also require the performer to have a well thought out approach to pedaling.
No. 12: Étude in C minor "Revolutionary"
This study for the left-hand is one of the better known of Chopin’s etudes. The left-hand is given many difficult figurations which require great control of technique and flowing musicality. The right-hand later serves to inject some further difficulty into the piece by means of difficult rhythms being superimposed over the swirling left-hand.

12 Etudes, Op. 25
No. 1: Étude in A-flat major "Aeolian Harp"
This etude was said to have been a favorite of Chopin’s. The difficulty here is once again melodic projection but in a far removed setting from the etude in E major. The arpeggios require the hand to change positions away from the melody notes but return with enough control to keep the phrasing moving appropriately.
No. 2: Étude in F minor "Bees"
This etude presents a study in rhythmic security. The right-hand is in 4 whereas the left-hand is in 6. This requires enough control to move the rhythmic groupings without relying on strong unison beats. Obviously the chromatically changing scales in the right hand would also be an area of specific difficulty.
No. 3: Étude in F major
This could either be considered an etude in trills or in leaps. I believe it is a combination of both and focuses on pieces with these types of difficulties, such as the “Les Adieux” Sonata by Beethoven, which in its final movement has a trill which moves to a distant interval in a similar way.
No. 4: Étude in A minor "Paganini"
This would certainly be an etude in leaping left hand figures. The placing of the chord on the weaker beat makes it even more difficult because the performer must have enough control to secure all the notes after the leap without awkwardly accenting the chord in a way that will draw the listener to believe that it is the on beat.
No. 5: Étude in E minor
This etude combines several difficult techniques into one.
1) Under-turning the 2nd finger to the thumb.
2) Rolling the left hand.
3) Maintaining bass-balance without smooth pedaled harmonies.
The B section turns this primarily into a left hand melodic study, while the right-hand is given difficult harmonized arpeggios which must remain un-obstructive to the melody.
No. 6: Étude in G-sharp minor
This is the infamously difficult study in thirds. The left hand is not of great technical importance here, other than to supply a stable melody and accompaniment to the step-wise, and often chromatic, construction of the right-hand.
No. 7: Étude in C-sharp minor "Cello"
This etude is a study in left-hand melodic shaping. The left-hand is required to play both harmonic notes and accompanimental notes, requiring that it be firm in its musical independence. This etude is a combination of aspects from the B-minor prelude, the “Revolutionary” prelude, and Scriabin’s etude for left hand.
No. 8: Étude in D-flat major
This etude is simply a study of the extremely difficult practice of moving from the fourth finger to the fifth. The lower voices in the right-hand increase difficulty by requiring that the hand to be spread and set in a secure position. This is similar to the A minor etude, but now the bottom voice is matched to the top rhythmically.
No. 9: Étude in G-flat major "Butterfly"
This etude, like the G-flat, sounds like a cowboy song to me. It combines the difficulty of moving from 4-2 fingerings to octave 1-5’s with the awkward “boom-chic” accompaniment in the left-hand.
No. 10: Étude in B minor
This is quite simply a study in right-hand octaves with varying styles (fast and furious, slow and melodic).
No. 11: Étude in A minor "Winter Wind"
This is a study in the playing of broken intervals at extremely fast tempos. The melody is given to the left-hand, making this similar to etudes like the 1st in C major. The performer will require here a strong command of a rotation technique. The primary difficult is the inconsistencies in interval size.
No. 12: Étude in C minor “Ocean”
This is a study which requires both hands to master the technique. The study is of arpeggios which double the top note with the starting note of the next position. This requires a lot of use of body movement, as well as an ability to secure the bottom melody notes without losing melodic contour.
3 Nouvelles Etudes,
No. 1: Étude in F minor
This etude is in 4’s against 3’s. The difficulty here is to allow the rhythms to sound free and secure while maintaining proper rhythmic distance. A merely percussive “pass the golden butter” will prevent the beauty of the music from being communicated.
No. 2: Étude in D-flat major
This is another multi-voice study. The right hand must maintain separation of a flowing upper-note melody with a staccato lower voice accompaniment. The left-hand must maintain a soft springy bass while also correctly voicing the chord which occurs in the tenor range.
No. 3: Étude in A-flat major
This is an etude for 2’s against 3’s, as well as for proper chord-voicing with a melody note on the top. The observance of slurs, as difficult as they may be, is important for maintaining melodic shape and integrity.