The piano has become one of the hallmarks of Romanticism. Music lovers can install it at home to play and compose music while sitting on a self-sufficient instrument similar to a small orchestra. On the other hand, keyboard virtuosos express their personality and display their technical skills in concert halls where they are considered extraordinary creatures.
One of the most original pianists of this period is the Polish and almost Parisian Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), whose melodies rival each other in beauty and inspiration. The music of this composer is able to stimulate the imagination without poetic titles or references to poems, paintings or historical scenes.
His work is very well composed and usually consists of a single part of a melodic nature. Chopin wrote elegant polonaises, reflective nocturnes, waltzes for dancing, varied technical studies, folklore-inspired mazurkas, free-wheeling ballads, startling scherzos and beautiful preludes that seem accessible to the most humble of pianists. The teacher does not like recitals and limits his public appearances to evenings for friends or concerts for charity.
I want to dwell on one of the most resigned preludes that Chopin composed, number 4 of the collection of 24 that make up opus 28, depicted in the Cartuja de Valldemosa during the winter of 1938-39. This gem of only 25 bars has such depth that it was chosen by the composer himself to be performed at his funeral along with Mozart’s Requiem.
The dramatic character of the piece lies in the combination of the static melody in the right hand with the chromatic chord progression in the left hand. Actually, the sequence of these chords is simple, with jumps of semitones, creating the ideal atmosphere to express the sadness and resignation that lead to a state of depression. The melody manifests itself in a twelve-bar theme that is repeated with some adjustments and is followed by a fragment where rebellion and the intent to conquer create a false climax before everything falls apart.
In Largo No. 4 of his collection of preludes, Chopin anticipates the future and writes chords more typical of jazz music, such as the augmented ninth, which do not appear in the traditional Harmony discourses. His original way of conceiving music awakens emotions beyond words.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
