Chopin's 27 Études

                                                                                              
                     Click here for → A Guide to Chopin's of  Études  
                      
                                                                                                                                                           (online piano)
        An étude, or study, is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, 
        of considerable difficulty, and designed to provide practice material for 
        perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged 
        in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano. 

        Of the vast number of études from that era some are still used as teaching 
         material (particularly pieces by Carl Czerny and Muzio Clementi).  Chopin's 
         Op. 10 études (1833) were the first written for concert performance.  They 
         were written between 1829 and 1832.


   Other famous concert Etudes:

      Robert Schumann  -  Études symphoniques (Symphonic Studies), Op. 13 (1834)


      Franz Liszt             -  (12)  Transcendental Études, S. 139  (1826, rev. 1837, rev. 1852)

                                                 Three Concert Études, S. 144  (1847 - 1849)

                                          (6)  Grandes Études de Paganini, S. 141  (1838, rev. 1851)


      Sergei Rachmaninoff  -   Études-Tableaux, Op. 33 & Op. 39 


       Claude Debussy    -  (12)  Études, L136  (1915)



    Chopin's Études:

                Note:  None of the nicknames are Chopin's


           12 Études Op. 10  (1833)   "to my friend, Franz Liszt" 

                Étude in C major,  Waterfall, or Triumph 
                Étude in A minor,  Chromatic  (1830)
                Étude in E major,  Tristesse, or L'adieu  (1832)
                Étude in C♯ minor,  Torrent  (1832)
                Étude in G♭ major,  Black Keys  (1830)
                Étude in E♭ minor,  Lament  (1830)
                Étude in C major,  Toccata  (1832)
                Étude in F major,  Sunshine  (1829)
                Étude in F minor,  Storm  (1829)
                Étude in A♭ major  (1829)
                Étude in E♭ major,  Arpeggio  (1829)
                Étude in C minor,  Revolutionary  (1831)
 


    12 Études, Op. 25  (1837) -  dedicated to Marie d'Agoult  -  (Daniel Stern)  
 
                    The second set of études, overall, tends to be gentler and more 
                    delicate than the first set. 

                Étude in A♭ major, Aeolian Harp, or Shepherd Boy  (1836)
                Étude in F minor,  The Bees  (1836)
                Étude in F major,  The Horseman  (1836)
                Étude in A minor,  Paganini  (1832–1834)
                Étude in E minor,  Wrong Note  (1832–1834)
                Étude in G♯ minor,  Thirds (1832–1834)
                Étude in C♯ minor,  Cello  (1836)
                Étude in D♭ major,  Sixths  (1832–1834)
                Étude in G♭ major,  Butterfly  (1832–1834)
                Étude in B minor,  Octave (1832–1834)
                Étude in A minor,  Winter Wind (1834)
                Étude in C minor,  Ocean (1836)

 

           Trois nouvelles (three new) études  (1839)

                    These three études were written as piano exercises for a project   
                    with two other musicians.  They were never given an opus number.  
                    While they are nice listening, they are not as technically brilliant as 
                    the études in Opp. 10 or 25. 


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Sviatoslav Richter, piano      Total Time = 13:00 


             Étude Op. 10, No. 2 in A minor  "Chromatic"  (1:30)


                 In the major and minor scales there are seven notes made up of five whole  
                 tones and two half  tones 
(this is easy to see on a piano playing the C major  
                 scale because there are no 
black keys between E & F and B and C).               

                 This is an exercise for having the 'weak' three (third, fourth, and fifth)
                  play the chromatic passages. 


                 This etude sounds more like a piano exercise than most of the other.


             Étude Op. 10, No. 3 in E major  "Tristesse" (Sadness)  (3:55)

                  This piece is in ternary (A-B-A) form which Chopin used often in the études. 
                   A part here is gentle and melancholic until it devolves into a more
                   turbulent grief or anger
in the B part.  Then the A part returns to end the piece.  
                   This is an example of a sad song in a MAJOR key           


             Étude Op. 10, No. 4 in C# minor  "Torrent"  (2:10)

                  Near the beginning the right hand plays a long string of single notes while
                  the left hand jabs some chords.  After a number of seconds, the hands switch
                  roles with the left hand playing the long string of notes and the right jabbing 
                  the chords.  After a few times of switching back and forth, both hands
                  simultaneously play their own strings of notes.       



             Étude Op. 10, No. 6 in Eb minor  "Lament"  (3:15)  (Sorrow or Grief)

                  Chopin uses an 'Alberti bass' method in the left hand.  The Alberti bass is
                  a "broken chord" or arpeggiated method.  At its most basic it is just the
                  notes of a chord (C,E, G in the C major chord), but played C,G,E,G one
                  note on every beat.       


                  Mozart used the Alberti bass often, primarily with major and minor chords. 
                  But here Chopin uses it with more exotic chords  (diminished or augmented)
                  chords that gives the piece a very eerie and disturbing sound.  Jazz
                  musicians often use these same types of chords to produce similar effects. 



             Étude Op. 10, No. 12 in C minor "Revolutionary Étude"  (2:45)

                   This is Chopin's most famous étude.  It was composed about the time
                   Russia crushed Warsaw following the Pole's November, 1830 uprising.
                  




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