Chopin

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

Born 1810, from now Poland.

• In Paris at 1832
• son of school teacher and had a good education
• went to Warsaw conservatory to study composition with Helsner.
• pretty much a self train pianist,
• traditionalist composer,
• preferred Private concerts
• maybe gave 50 recitals max

Question 2

Backgound 2

Answer 2

wanted to be considered a composer and not performer

• made a good living through international publishing and teaching (taught very wealthy children)
• musical expression: avoided any verbal pinning down of his music
• no programmatic connotations, -comes across as a a tradionalist, -form is relatively classical,
• his reception was always accepted

Question 3

Etudes

Answer 3

• really focused on specific technical facility
• C major etude focuses on diatonic leaps and web like expansion and contraction of hand to make intervals, -focus on overtone series.