What Makes Chopin's Piano Music So Unique?

What is it about Chopin's piano music that tends to make it speak to so several folks?

Even quite a few of these with no certain information of music would right away recognise the sound and style of it. This is almost certainly even a lot more accurate of Chopin's music than of the music of other excellent composers enjoy Bach, Mozart or Beethoven.

Of course numerous persons would recognise Beethoven's fifth symphony, Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik or the Aria from Bach's Goldberg variations. But would they be in a position to determine the style of those composers in a piece they have in no way heard prior to? Maybe they would, but in the case of Chopin it would be additional than most likely. So what is the purpose for that?

In this write-up, I will not pretend to expose all the secrets of Chopin's magic, but Probably I can at least point to some of the items that make his music so specific. The way I appear at it, it has to do with his certain sources of inspiration, and the way he transformed them, generating his music a complete a lot higher than the sum of its components.

Chopin's sources of inspiration

Initially of all, there was his longing for a beloved and suffering Poland. All his life he kept remembering the music he had listened to as a youngster; through his exile, the memories have been infused with nostalgia and nationalism. His countrymen in Paris encouraged him to transform them into his personal Mazurkas, Polonaises and so on.

Then there was his love for the singing human voice. Chopin adored the opera, and in distinct the brilliant and attractive style of the bel canto singers of his personal time. With his excellent expertise of how to make his personal instrument sing, Chopin was capable to make continual use at the piano of what he had listened to at the opera property, for example in his Nocturnes.

As regards instrumental music, Chopin's tastes have been in a way very conservative. He revered Bach and Mozart and studied the principles of their operate incredibly completely. The truth that he managed to stay so correct to his Classical ideals, and at the similar time develop into one of the most significant Romantics, is incredibly a thing of a marvel.

This connection to the previous is the explanation why even his lightest and most entertaining performs generally differs substantially from mere salon music. The Waltzes, for instance, may have pretty a lot in prevalent with the widespread, glittering and sentimental piano music of the Paris salons of the time; but at the similar time, thanks to Chopin's potential to make all his other influences operate collectively, they are gems testifying to his superior genius as a composer.

To come across piano sheet music by Chopin to download, or to listen to recordings of some of his most popular performs, take a look at http://www.pianostreet.com/

David Warn is a pianist and writer for pianostreet.com - a piano music library for pianists, piano teachers and students.