Chopin: At The Piano - 17 Well-Known Original Pieces

by Frédéric Chopin

Each volume in the At the Piano series includes original pieces by one composer. The works are arranged in progressive order of difficulty and complement one another conceptually. Each piece ranges from one to eight pages. All volumes contain fingering and practical tips on technique and interpretation. The At the Piano series is an ideal introduction to the world of classical piano music and is particularly suitable for piano students and for all those who are returning to the piano after a long break. The series is edited by Sylvia Hewig-Tröscher, a piano professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. She has decades of experience teaching young people and adults, gives concerts and masterclasses around the world, and is a much sought-after educator. Although Frédéric Chopin was one of the greatest piano virtuosos of his time, even pianists of moderate technical ability can enter into his Romantic, magical realm. His mastery was such that his own, unmistakeable style is tangible even in his shorter, less difficult pieces such as his mazurkas and waltzes. Our selection offers a progressive introduction to the musical language of this Polish-French master. Waltz in A minor, KK IVb, No. 11 · Waltz in B minor, Op. Post. 69, No. 2 · Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 · Prelude in C minor, Op. 28, No. 20 · Prelude in B minor, Op. 28, No. 6 · Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4 · Prelude in E Major, Op. 28, No. 9 · Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 Raindrop · Mazurka in A minor, Op. Post. 68, No. 2 · Mazurka in B-flat Major, Op. 7, No. 1 · Mazurka in G minor, Op. 24, No. 1 · Mazurka in G minor, Op. Post. 67, No. 2 · Nocturne in G minor, Op. 15, No. 3 · Nocturne in C-sharp minor, KK Iva, No. 16 · Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 · Funeral March from Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 · Polonaise in C-sharp minor, Op. 26, No. 1

60 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1986

About the author

Frédéric François Chopin (1810 –1849) is one of the most famous, influential, and admired composers and virtuoso pianists of the Romantic era.

He was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, of Polish and French parentage, on 1st March 1810 in the village of Żelazowa Wola, Poland. In Warsaw he was hailed as a child prodigy and as the “second Mozart” for his piano and composition skill, for which the composer Robert Schumann complimented the talented pianist: “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!” Due to the political situation in Poland, he left his country for France at the age of twenty. There he composed his two piano concertos with their patriotic Polish themes and rhythms, based on traditional polish dances. He never returned to Poland, but after his death his sister Ludwika took his heart to Poland - in accordance with his last will, where it was placed inside a pillar of the Holy Cross Church at Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street.

In Paris, he made a career as a performer and teacher as well as a composer, and he adopted the French variant of his name, “Frédéric-François”. In 1836 he met the French writer George Sand, with whom he had a relationship for nine years until 1847. He suffered poor health for much of his life and this forced him to give up performing and teaching shortly before he died on 17th October 1849.

His compositions, which are almost exclusively for the piano, such as the Funeral March piano sonata and the twenty-seven études (op. 10 and op.25, plus a further set of three without opus numbers), are widely considered to be amongst the pinnacles of the piano repertoire. Although some of his music is among the most technically demanding for the instrument, Chopin’s style emphasizes poetry, nuance and expressive depth, rather than mere technical display. He is often cited as one of the mainstays of romanticism in nineteenth-century classical music.

Reviews

[Coruxa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los mejores libros de partituras los tiene esta editorial, y esta serie de "At the piano" es increíble, ya que empieza progresivamente desde lo más sencillo del compositor hasta obras un poco más exigentes, con comentarios muy útiles para la interpretación de cada obra. Se lee super bien, las páginas son amarillas (pero sin pasarse) para no cansar la vista y es una cosa que al menos yo prefiero, siento que es más agradable para leer que el papel blanco. Las partituras son muy claras y eso es lo importante, porque hay cada editorial que te quieres arrancar los ojos, como Boileau "edición ibérica" xD las de Henle y Schirmer performance editions son las dos mejores para pillar libros de partituras.