Music 1010 SEMESTER PRESENTATION BY CHARIS SMITH Frederic

Music 1010 SEMESTER PRESENTATION BY CHARIS SMITH

Frederic Chopin Romantic-Era Composer and Pianist

The Life of Frederic Chopin Early Life q Born on March 1, 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, Poland q Studied piano with Wojciech Zwyny in Warsaw, as a child q Age Six: he could play the piano and compose songs q Age Eight: Gave first piano concert and outgrew abilities of his piano teacher q 1826: Chopin had composed many pieces that caused hos name to be well known q 1829: Parents sent him to Vienna for a broader musical experience

The Life of Frederic Chopin Early Adulthood q 1832: Settled in Paris, center of European culture and Romanticism q His music became highly regarded among elite Parisian performers q Became friends with other artists such as, Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz q Focused on teaching, composing, and private performances

The Life of Frederic Chopin Adult Years q 1835: Engagement to Maria Wodinski q 1837: Engagement broken off by Wodinski family q 1838: Began relationship with George Sand q 1839: Diagnosed with Tuberculosis, relationship grew turbulent, music became more rich and complex.

The Life of Frederic Chopin Final Years q 1847: Relationship between Chopin and Sand Ends q 1848: Began teaching lessons and giving private performances q 1848: Declining health, Sister moves in with him q October 17, 1849: Dies at age 38

Works q 20 Nocturnes q 25 Preludes q 17 Waltzes q 15 Polonaise q 58 Mazurkas q 27 Etudes

Accomplishments q Credited with originating the modern piano style q Reinvented a form, the Scherzo q Invented the Ballade q Invented the Sonata q Contributed more significant works to piano’s repertoire than any other person in history

Music History 1. Ballade No. 1 in G Minor 2. Mazurka in B-Flat Minor

Music History Ballade No. 1 in G Minor q. Ballade: Associated with French poetry, as a music form q. Sometimes called Chopin’s greatest musical composition q. First version written in 1831, during early years in Vienna q. Final version not finished until 1835 or 1836 q. Reflection of Chopin's loneliness and longing for family q. Inspired by the poem, Konrad Wallerod q. Different structure than other ballads

Music History Mazurka in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4 q Mazurka originated in Mazovia Province of Northern Poland q. Lively folk dance q. In triple time with syncopated first beat q. One of Chopin's 69 Mazurkas published in 1835 q. Long with clearly defined sections q. In triple meter

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor i. 0: 00 - The piece begins with introduction ii. 0: 11 - ascending melody iii. 0: 24 - Introduction to Theme A. Calm mood. Monophonic texture. iv. 0: 36 - Dynamics of music is very soft. Mood is soft. Texture is monophonic. v. 0: 51 - Changes to Homophobic texture. Mood is calm.

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (cont. ) vi. 1: 00 - Theme B Begins. The melody is smooth with calm mood. Homophonic texture. vii. 1: 30 - The Dynamics change from soft to loud viii. 2: 00 -The texture is homophonic. Mood is calm. ix. 2: 25 - A descending melody is repeated several times. The tempo speeds up.

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (cont. ) x. 2: 37 - The dynamics change from soft to loud. The tempo becomes very fast. The dynamics become loud. The mood feels angry and chaotic. xi. 2: 58 - The tempo becomes slow. The texture is homophonic. The mood is sad or confused. xii. 3: 07 - Ascending melody. The tempo is moderate. The mood is calm. The texture is Homophonic. xiii. 3: 30 - The mood is calm. The tempo is very slow.

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (cont. ) xiv. 3: 58 - The tempo quickens. The dynamics are soft. The mood is calm. There is a wide melodic range. xv. 4: 15 - Theme A repeats. xvi. 4: 35 - Dynamics are louder than softer. The tempo is fast. The texture is homophonic. xvii. 5: 00 - The melody repeats itself several times. The texture is homophonic. The tempo is fast. The dynamics are loud.

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (cont. ) xviii. 5: 17 - Series of descending scales. xix. 5: 23 - The melody is a long descending scale. xx. 5: 40 - The tempo is very fast. The mood is angry and hectic. The dynamics are more soft than loud. xxi. 5: 55 - The dynamics change from moderate to loud. The tempo is very fast. The texture is homophonic. xxii. 6: 15 - Theme B is re-introduced. The tempo slows.

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (cont. ) xxiii. 6: 36 - The melody has a wide range. xxiv. 6: 45 - The mood changes to clam. The Tempo becomes very slow. The dynamics change to soft. xxv. 7: 23 - The dynamics are soft. The texture is homophonic. The tempo is slow. The mood is calm. xxvi. 7: 40 - The melody repeats itself several times. The texture is homophobic.

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (cont. ) xxvii. 7: 58 -The tempo increases to very fast. The dynamics become very loud. The mood is angry or upset. The texture is homophonic. xxviii. 8: 22 - There is a wide melodic range. The tempo is fast. The dynamics are loud. The texture is homophonic. xxix. 8: 30 - The melody is an ascending scale. xxx. 8: 33 - There is a long, melodic descending scale. There is a wide melodic range. The tempo is moderate

Listening Guides Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (cont. ) xxxi. 8: 43 - The mood changes to calm. The texture is homophonic. The tempo is very eslow. The dynamics are very soft. xxxii. 8: 57 - The tempo is very slow. The texture is homophonic. xxxiii. 9: 14 - The piece ends. The texture is monophonic. The tempo is very slow.

Listening Guides Mazurkas in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4 i. 0: 00 - Piece Begins. ii. 0: 01 - Introduction. The melody decreases chromatically. The texture is monophonic. iii. 0: 09 - The texture shifts to homophonic. The tempo is slow. The mood is calm. iv. 0: 14 - The harmony shifts from minor to major. The mood remains calm. The dynamics are moderate, but more soft than loud.

Listening Guides Mazurkas in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4 (cont. ) v. 0: 18 - The harmony shifts back to minor. The tempo speeds up and becomes quite fast. vi. 0: 30 - The tempo slows. The texture is homophonic. Moderate triple meter. vii. 0: 40 - The tempo speeds up. The mood becomes more lively/happy. viii. 0: 55 - There is a descending melodic scale along with the tempo slowing. The dynamics are more soft than loud. The texture is homophonic. ix. 1: 22 - The harmony shifts from minor to major. The texture is homophonic. The tempo becomes quick. The mood is calm.

Listening Guides Mazurkas in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4 (cont. ) x. 1: 58 - There is a wide melodic range. The mood is lively/happy. The texture is homophonic. The dynamics is loud. xi. 2: 05 - The tempo slows drastically. xii. 2: 10 - The texture is monophonic. The tempo is very slow. The mood is calm. Very soft dynamics. xiii. 2: 34 - The dynamics shifts from soft to loud. The tempo shifts from slow to fast. This pattern repeats itself several times. xiv. 3: 00 - The texture is homophonic. The tempo is moderate. The dynamics repeatedly shifts from soft to loud several times.

Listening Guides Mazurkas in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4 (cont. ) xv. 3: 22 - The dynamics grows louder. The texture is homophonic. xvi. 3: 30 - The tempo rotates from slow to fast and repeats the pattern several times. The dynamics shift from soft to loud repeats the pattern several times. xvii. 3: 53 - The harmony shifts to minor from major. The mood is lively/happy. xviii. 4: 00 - Moderate triple meter with accents on the 3 rd beat.

Listening Guides Mazurkas in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4 (cont. ) xix. 4: 16 - The tempo becomes very slow. The texture is homophonic. The mood is calm and almost sad. xx. 4: 40 - The tempo is very slow. The Dynamics are soft. xxi. 5: 00 - Homophonic texture. The tempo slows down greatly. xxii. 5: 06 - The piece ends.

Works Cited 1. Baker, Theodore. The Concise Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. 8 th edition. New York: Schirmer Books, 1994. 2. Libbey, Ted. "The Life and Music Of Frederic Chopin". NPR Music, 2 March 2010. http: //www. npr. org. 3. "Frédéric Chopin. " 2014. The Biography Channel website. Feb 23 2014. htp: //www. biography. com/people/frédéric-chopin.