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Time and background of all Chopin's music creation
Frederic chopin (18 10- 1849)

This great Polish musician likes Polish folk music since he was a child. He wrote Polish Dance at the age of seven and performed at the age of eight. Less than twenty years old, he has become a recognized pianist and composer in Warsaw. The rest of his life coincided with the fall of Poland. He spent time abroad and created many piano works with patriotic thoughts to express his homesickness and national subjugation. Among them are The First Narration, Polish Dance in A-flat Major and other heroic works related to Poland's national liberation struggle. There are fighting works full of patriotic enthusiasm, such as revolutionary etudes and scherzo in b minor; There are sad works mourning the fate of the motherland, such as sonata in B flat minor; There are also fantasy works that miss the motherland and relatives, such as many nocturnes and fantasies. Chopin lived on the piano all his life, and almost all his creations were piano music, so he was called a "piano poet". He often raises money to perform for his compatriots abroad, but he is unwilling to perform for the nobles. 1837 sternly refused the position of "Chief Pianist of His Majesty the Russian Emperor" awarded by Russia. Schumann called his music "a cannon hidden among flowers" and declared to the world that "Poland will not perish". Life in his later years was very lonely, and he painfully claimed to be "a Polish orphan far from his mother". Before he died, he asked his relatives to transport his heart back to the motherland.

[Polish genius]

First of all, another prodigy

Chopin's family lived in three rooms in a countess's manor house. They are pleasant rooms with white walls and bright ceilings, white sand curtains on the windows, inverted golden bells and blooming geraniums on the wide windowsill. There are heavy mahogany furniture, many bookshelves and a white cylindrical stove in the house. When it is cold, the pine inside crackles and gives off fragrant heat. There is a piano in the biggest room of the three rooms. Unlike other talented musicians, young Chopin doesn't like that piano.

Chopin's first teacher is a strange figure. He always wears a light yellow coat and trousers, patent leather boots and a colorful but tacky vest. According to him, this is the property of the last Polish king bought at an auction house. He always carries a long pencil, which is often used to knock the heads and fingers of those slow and unruly students. He made Chopin like the piano and played it beautifully, so the young Chopin was gradually known as "the second Mozart" in Warsaw. At the age of ten, he was taken to perform in front of a great singer. The singer was very happy and gave him a watch. Soon after, the Russian czar listened to his performance and immediately gave him a diamond ring as a gift. There was a saying in the European newspaper at that time: "God gave Mozart to Austria and Chopin to Poland." When Chopin was still very young and couldn't remember music, he could make up some sketches and ask the teacher to write them on the manuscript paper for him. Later, Chopin learned composition and other courses in Warsaw, where his father taught French. When he was 0/7 years old, he finally left school to devote himself to music.

Second, patriotic musicians who are "single-minded"

Chopin was the first composer who devoted his life to musical instruments. Even Liszt, Paganini in the piano, turned to writing for all orchestras in his later years, so when his piano works were rewritten for orchestras, they sounded just as good-even better. But Chopin did not try to imitate the orchestra on the piano. He can express music better on the piano than any other instrument. No matter what the rhythm of Chopin's works is-whether it's a waltz or a Polish Mazurka or a Polish dance-the melody almost always appears in the form of a simple ABBA trilogy. His music is different from Beethoven's sonatas, just as a short and perfect poem is different from Shakespeare's plays. Chopin gave two successful concerts in Vienna, and then he wanted to seek fame in the wider world. After three farewell concerts in Warsaw, he set off. Before he went far, his teacher and former classmates stopped his carriage and sang a chorus for him. Then they gave him a silver commemorative cup filled with the soil of his hometown, hoping that he would never forget his hometown. Although he never came back, he never forgot the motherland where he was born and raised.

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Third, the Paris years

Chopin became the most fashionable teacher in Paris soon after he arrived in Paris. He has as many students as he wants and the price is the highest. He is like a prince in class, always wearing Aries gloves, accompanied by servants, and coming in a carriage. Liszt introduced him to Du Dewante, a famous novelist with George Thornton as his pen name. Through her, he was attracted to the happy circle of artists, writers and musicians who made Paris their home. But all the success and fun that befell him will never make him forget the glory and sadness of Poland. All Chopin's music works are short sound paintings of his various feelings. Some of them are taken from his own life-dreamy nocturnes and short preludes he wrote when he visited George Thornton and her daughters on Zalka Island, and those waltzes-especially the one in D flat major, which is said to have been written after he watched George Thornton's little white dog chase its tail. But a bigger part of his music comes from his love for his birthplace.

Fourth, Polish rhythm.

Many of Chopin's great works were written in the rhythm of two ancient Polish dances-Mazuka and Polonaise. Polonaise dance is a kind of aristocratic dance-princes and heroes March steadily and solemnly in front of the king's throne. Chopin created some of his most magnificent works in this form. Chopin often watches mazurka dance. This is a kind of country dance, and Polish farmers try to forget the hardships in life with full of energy and joy. Its rhythm is three beats per bar, and in the last beat, the dancers' heels click together to strengthen one beat. Chopin composed more than fifty mazurka dances. In this rhythm, he showed all kinds of feelings from sadness and mystery to joy in life. Chopin's Daming Qu in B flat minor is based on an ancient Polish poem, and his four ballads tell four stories written by Poland's greatest poets. One of the most popular songs is about a young knight's love for a beautiful and mysterious lady. Even his etudes are not only some exercises, but also some musical sketches. The great revolutionary etude that all students who want to be famous pianists want to learn was written when Chopin heard that Poles rose up against Russia again and again, but were brutally suppressed again and again. Schumann, a romantic master, once described it like this: "Chopin's works are cannons hidden in flowers." Chopin's music is loved by people, perhaps because it not only tells the beauty and sadness of Poland, but also tells a passionate patriotic feeling. Heine, Chopin's friend in Paris and a German poet, once wrote: "When he sat in front of the piano, I felt as if a countryman from my birthplace was telling me the strangest thing that happened while I was away. Sometimes I really want to ask him:' Are those roses at home still blooming enthusiastically? "Are those trees still singing so beautifully in the moonlight?" The elegant little musician's charming smile, pleasant attitude and angelic beautiful curly hair became the darling of the living room in Paris. But the experience of living in Paris destroyed Chopin's health, and he became sensitive and irritable. After a quarrel, his ten-year friendship with George Thornton completely collapsed.

[Piano Poet]

First of all, complex song titles and unique composition.

Chopin has many works in his life, all of which are piano works, nine tenths of which are piano solos. But the most troublesome thing is that most of his works only have genres without titles. Even if many works are marked and numbered according to genres and genres, it is still difficult to figure out which one is. Therefore, when searching Chopin's works, later generations often use the work number (op.) as the main basis for searching, because there will be no repetition and confusion in the work number.

Chopin can't compose music without a piano keyboard. According to people at that time, Chopin was good at improvising the piano in one go. But when he started thinking about improvisation, it was extremely laborious, and many traces of alteration were often left on the manuscript paper. He has done a lot of works, and every time he plays it himself, there will be a revised version. It can be seen that Chopin has great feelings for composing music.

Second, Chopin's creed: let people guess!

"Take off your hats, gentlemen! Here is a genius! " This is18311February. Schumann praised Chopin in an article commenting on Chopin's No.2 in the 49th issue of Popular Music. This article is Schumann's first music review article. The Germans' understanding of Chopin began with Schumann's article.

From 1827 to 1828, Chopin wrote his second work, variations for piano and orchestra, with the theme of Don Juan and Salina's duet in the first act of Mozart's opera Don Juan.

18311kloc-0/On October 27th, the German pianist Julius Noel (1807- 186 1) made his debut at the Guild Concert Hall in Leipzig.

183116 Chopin wrote to his friend Wojciechowski from Paris: "The other day, I received a ten-page comment written by an enthusiastic German from Kassel. He analyzed it paragraph by paragraph after a lengthy introduction (Op.2). He believes that according to the orthodox view, they are not variations, but an imaginary picture. He said that in the second variation, Don Juan and Leopoldo are chasing each other; Third, don Juan kissed Serena, which made Matteo feel sick. Don Juan and Salina are kissing in the fifth bar of Adagio. The writer's whimsy is ridiculous, and he can't wait to publish this article in Music Magazine (a publication belonging to his son-in-law, Fitis). The kind Shiller is a very talented young man ... He cares about me very much and immediately tells Fitis's father-in-law that the comment he wrote is not good for me, but harmful. "Fetis mentioned by Chopin (1784- 187 1) is a Belgian musician. 1806, he married Adele Ryder, the daughter of Robert, editor of the National Courier. The music magazine founded by Fitis in 1827 is a weekly magazine. Then, the "enthusiastic German" who wrote that review article should be Robert. Chopin is most opposed to explaining his works in words. Wiesel (1797— 1885), a music publisher in London, often adds absurd titles to his works to attract attention. For example, Variations in B-flat Major (Op.2) is marked as "Salute to Mozart";

Introduction and Polonaise (Op.3) are marked as "Happy"; Rondo in Mazzuca style (Op. 5) is marked as "Posiana"; The Three Nights (Op. 9) is marked as "The Seine is flowing"; The other three serenades (Op. 15) are marked as "west wind"; Waltz in E flat major (Op. 18) is marked as "Invitation to Dance"; Bolero dance music (Op. 19) is marked as "Andalusian memories"; Scherzo in b minor (op. 20) is marked as "banquet in hell"; The first ballad (Op.23) is marked as "narrative poem without words"; Two serenades (Op. 27) are marked as "sadness"; Scherzo in b flat minor (op. 3 1) is marked as "meditation"; In addition, two nocturnes (Op.37) are marked as "sigh"; Two Polonaise (Op.40) were marked as "pets"; Mazzuca dances are collectively called "Polish Memories". 184 1 year, Chopin said indignantly in a letter to his friend fontana in Nuoan (18 10- 1869): "As for wiesel, he is a fool and a liar. When you write to him, you can say what you like ... If he always loses money because of my work, it's because he didn't listen to my advice and added a stupid title. The voice from my heart taught me not to add these names to any of his works. You can talk to him as sharply as possible. "

In Chopin's view, "enthusiastic Germans" are as stupid and ridiculous as wiesel. But the "an imaginary picture" described by this German in the article may not be his invention, but follow Schumann's footsteps; Because Schumann's article also talked about the second variation "like a couple of lovers (but not Don Juan and his servant Leopoldo) chasing", and the beautiful B flat major is "lovers' first kiss" and so on. Schumann likes to add literary titles to his works, such as Carnival (Op. 9), Fantasia (Op. 12), Childhood Scenes (Op. 15), Youth Songs (Op. 68) and Forest Scenes (Op. 82). Chopin hates it. His serenade in g minor (Op. 15 No.3) was originally intended to be marked with the words "reflection on the tragedy Hamlet", but it was later cancelled. He said, "Let people guess. "Let the music speak for itself and don't impose subjective imagination on the audience-this is Chopin's belief. The sentence "Let people guess" is of universal significance to Chopin's works.

I, 2 1 serenade (full)

Chopin's short life of 39 years is made up of countless dazzling pearls and jade pieces. He was born in the first half of the19th century, and his romantic thoughts surged. His works are full of romanticism, and he is generally classified as romantic in the history of music.

As long as people mention Chopin's Night Walk, they will naturally think of john field (1782- 1837). Because Feld was the originator of the nocturne, and it was Feld who took the lead in using "nocturne" as the creative way of piano works. From 18 13 to 1835, he composed 18 piano nocturnes, which are characterized by the ups and downs of the bass part, setting off the sweet theme melody played by his right hand. 18 14, feld's three nocturnes were published in Leipzig and became the source of Chopin's nocturnes. According to historical records, Chopin didn't personally meet Feld before 1833, but Chopin began to play Feld's works in Warsaw as early as 18 18. After arriving in Paris, Chopin often used Feld's nocturne as a concert repertoire or taught students the piano.

Chopin himself was born to play nocturnes. In character, he doesn't like vulgar elegant style and noble sentiment, which makes the nocturne naturally express his deep feelings in the sweet melody. Physically speaking, Chopin is sickly and unfit to play grand works with loud loudness, but his delicate emotions and jade-like music changes have become the charming temperament of nocturnes. However, when his three nocturnes of Op.09 were first published, they were mercilessly attacked by the famous German music critic Liersta, who thought that Chopin's works were unnatural compared with Feld's nocturnes and added too much "spices and pepper". Today, apart from seeing Feld's music scores in music history materials, his works rarely appear in concerts, but the beautiful melody of Chopin's nocturne, after nearly two centuries of great changes, still shines in today's night sky. Perhaps it is these "spices and peppers" in Chopin's nocturne that really satisfy the appetite of modern people? !

Although some scholars introduced Chopin's nocturnes, they even introduced Belser and Song of the Boat. But the 2 1 serenade we are talking about now does not include these two songs. This 2 1 serenade was written from 1827 to 1846, which was the golden age of Chopin's creation. Three of them were published after Chopin died. For example, Op.19 Nocturne in E Minor was discovered by Chopin's good friend Julian fontana at home and published with the consent of Chopin's family. Op.21nocturne in c minor was originally intended to be published as Op.32-3, but it was temporarily cancelled. These two works were widely questioned, so they were not included in The Complete Works of Rubinstein and Fran? ois.

Chopin didn't like to annotate his works with literary titles in his life's creation, so the names such as Raindrop Prelude, Revolutionary Etudes and Dog Waltz were added by publishers later. For example, Op.06《g Nocturne in G minor was written in 1833, which was written by Chopin after watching Shakespeare's Hamlet. His inner hesitation, depression and anxiety were all written into this tragic nocturne. He originally intended to add the words "tragic Hamlet" to this nocturne, but later he didn't want the literary title to destroy the mystery and imagination of music. As for works with literary content, such as Ballad, he did not give any explanation, but hoped that the performers and appreciators would enjoy it in the form of pure music. Therefore, it is particularly difficult to understand the background of Chopin's nocturne creation. Fortunately, more than half of his 2 1 serenade is dedicated to close relatives and friends. We can follow this clue to find some clues when writing.

The three serenades of Op.9 were written by Chopin before he arrived in Paris in September. When he met friends in the salon, he often liked to play No2 in E flat major, which has become one of the most popular and favorite works. When Chopin first arrived in Paris, he used an Elad piano. This kind of piano keyboard is heavy, and it is often difficult to play quickly. Therefore, Camille Pleijel (1788- 1855), a good friend of Chopin, generously donated a piano with flexible keys. This piano accompanied Chopin until his death in 1879. Chopin dedicated his No.1 work "Nocturne in B flat minor" to Madame Boleyi to show his gratitude for their friendship.

Three serenades by Op. 15 are dedicated to another friend of Chopin (Friedrich Shearer,181-1855). Shearer is an all-around musician, as well as a pianist, conductor and composer. When Chopin first arrived in Paris, he studied piano with Friedrich Branna (1788- 1849). Shearer saw that Chopin's piano skills had already surpassed that of Carker Branna, so he often encouraged him and sometimes played tricks on Carker to kill his spirit. Therefore, although Chopin has just arrived in this strange place, his strong artistic atmosphere and human touch are the only means to temporarily soothe his homesickness.

Although Louis Ehlert described the beginning of the nocturne in F major as a decorative triplet of the left hand, like the theme that Chopin brushed with soft butterfly wings, after 25 bars, feelings flooded out and silver moonlight shone in it. The development of Chopin's Nocturne seems to have changed remarkably from this "Nocturne in F Major". He has completely jumped out of the style of Feld's nocturne, and his passion for his homeland, his grief and indignation over the revolutionary turmoil, and his noble, elegant, melancholy and hesitant temperament have all been unabashedly integrated into a dramatic movement.

In the most famous nocturne in F major, we can even hear the lonely ronin's voice of missing his relatives in his hometown on a quiet night. 18 feels like a desert, and the inner waves roll from 25 to 35, which once again shows the tragic style change brought about by Chopin's loneliness of leaving his hometown, the disaster of his motherland and the pain of separation of his relatives. The sixth serenade in G minor, the dramatic climax of 68 bars, is an obvious example.

In Nocturne in C minor, one of Op.27, Jean kinski thinks: "This is a description of a quiet Venetian night. After the horrible murder scene, the sea flooded the body, but it still reflected the moonlight calmly. " Perhaps, he found a suspenseful descriptive character in the accompaniment of the wave-like ups and downs of his left hand and the disharmony of the theme melody, which led to such association. On the other hand, Henry T. Fink spoke highly of the piece. He said: "These four-page music scores contain great emotional changes and genius-like dramatic spirit, which are richer and stronger than many operas with 400-page music scores. Charles Willoughby, an English organist, said, "If simplicity is regarded as a factor in judging art, we will never find a higher work of art.". "According to the satiety principle in aesthetics, that is, the creation should express the richest spiritual connotation with the simplest materials, then this" Nocturne in C minor "is undoubtedly a masterpiece.

Another piece, Nocturne in D-flat Major, No.8, is a work of the same period, but it presents a completely different look. It has only one theme from beginning to end, but the accompaniment of the left hand and the theme melody of the right hand constitute a wonderful and sweet summer duet. The theme is repeated three times, from weak to extremely weak, then to strong, forming fascinating emotional ups and downs.

Two nocturnes, Op.32, seem to return to Feld's style from strong description and dramatic character. Among them, Nocturnal in B Major gives people a fresh and unconventional feeling with its unexpected length, open ending, lack of repetitive free form and dramatic ending. Nocturnal No.10 in A flat major was later adopted by the ballet les Sylphides and adapted into an orchestra for its beautiful melody and waltz-like rhythm.

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