Most beginner pianists dream of playing Chopin some day. For me, after hacking through the famed Fantasie-Impromptu as a child, my first serious attempt was with the Etude op. 10, no. 5, “Black Key.” I was about 14, certainly no prodigy. I vividly recall the overwhelming sense of despair at the face of the seemingly insurmountable difficulty, all in stark contrast to the jovial character of the piece. I knew I would never be able to play it at the intended tempo. During the many weeks of learning the etude slowly, however, I started to understand what was so special about Chopin. There was much more to Chopin than virtuosity and romantic tenderness.
This charming video was found on youtube. Horowitz playing for his wife Wanda presumably in their living room. Also check out this strange but refreshing performance by Ignaz Friedman.
When I see those tiny wild flowers, perfectly shaped down to the minutest detail in nature’s infinite resolution, I think of Chopin. Both nature and Chopin are infinitely fine. You can play Chopin—any piece!—very slowly and would find that not a single note is out of place. Every figuration is meticulously crafted, perfunctory repeats are rare, and every harmony moves in flawless contrapuntal precision to the next. There is very little filler, even during all those tempestuous presto runs and arpeggios.
James Petts - Blue flower (detail)
Going back to the etude, in these unassuming opening bars, we find a neighbor embellishment (the classic I-IV6-4-I) in the left hand. The right hand subtly parallels this moving line. The music blossoms from the high range to the middle. The way Chopin saves the bass hit until bar 2 (not an obvious decision if you think about it) subtly undermines the squareness of the four-bar phrasing. The next two bars are in V, but with lots of internal harmonic motions. Instead of the more conventional I6-4 or V/V, Chopin employs a ii (a flavor of minor v/V or a V9 chord). The right hand again conceals a line moving in counterpoint to the left hand. The first phrase is an example of Chopin “spin[ning] gold out of the most obvious, clichéd chords,” to borrow Jeremy Denk’s words. The next phrase begins in a similar manner. In bar 7, however, the ii chord (Ab minor)—just a little embellishment previously—comes into a full bloom, unexpectedly moving to a chromatic third (Bb major) before nonchalantly dropping back to the original key. Slightly unconventional motions like this give the harmony a fresh twist. And every little note participates in this scheme. All of this flies by in just about 8 seconds.
You can listen to Chopin like a field of wildflowers. But when you listen to it like a single wildflower, you find tiny beauties that live in detail.