For a century and a half Chopin's music has been played incessantly, yet the spell remains, and the 'Chopin recital', whoever the pianist, still fills the concert halls. This Companion is designed to provide the enquiring music-lover with helpful insights into a musical style that recognises no contradiction between the accessible and the sophisticated, between the popular and the significant. On the uniqueness of that style there has long been agreement. One of the aims of this Companion is to identify some of its sources, referring both to the social history of early nineteenth-century piano music (chapter 1) and to the music of Chopin's predecessors (chapters 2 and 3). The early music and the growth to stylistic maturity are examined in chapter 4. Part 2 of the Companion profiles some of the mature music in a language designed to be intelligible to the interested layman as well as to the musician. There are re-evaluations of Chopin's most 'epic' statements (chapter 5) as well as his most 'epigrammatic' (chapter 6). There is an account of his relation to Polish folk music in the dance pieces (chapter 7) and there is a fresh look at one of the more controversial aspects of his art, his handling of the sonata (chapter 8). Several facets of the afterlife of Chopin's music are examined in part 3. There is reception through performance (chapter 9), reception through criticism (chapters 10 and 11) and reception through compositional influence (chapters 11 and 12). As these later chapters indicate, Chopin's art left its mark both on the Trivialmusik of the later nineteenth century and on the emerging Modernism of the new century.
For a century and a half Chopin's music has been played incessantly, yet the spell remains, and the 'Chopin recital', whoever the pianist, still fills the concert halls. This Companion is designed to provide the enquiring music-lover with helpful insights into a musical style that recognises no contradiction between the accessible and the sophisticated, between the popular and the significant. On the uniqueness of that style there has long been agreement. One of the aims of this Companion is to identify some of its sources, referring both to the social history of early nineteenth-century piano music (chapter 1) and to the music of Chopin's predecessors (chapters 2 and 3). The early music and the growth to stylistic maturity are examined in chapter 4. Part 2 of the Companion profiles some of the mature music in a language designed to be intelligible to the interested layman as well as to the musician. There are re-evaluations of Chopin's most 'epic' statements (chapter 5) as well as his most 'epigrammatic' (chapter 6). There is an account of his relation to Polish folk music in the dance pieces (chapter 7) and there is a fresh look at one of the more controversial aspects of his art, his handling of the sonata (chapter 8). Several facets of the afterlife of Chopin's music are examined in part 3. There is reception through performance (chapter 9), reception through criticism (chapters 10 and 11) and reception through compositional influence (chapters 11 and 12). As these later chapters indicate, Chopin's art left its mark both on the Trivialmusik of the later nineteenth century and on the emerging Modernism of the new century.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Chronology; Myth and reality: a biographical introduction; Part I. The Growth of a Style: 1. Piano music and the public concert, 1800-1850 Janet Ritterman; 2. The nocturne: development of a new style David Rowland; 3. The twenty-seven etudes and their antecedents Simon Finlow; 4. Tonal architecture in the early music John Rink; Part II. Profiles of the Music: 5. Extended forms: the ballades, scherzos and fantasies Jim Samson; 6. Small 'forms': in defence of the prelude Jeffrey Kallberg; 7. Beyond the dance Adrian Thomas; 8. The sonatas Anatole Leikin; Part III. Reception: 9. Chopin in performance James Methuen-Campbell; 10. Chopin reception in nineteenth-century Poland Zofia Chechlinska; 11. Victorian attitudes to Chopin Derek Carew; 12. Chopin's influence on the fin de siècle and beyond Roy Howat; Appendix: a historical survey of Chopin on disc James Methuen-Campbell; Notes; List of Chopin's works; Bibliographical note; Index.
