Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chopin)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, is a piano concerto
written by Frédéric Chopin
in 1830. It was first performed on 11 October of that year, in Warsaw
, with the composer as soloist, during one of his "farewell" concerts before leaving Poland.
It was the first of Chopin's two piano concertos to be published, and was therefore given the designation of Piano Concerto "No. 1" at the time of publication, even though it was actually written immediately after what was later published as Piano Concerto No. 2
. It is dedicated to Friedrich Kalkbrenner
.
The concerto is scored for solo piano
, pairs of flute
s, oboe
s, clarinet
s, and bassoon
s, 4 horns, 2 trumpet
s, tenor trombone
, timpani
and string
s.
It contains the three movements
typical of instrumental concertos of the period:
Classical critics usually fall into one of two schools of thought concerning the piece. The first of these says that, given that Chopin was a composer for the piano first and foremost, the orchestral part of this piece acts more as a vehicle for the pianist, with the individual instrumental parts being uninteresting to perform. The second suggests that the orchestral backing is carefully and deliberately written to fit in with the sound of the piano, and that the simplicity of arrangement is in deliberate contrast to the complexity of the harmony.
Chopin preferred to use unusual modulations in his expositions. For example, in the first movement, the exposition modulates to the parallel major, i-I, instead of the expected i-III. Interestingly, Chopin applies this tonal relation (i-III) between the second and the third theme in the recapitulation, where an actual i-I modulation would have been expected. In fact, the Romance is the only movement where the second theme of the exposition fits the classical model of modulating to the dominant (I-V), although even there, when the second theme returns, it modulates to the mediant (III).
It has been performed and recorded many times. Mily Balakirev
re-orchestrated the concerto (using the same orchestral forces as Chopin employed), and also wrote arrangements for violin and orchestra as well as for piano solo of the Romance - Larghetto movement.
and Johann Nepomuk Hummel
, with which he was familiar. He was interested in neither the Beethoven-style dialogue between orchestra and soloist, nor in a Weber-style interweaving of voices. Foremost in importance is the display of the expressive and technical abilities of the soloist.
The first movement of the E minor concerto has three themes, which are introduced by the orchestra. The piano then plays the first theme (bar 139), followed by the lyric second theme (bar 155), accompanied by the main motif of the first theme in bass counterpoint. The third theme is in E major, introduced in the exposition by the orchestra and taken over by the piano (bar 222). The development begins in bar 385, with the piano bringing back the second theme and further developing it. The recapitulation begins in bar 486 again with the orchestra playing its opening theme. The cadenza, whose bass trill paints a gloomy backdrop, requires utmost care by the pianist.
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
written by Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
in 1830. It was first performed on 11 October of that year, in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, with the composer as soloist, during one of his "farewell" concerts before leaving Poland.
It was the first of Chopin's two piano concertos to be published, and was therefore given the designation of Piano Concerto "No. 1" at the time of publication, even though it was actually written immediately after what was later published as Piano Concerto No. 2
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Chopin)
The Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, is a piano concerto composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1830. Chopin wrote the piece before he had finished his formal education, at around 20 years of age. It was first performed on 17 March 1830, in Warsaw, Poland, with the composer as soloist. It was...
. It is dedicated to Friedrich Kalkbrenner
Friedrich Kalkbrenner
Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner was a German pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano manufacturer who spent most of his life in England and France. Before the advent of Frédéric Chopin, Sigismond Thalberg and Franz Liszt, Kalkbrenner was by many considered to be the foremost pianist in...
.
The concerto is scored for solo piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, pairs of flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, and bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s, 4 horns, 2 trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, tenor trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
and string
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
s.
It contains the three movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
typical of instrumental concertos of the period:
- Allegro maestoso
- Romance - Larghetto
- Rondo - Vivace
Classical critics usually fall into one of two schools of thought concerning the piece. The first of these says that, given that Chopin was a composer for the piano first and foremost, the orchestral part of this piece acts more as a vehicle for the pianist, with the individual instrumental parts being uninteresting to perform. The second suggests that the orchestral backing is carefully and deliberately written to fit in with the sound of the piano, and that the simplicity of arrangement is in deliberate contrast to the complexity of the harmony.
Chopin preferred to use unusual modulations in his expositions. For example, in the first movement, the exposition modulates to the parallel major, i-I, instead of the expected i-III. Interestingly, Chopin applies this tonal relation (i-III) between the second and the third theme in the recapitulation, where an actual i-I modulation would have been expected. In fact, the Romance is the only movement where the second theme of the exposition fits the classical model of modulating to the dominant (I-V), although even there, when the second theme returns, it modulates to the mediant (III).
It has been performed and recorded many times. Mily Balakirev
Mily Balakirev
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ,Russia was still using old style dates in the 19th century, and information sources used in the article sometimes report dates as old style rather than new style. Dates in the article are taken verbatim from the source and therefore are in the same style as the source...
re-orchestrated the concerto (using the same orchestral forces as Chopin employed), and also wrote arrangements for violin and orchestra as well as for piano solo of the Romance - Larghetto movement.
First movement
Chopin followed the structural example of concertos in the style of Jan Ladislav DussekJan Ladislav Dussek
Jan Ladislav Dussek was a Czech composer and pianist. He was an important representative of Czech music abroad in the second half of 18th century and the beginning of 19th century...
and Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel or Jan Nepomuk Hummel was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era.- Life :...
, with which he was familiar. He was interested in neither the Beethoven-style dialogue between orchestra and soloist, nor in a Weber-style interweaving of voices. Foremost in importance is the display of the expressive and technical abilities of the soloist.
The first movement of the E minor concerto has three themes, which are introduced by the orchestra. The piano then plays the first theme (bar 139), followed by the lyric second theme (bar 155), accompanied by the main motif of the first theme in bass counterpoint. The third theme is in E major, introduced in the exposition by the orchestra and taken over by the piano (bar 222). The development begins in bar 385, with the piano bringing back the second theme and further developing it. The recapitulation begins in bar 486 again with the orchestra playing its opening theme. The cadenza, whose bass trill paints a gloomy backdrop, requires utmost care by the pianist.
External links
- Piano Conerto No. 1, Mov. 2 performance by Alexis Weissenberg at youtube
- Piano Concerto No. 1 sheet music available at Musopen.com
- European Archive Copyright free LP recording of the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Alexander Brailowsky (piano), William Steinberg (conductor) and RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra (for non-American viewers only) at the European Archive.