Frederic Chopin: More Than a Polish Man
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FREDERIC CHOPIN: MORE THAN A POLISH MAN Gabriella Smith MUS 455: Late Romantic and Twentieth Century Literature Professor Fedoruk April 17, 2019 Smith 1 Abstract The following research paper for Late Romantic and Twentieth Century Music will explain the traditional views of Frederic Chopin’s aged biographies and their tendency to focus on Chopin as soley a Polish nationalistic figure. After reviewing resources of the past, the greater part of the paper will be dedicated to exploring and examining the possible non-Polish influences in Chopin’s compositions. This includes the personal influences of his benefactor Jane Sterling, his dear friend George Sand, and French composers of the era. In addition to allocating the main sections of the paper to Chopin's life outside the context of Polish nationalism, the ending will include the influences Chopin made on future French composers and French romanticism as a whole. Two of the compositions analyzed within the paper includes Chopin’s Etude in G-Sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6 and Debussy’s Etude No.2 Pour Les Tierces; images of the compositions will be placed within paper to provide readers with a visual aid. The goal is to shed light on the lesser known parts of Chopin’s life and clarify the important people and compositions conceived throughout his time in Paris. Historical context on Parisian romanticism and salon culture will be added for further framework in order to build the credibility of the paper. In accordance, credibility for included works will be built through the use of scholarly articles from musicologists such as Dr. Jolanta T. Pekacz from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw as well as personal letters from Chopin himself. Readers will ultimately find that the paper is directed towards students studying the lesser known life of romantic composers and (on a broader scale) intended for anyone interested in the life of Chopin. Smith 2 Introduction When listening to Chopin’s Nocturnes, Op. 9 or Twelve Etudes, Op. 10 what do you hear? Is it the reminesense of modality written within the Polish chant titled Bogurodzica from the 15th century or the polyphony written within dance music for royal Krakow courts of the 16th century?1 In my personal opinion, the most significant elements in both compositions listed is the use of ornamentation and flowing figures; elements that are reminiscent of the impressionistic artwork and creativity of French composers from the late romantic era. Although Chopin wrote polonaises and mazurkas that included the cultural appeal of Poland during the fight for its independence, Chopin additionally wrote highly romanticized works that set in motion the music of composers such as Faure and Debussy. Additionally when comparing the compositions of Polish nationalistic composers, such as Henryk Wieniawski’s Eight Etudes-Caprices, Op.10 with Chopin’s Twelve Etudes, Op.9, stark differences in rythm and musical scales can be argued. Listen for yourself to hear the playful scherzo-like rhythm and large leaps of Wieniawski’s Eight Etudes - Caprices, Op.10 No.8 differentiate from the virtuosic running sixteenth notes of Chopin’s Twelve Etudes, Op.9 No.1.2 No doubt Chopin wrote a great deal of scherzos and other works that were formed with Polish folk idioms in mind, however, the course of this paper is to identify the musical elements outside the idea of Polish nationalism and find influences that made his music exclusive from other composers. 1 M aja Trochimczyk, “The Briefest History of Polish Music,” University of Southern California: Polish Music Center, last modified June 17, 2018, https://polishmusic.usc.edu/research/publications/essays/briefest-history-of-polish-music/. 2 Patsy Morita, “Henryk Wieniawski: Etudes-Caprices (8) for 2 Violins, op. 18,” Allmusic.com, last modified 2011, https://www.allmusic.com/composition/etudes-caprices-8-for-2-violins-op-18-mc0002387284. Smith 3 A Brief Lesson on Chopin’s Life Frederic Chopin was a renowned Polish composer who lived with his Polish mother and French father under the two principalities of Poland (Prussia and Russia) for a considerable amount of time. It was during Chopin’s youth that Poland was under Napoleonic occupation, which created a highly nationalistic country identified by Polish culture unique from any of those before.3 This identification of nationalism and the idea of the cult personality was intertwined into a large portion of the early biographies written for Chopin. Well known composers and music critics who have analyzed Chopin use the connections of Chopin’s Polish lifestyle to further explain his compositional process.4 These include composers such as Franz Liszt and Zygmunt Stojowski; Franz Liszt specifically stated in his book titled Life of Chopin, “His Polonaises [a piano piece written by Chopin titled Polonaise in A-Flat Major] is characterized by energetic rhythms...the most noble traditions of ancient Poland are embodied in them.”5 Additionally as stated within the article by Maja Trochimczyk, “Stojowski frequently cited Paderewski [the prime minister of Poland] to prove his points about the use of tempo rubato in Chopin’s work, the national characteristics of Chopin, and pedal use in Chopin’s performances.”6 3 C laire Fedoruk, “Parisian Romanticism: Instrumental Music” (PDF of lecture, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA, January 13, 2020), https://canvas.apu.edu/courses/19410/files/1811698?module_item_id=516799. 4 Jolanta Pekacz, “Deconstructing a 'National Composer': Chopin and Polish Exiles in Paris,” 19th-Century Music 24, no. 2 (Autumn, 2000): 161, https://www.jstor.org/stable/746840. 5 Franz Liszt, Life of Chopin (United States: O. Ditson, 1863), 31. 6 M aja Trochimczyk, “Stojowski, Paderewski, and Polish Music in America,” Zygmunt Stojowski and His Times 5, no. 2 (2011), https://polishmusic.usc.edu/research/publications/polish-music-journal/vol5no2/a-master-lesson-on-chopins- first-impromptu/ Smith 4 The aesthetics of Polish music that portray heroic expressions through robust and energetic tempos has been one way in which early biographies have used Polish nationalism to define Chopin’s work. Furthermore, many biographies of the early 20th century have unquestionably used earlier biographies to highten the perception of Chopin’s nationalistic image. Nonetheless, newer biographies (and earlier personalities, such as George Sand, who were close to Chopin) found the heroic expressions of his music to not only be inclusive of Polish nationalism and the revolutionary tendencies occurring throughout the time in France, but more broadly Europe. The difficulty in determining the amount of Polish nationalism that influenced Chopin’s work is due to the fact that Chopin himself spoke little of politics. This furthers my own need for exploration into Chopin’s personal life and non-Polish influences. Two of Chopin’s Closest Companions Jane Sterling and George Sand were two of Chopin's closest companions. Jane Sterling was one of Chopin’s benefactors, pupils of the piano, and friend. It was through her lessons Chopin would learn to write music for students of the piano. As stated by Jacqueline Leung, “Jane Stirling’s scores along with annotations by Chopin’s hand had become a treasure trove of insight into his teaching and provided an invaluable glimpse into his ideas regarding tempo indications, fingerings, ornamentation, and pedaling.”7 A few original scores annotated by Chopin are still legible today; the original score for Nocturne Op.15 No.1 was written with an emphasis on the articulations of the right hand and allowed students to focus on the phrasing of 7 Jacqueline Leung, “Revisiting History: Jane Sterling - Chopin's Most Devoted Student,” Piano Performer Magazine, December 22, 2016, http://magazine.pianoperformers.org/revisiting-history-jane-stirling-chopins-most-devoted- student/. Smith 5 the measures.8 It was through Jane Stirling’s copy of the score that musicologists were able to notate the markings made by Chopin; the fingering marks he made were later placed into the new copies. Chopin understood that students who were not as advanced on the piano would need these types of markings, so they were also included into the two nocturnes he wrote specifically for Jane Sterling titled Nocturne Op.55 No.1 and No.2 in F and E Flat Minor.9 In reference to the score of Nocturne Op.55 No.1 in F Minor, Chopin uses a recurring pattern in the A section of the bass line with the chords placing an emphasis on the second and fourth beat of each measure. Likewise, the treble line of the A section stays relatively simple in comparison to other compositions of Chopin (such as Chopin’s Nocturne Op.72); pedal markings are additionally written throughout the entire piece for schooling purposes. Figure 1.1 above provides a visual of the extensive pedal markings and recurring pattern in the A section of Nocturne Op.55 No.1 in F Minor. 10 In personal letters to his family, Chopin describes his “simpler” pieces as easily readable for his pupils of the aristocratic class as well as emotionally provocative for musicians alike. As 8 Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, Chopin as Seen by His Pupils: Pianist and Teacher (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979), 20, https://books.google.com/books?id=tl2sAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT142&lpg=PT142&dq=jane+stirling% 27s+composer&sour. 9 Jacqueline Leung, “Revisiting History: Jane Sterling - Chopin's Most Devoted Student.” 10 Frederic Chopin, Nocturne in f Minor, op. 55, no. 1 (n.p.: Musicnotes, Inc., 2009), meas. 1-4, https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0073869&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp7r7Te6AIVkT2tBh3q 4w. Smith 6 quoted from his letter of 1829, “I have captured [the attention of] both the learned and the emotional folk [with my compositions], they will now have something to talk about.”11 Chopin in turn left such an influence on Jane Sterling that she later managed and maintained his manuscripts; without Sterling we may not have the current copies to some of Chopin’s works.