A Curious Dedication

The romantic Romantic in me still gets emotional over Fryderyk Chopin dedicating his Op. 10 Etudes to Franz Liszt. It’s a very touching gesture when you consider that Chopin and Liszt were opposites in so many ways, their friendship fraught with jealousy and tension from the beginning. Liszt was as extroverted and gregarious as Chopin was introverted and intimate, so they were bound to clash even as they respected each other. Chopin could’ve dedicated his Op. 10 to anyone but he dedicated it to Liszt, which speaks volumes on their relationship.

One of the Etudes in the Opus, No. 12 in C Minor, is nicknamed “Revolutionary” because its composition coincides with Poland’s failed 1831 November Uprising against Russian rule. We don’t know whether the revolution was on Chopin’s mind as he composed this piece, but if it was, it must have been very personal given Chopin’s deep love for his home country.

Chopin dedicating his Op. 10 Etudes to Liszt, therefore, may have gone something like this: “Franz, I don’t know why I’m your friend and I can’t stand you, but these Etudes are very personal to me and I want you to know how I feel. I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I’m trusting you with my heart and soul.”

I think that’s beautiful.

Debunking Myths About Classical Composers

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was not poisoned, nor was he forced to commit suicide because he was gay. He died of cholera from an epidemic that hit St. Petersburg.

Felix Mendelssohn was not exactly a nice man. He was very volatile and savage at times and most likely threatened to commit suicide if the singer Jenny Lind did not return his affections and agree to start an affair with him (this was when Lind was already married).

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not poisoned by Antonio Salieri out of jealousy. That comes from the movie Amadeus. Mozart and Salieri respected each other, and even though the cause of Mozart’s death is still debated it is almost certain that he died of illness.

Johannes Brahms was not forced as a teenager to play the piano in brothels in order to provide for his family. This is almost certainly just a rumor because minors were not allowed in brothels, and Brahms was from a reasonably well-off family. He played in taverns for extra cash, but not brothels.

It’s less dramatic and romantic this way, but it’s the truth.

Beethoven's Shadow

One of the most interesting things to me about Romanticism as a musical movement was the different ways different composers lived under Beethoven’s legacy. Ludwig van Beethoven, probably the greatest composer the world has ever saw and will ever see, was the most instrumental figure in the transition between Classicism and Romanticism. He cast a long shadow that composers of the Romantic Era worked to come to terms with.

The Schumann Ballade

 

Chopin’s second Ballade is less well-known than his first and has often been criticized as “less ingenious”. I can see where this sentiment is coming from because I too prefer Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, but I find his Ballade No. 2 – which I fondly call the “Schumann Ballade” – to be a hidden gem.

Things I would say to my younger musician self

Dear 4-year-old Michelle, I know you hate playing the keyboard, but in just a few years you’ll be playing an actual piano, which will be great. Also, music is fun. It may make you angry, but you’re doing great. Trust me.

Happy Birthday Gustav Mahler! 7 July 1860

 

Some piano music just wasn’t meant for the piano

I’m not sure if this is just me, but I wish people played J.S. Bach less on the piano and more on the instruments he actually composed his “piano” pieces for (harpsichords and clavichords). I often dislike how Bach pieces sound on the modern piano and absolutely can’t stand when I have to play Bach on the piano.

Don’t get me wrong – I love some good Bach – the pieces of his that are often played on the piano these days were written for claviers (which, at his time, were harpsichords and clavichords rather than fortepianos or modern pianos). The claviers of Bach’s time were very different from modern pianos (despite being forerunners to the modern piano), which may explain why it always feels so wrong and difficult every time I have to play Bach on the piano.

To a much lesser extent my desire to have Bach played on the instruments he composed for rather than the piano applies to Mozart too, because he composed for the fortepiano rather than the modern piano. However, I’ll let slide the fact that Mozart’s piano pieces are most often played on the modern piano rather than the fortepiano. After all, I feel that Mozart’s piano pieces are actually pretty good on the modern piano, whether played or listened to. (Besides, Mozart’s fortepianos are closer to modern pianos than Bach’s claviers.)

Originally posted April 6, 2019 on WordPress