Chopin, whose birthday was today, was a genius, but he did draw his inspiration from several classical predecessors.
On this day in 1810, the Polish composer Frédéric (Fryderyk) Chopin was born. One of the greatest and most brilliant composers of Romanticism. That basically means he should have no business in Sanssouci, after all this is a programme about the classical period and not the romantics.
Still, we can honour him indirectly by playing music by composers who influenced Chopin. Composers who were active in the early nineteenth century and who were highly regarded in Poland in those days.
A key influence on Chopin was the Irish pianist and composer John Field (1782-1837). He composed several piano concertos, but became most famous for inventing a whole new genre: the nocturne, a dreamy piano piece that ignored existing form schemes. Field’s nocturnes conquered entire Europe; Chopin, as a young man, picked up where Field left off.
Much less well-known is Chopin’s compatriot Maria Szymanowska (1789-1831). As a child, Chopin already had her pieces on his music stand. Her work consists of short pieces for piano, such as etudes, nocturnes and polonaises. Exactly the three genres that would bring Chopin great fame. We can now hear the similarities and differences in three etudes and one polonaise.
No romantic composer could ignore Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1826). At first glance, Chopin seems an exception: he did not compose symphonies or string quartets and his musical language originated elsewhere. But appearances can be deceptive. Chopin was a great admirer of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. He eventually only composed three, but all three clearly show the master’s influence. Compare Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major. His universally known Funeral March from the first piece would not have been there without a similar part in Beethoven’s sonata.
A final influence that should be mentioned is that of Italian violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840). Nowadays he is often dismissed as a showman, who only wanted to show what he was capable of. But in his own time, he was highly regarded, for he was so much more than nimble-fingered. He invented all kinds of new techniques and he put a lot of emotion into his playing and his compositions. After he had heard Paganini, Chopin knew: you can be among the very greatest as a composer, even if you only compose for your own instrument.
Playlist
- Maria Szymanowska, Etude in E flat major
2. Maria Szymanowska, Etude in E major
3. Maria Szymanowska, Etude in F major
4. Maria Szymanowska, Polonaise in f minor
5. Niccolò Paganini, Variations on “Le streghe”
6. John Field, Nocturne no. 1 in E flat major
7. John Field, Nocturne no. 2 in c minor
8. John Field, Nocturne no. 12 in G major
9. John Field, Nocturne no. 8 in e minor
10. Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata no. 12 in A flat major
