Frédéric Chopin

The twenty-four Études of Frédéric Chopin (divided into two separate opuses, 10 and 25, but actually composed almost simultaneously) remain the most significant entries in that particular musical genre. Chopin refers, in a letter dating from the fall of 1829, to having written a study "in own manner," and indeed, a great chasm stands between his achievements and the far drier études of his predecessors (one thinks of Moscheles, Czerny, and Hummel in particular). It was not Chopin's intent, as it was with many nineteenth-century pianist-composers, to create studies of mere technique and raw dexterity; here, instead, are works with an inexhaustible array of textures, moods, and colors to explore. These are works meant for the concert hall as well as for the practice room. The twelve Études published as Chopin's Opus 10 are an indispensable tool of the modern pianist's craft: they are a rite of passage that no serious pianist can ignore.

The tenth etude of the set, in A flat major, is perhaps the most characteristic of all Chopin's etudes: technically, the work's perpetual motion and tiring right-hand octave passagework demands a performer of the highest caliber, while the work's harmonic language attests to Chopin's genius for spellbinding modulations. The entire work is cheery, with cross-rhythms that foreshadow those so prevalent throughout Brahms' work. Although irrepressibly vivacious, this is musical poetry of a profound kind.