Frédéric Chopin

The twenty-four Etudes of Frédéric Chopin (divided into two separate opus numbers, 10 and 25, but actually composed almost simultaneously) remain the most significant entries in that particular musical genre. In a letter written in the fall of 1829, Chopin remarked that he had composed an etude "in own manner." Indeed, a great chasm stands between his achievements and the far drier etudes of such predecessors as Moscheles, Czerny, and Hummel. Unlike many nineteenth-century pianist-composers, Chopin did not wish to create studies of only technique and raw dexterity. Here, instead, are works which provide the pianist with an inexhaustible array of textures, moods, and colors to explore. Concert pieces as well as technical studies, the twelve Etudes published as Chopin's Opus 10 are an indispensable tool of the modern pianist's craft; furthermore, they are a rite of passage that no serious pianist can ignore. The blistering arpeggiations of the Etude Op.10, No.1 in C major lay down the foundation of nineteenth-century virtuoso pianism. The work consists, quite simply, of a series of daunting right-hand maneuvers, supported by the plain melody, in octaves, of the left hand. While the technical demands and harmonic syntax may go a good deal further than most musicians of the day would have found comfortable, the texture is essentially classical in nature (if not execution).