Some of these genres are common and self-explanatory, especially his piano sonatas and piano concertos modeled after classical form. But most of Chopin's forms were unusual, original or at minimum redefined by Chopin.
Popular genres adopted by Chopin
Piano concerto
Although the piano concerto is a relatively newer form, concerto form in general extends back into the Baroque period. It was Mozart, however, who first recognized the potential of the piano (an instrument not invented until the early 1700s, and not fully mature until Chopin's lifetime) and he wrote 27 piano concertos in total.
Chopin's two piano concertos were early works written when the composer was 19-20 years old. Strongly influenced by the concertos of Johann Nepomuk Hummel and John Field, Chopin's concertos largely followed the dictates of sonata form, just like Mozart's did some 40-50 years earlier.
Chopin's piano concertos have been subject of some controversy since Chopin's death. While some musicologists might find their orchestration lacking, others - notably John Rink in his authoritative book on the subject - believe they represent some of the finest orchestral piano writing in history. I would emphatically concur with the latter, as both of Chopin's concertos are among my favorite compositions of all time.
The movement I have selected here is the opening movement of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 as played by Krystian Zimerman and the Polish Festival Orchestra. (I'm not sure why Spotify is showing Argerich and Arrau as pianists for this particular track...) This recording of Chopin's two piano concertos is quite possibly my favorite recording of all time.
Piano sonata
Like the piano concerto, the piano sonata was an established form which Chopin adopted for his own purposes without largely changing its structure, form or approach. While piano sonatas could not be written until the piano had been invented, keyboard sonatas extend as far back as Scarlatti, who wrote over 500 of them. Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven all extensively contributed to the piano sonata corpus.
While Chopin's two later sonatas are both exceptionally Chopin-esque to borrow the tautology (his first sonata is an early work and not fully representative of Chopin's genius), it is his approach to melody, harmony, form and rhythm that distinguish them as Chopin's writing, not form and structure.
The movement selected is the first movement of Chopin's third piano sonata, as played by Martha Argerich on the Legendary 1965 Recording album.
While Chopin's two later sonatas are both exceptionally Chopin-esque to borrow the tautology (his first sonata is an early work and not fully representative of Chopin's genius), it is his approach to melody, harmony, form and rhythm that distinguish them as Chopin's writing, not form and structure.
The movement selected is the first movement of Chopin's third piano sonata, as played by Martha Argerich on the Legendary 1965 Recording album.
Genres redefined by Chopin
Etude
Etudes (French for "studies") had been written previously by Carl Czerny and Muzio Clementi as educational tools to broaden their students' virtuosity, but Chopin redefined them as miniatures for both the practice room and the concert hall. His example was followed by Liszt and Debussy, among others.
Chopin wrote 27 etudes: two sets of twelve (Op. 10 and Op. 25) and one set of three (the Trois nouvelles etudes), published posthumously. Chopin's etudes require tremendous pianistic technique and power - so much so that venerated Chopin interpreter Artur Rubinstein refused to even attempt them.
The etude I have selected is possibly the most popular of them all - the "Revolutionary" Etude as played by Murray Perahia.
Impromptu
An Impromptu was a type of free-form musical composition based loosely on the principles of improvisation. They were first popularized by Franz Schubert and Chopin, Schumann and Liszt all contributed to the genre.
Chopin wrote four impromptus, including one titled Fantasy-Impromptu, all written between 1834 and 1843. The Fantasy-Impromptu was the earliest of the four, and was not published during Chopin's lifetime.
The impromptu I have selected is the middle of his three published impromptus, No. 2 in F-sharp major as played by Artur Rubinstein in 1964.
An Impromptu was a type of free-form musical composition based loosely on the principles of improvisation. They were first popularized by Franz Schubert and Chopin, Schumann and Liszt all contributed to the genre.
Chopin wrote four impromptus, including one titled Fantasy-Impromptu, all written between 1834 and 1843. The Fantasy-Impromptu was the earliest of the four, and was not published during Chopin's lifetime.
The impromptu I have selected is the middle of his three published impromptus, No. 2 in F-sharp major as played by Artur Rubinstein in 1964.
Mazurkas
The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in 3/4 time, usually with an accent on second or third beat of the measure. Before Chopin, the mazurka was one of dozens of regional and national folk dances in Europe. While popular in Poland, it did not have the same widespread appeal that the minuet and other dances enjoyed.
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| Mazurka rhythm |
Chopin, whose Father was a nationalized Pole originally from France and whose mother was Polish, undoubtedly grew up with the characteristic mazurka rhythms constantly shuffling through his head. This familiarity, combined with a profound sense of national pride, led Chopin to write at least 51 mazurkas during his lifetime, most of which were published.
The mazurka I have selected is Op. 59, No. 1 in A minor. As a fellow Pole, Artur Rubinstein must have some type of unique connection with Chopin's music because he plays the mazurkas so naturally that his recordings have been the gold standard for over sixty years.
Nocturne
Chopin's nocturnes are some of Chopin's most creative compositions, but it was Irish composer John Field who invented the form which Chopin soon made his own. A nocturne - literally "nocturnal [piece or song]" - is a slow, melancholic piece which features a cantabile ("song-like") melody and simple but effective harmonic accompaniment.
Field's nocturnes, like Chopin's featured the right-hand melody on top of broken or arpeggiated chords in the left hand; but it was Chopin's bel canto lyricism, melodic and harmonic chromaticism, and use of rubato which set his apart. The Grove Music Dictionary describes Chopin's nocturnes as a mix between the form and structure of Field and the sound of Mozart, one of Chopin's favorite composers.
The nocturne I have selected is one of the most popular, Op. 27 No. 2 in D-flat major. While many pianists have recording admirable nocturne sets, none surpass Artur Rubinstein's tasteful recordings in my opinion. If I was to recommend only one Chopin album to a friend, this would be it.
Polonaise
Like the mazurka, the polonaise is a Polish dance in 3/4 time ("polonaise" is French for "Polish"), but the two can be easily distinguished by their distinctive rhythms. Polonaises usually began with an eighth note and two sixteenth notes, creating a "bum ba-da" feel.
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| Polonaise rhythm |
Originally a peasant dance, the polonaise rhythm was used by J.S. Bach and his sons, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, all of whom predated Chopin. But it was Chopin, propelled with pride for his homeland, who turned the polonaise into a standalone piece for piano. In total, Chopin wrote at least 14 polonaises
The polonaise I have chosen is one of Chopin's most popular, the "Heroic" polonaise, Op. 53. As with the mazurkas, I have chosen the Polish Artur Rubinsten for this piece. Polonaises have long been a symbol of Polish nationalism, and it just feels right for a fellow Pole to be sitting at the piano for them.
Prelude
Chopin's Preludes were directly inspired by Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, two sets of 24 preludes and fugues, one in each major and minor key. However, until Chopin's redefinition, preludes were always an introductory piece for a following, longer, piece. Chopin's preludes stood on their own.
Of Chopin's 25 preludes, only one was a standalone work (Op. 45); the rest were part of a set of 24 (Op. 28) which Chopin intended to be played as one complete work. While all 24 combined only take approximately 30-35 minutes to perform, these preludes are so popular that pianists regularly cherry-picked their favorites to play on their own.
The selection of which prelude to choose was difficult. I could just as easily have picked my childhood favorite (No. 15 "Raindrops"), the famous funeral march (No. 20), the short but profound (No. 7) or the lament which was played at Chopin's own funeral (No. 4), but in their stead I have chosen No. 17 in A-flat major, as played beautifully by Maurizio Pollini.
Scherzo
A scherzo (literally "joke") originated as a piece of music meant to be played in a playful, joking manner, but soon became a faster alternative to the minuet regularly used in third movements for symphonies, sonatas and string quartets.
Chopin's scherzos retained only superficial similarities with these earlier scherzos, and were instead dark and brooding if not downright furious (e.g. Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20). Along with the ballades, barcarole and fantasy, the scherzos represent Chopin's willingness to explore longer forms. To this day, they are considered a staple in the modern pianist's repertoire.
The scherzo I have chosen - No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20 - was the very first Chopin piece that I ever consciously listened to. It was the first track on a Chopin cassette which my mom purchased for $5 at the Stop and Shop grocery store in Arlington, Massachusetts. It is the piece which began my love affair with the poet of the piano, and it is played here by Claudio Arrau.
Waltz
Even Chopin's dance-inspired miniatures, such as his waltzes (a Viennese dance in 3/4 time with a characteristic down-up-up feel) were not written for the dance floor, but for performance in high-brow Parisian salons.
Chopin's waltzes retain the rhythm of the dance, but he varies their mood dramatically. Some, such as the "Minute" waltz (Op. 64, No. 1) are brilliantly fast showpieces. Others, such as the "Grande Valse Brilliante" (Op. 18) are sweeping romantic gestures. And some take the cheerful, upbeat dance and turn it into a melancholic song, such as the waltz I have chosen (Op.34, No. 2). This is a recent recording by French pianist Alexandre Tharaud.
Genres created by Chopin
Ballade
Ballades represented an entirely new genre created by Chopin based loosely on sonata form but with their own internal logic and rules that clearly set them apart. Chopin's ballades are all one-movement pieces for solo piano, and all are filled to the brim with musical narratives.
The typical Chopin ballade begins with a sweet, lyrical melody but then turns dark as the themes are developed. Complex and full of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic depth, the ballades represent the maturation of Chopin's style. Inspired by Chopin, both Liszt and Brahms wrote their own ballades.
In my opinion, Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman has recorded the authoritative version of Chopin's ballades for his award-winning 1988 album. For this blog, I have chosen Chopin's first ballade (No. 1, Op. 23) begun in Vienna and finished in Paris in 1836. A work of monumental proportion and depth, it has long been considered one of the seminal examples of romantic solo piano composition and was referred to by James Huneker as "the odyssey of Chopin's soul."
Other Genres Used by Chopin
Chopin rarely wrote in any genres beyond those above (excepting the rondos and variations which stem from early in his career and are surpassed in artistic merit by his later compositions). But occasionally, Chopin would write in a new genre, culminating in some of the finest works for solo piano ever composed.
Fantasy
Dark, complex and varied, Chopin's Fantasy in F minor (Op. 49) can appear to defy all comprehension. Stemming from a genre embraced by Mozart and Schubert among others, the Fantasy departs from existing classical templates without sacrificing form, embracing esoteric themes that at first glance appear to be sewn together with all the finesse of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Played here by Artur Rubinstein, the Fantasy's interpretive difficulties belie its genius. As the piece progresses, what at first sounded disconnected is shown to have a certain internal logic. It has been variously described as "one of the highest expressions of the composer's genius", "one of the most magnificent works in the piano literature" and "a work that should be played only by really great pianists."
Barcarolle
One of my favorite Chopin works of all time, the Barcarolle (Op. 60) was a form originally derived from the songs that Venetian gondoliers would sing that had been adopted for operatic use. Although there are many great recordings (Rubinstein, Zimerman, Fou Ts'ong), I have chosen Maurizio Pollini's version as it captures both the melancholy and the brightness, the unique mixture of which help define this composition.
Full of harmonically rich thirds and sixths, Chopin's Barcarolle did not obviously draw from any one source of inspiration, but combined ideas to create something wholly Chopin in nature. Often grouped with the nocturnes, it might share in some of their DNA, but is too cheerful and its melodies too far removed from the bel canto ideal for the comparison to be fully apt.
Berceuse
Delicate and subtle, the Berceuse (Op. 57) is a lullaby which germinated from a Polish song that his mother likely sung called "Laura and Philo". Unusually for Chopin, the left-hand piano part remains constant over the entire piece as the right hand plays increasingly intricate - but never forced - variations on the primary theme. It is played here by Ivan Moravec.
Tarantelle
The tarantella is a upbeat dance native to southern Italy, but Chopin's Tarantelle (Op. 43) betrays little true Italian influence. Played here by Artur Rubinstein, the Tarantelle is a curious work and sounds most similar to Chopin's waltzes and Bolero. Given Chopin's own remarks after finishing the composition - "I hope I'll not write anything worse in a hurry" - it's unsurprising that he never returned to the Tarantelle after his initial foray.
Bolero
Unlike the other pieces in this miscellaneous category, the Bolero was an earlier work, written in 1833 during his first years in Paris. Nominally a Spanish folk dance, Chopin's Bolero is similar to the Tarantelle in that its inspiration does not appear to be fully Spanish but rather a stile brilliante work set to the characteristic rhythms of a Bolero dance. Also like the Tarantelle, it has never found a place among Chopin's popular repertoire. It is played here by Idil Biret.
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