101 / 124
of blazing technical demands, harmonic and
melodic experimentation, and thematic inte-
gration. A reviewer for the
Allgemeine Musika-
lische Zeitung
(
) criticized the composer for
“wildly piling up ideas and grouping them in a
somewhat bizarre manner, so that not seldom
an obscure arti ce or artful obscurity is pro-
duced that becomes a detriment rather than a
bene t to the total e ect.”
Notwithstanding, these sonatas represented
an important stage in Beethoven’s evolution
from brash piano
Wunderkind
to an innova-
tive creative artist.
is transformation plays
out through the course of op.
.
e rst so-
nata (C minor) conveys the brooding Roman-
ticism frequently associated with Beethoven’s
works in this key. A Classical lighthearted grace,
combined with occasional contrapuntal writ-
ing, characterizes the second sonata (F major).
Finally, the third sonata (D major) translates
a symphonic sense of texture and spacious di-
mension to the keyboard.
FRYDERYK FRANCISZEK CHOPIN (1810–49)
ree Waltzes, op.
e waltz might not immediately appear a natu-
ral medium for a pianist renowned for his ethnic
Polish improvisations and compositions. Born
of German peasant dances (such as the Ländler)
and cultivated into a ubiquitous Viennese ball-
room dance, the waltz nonetheless enjoyed a
vogue far beyond the political boundaries of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Chopin’s
exam-
ples for solo keyboard illustrate that, by the late
s, the waltz had rmly established itself in
Paris, where he then resided. “Lanner, Strauss,
and their waltzes obscure everything,” the com-
poser-pianist remarked in
.
Chopin published his rst waltz in
—the
Waltz in E- at major, op. . (He had composed
six waltzes earlier, but these were not printed
during Chopin’s lifetime.) Robert Schumann
praised his initial e orts in this form, applaud-
ing the
ree Waltzes, op.
: “So throbbing a
life ows in them that they seem to have been
actually improvised in the ballroom.” Waltzes
trickled erratically from Chopin’s pen over the
next dozen years, gaining a musical sophistica-
tion that transcended the public dance pavilion.
e three op.
waltzes originated at di erent
times: the rst in
, and the others three years
later. Chopin took particular care with No. in
A- at major, correcting the proofs in minute
detail. He presented the manuscript as a gi
to Princess Joze na, daughter of the reigning
un-Hohenstein count whose aristocratic,
art-loving family maintained a castle at Tetschen
on the Elbe River.
Ballade No. in F minor, op.
e Ballade No. in F minor, op.
—his last
contribution to this form of his own invention—
is among Chopin’s most sublime productions.
According to popular accounts, Chopin creat-
ed the ballade genre a er reading poetic verses
about picturesque lakes and water nymphs by
Adam Mickiewicz, a fellow Polish emigré to
Paris. Several common musical characteristics
de ne Chopin’s ballades, including / or /
meter, fantasy-like thematic transformation,
and, most important, a narrative quality of ex-
pression, as if the composer were partly disclos-
ing a hidden story or program.
A fragmentary manuscript of the Ballade No.
possibly dates from the end of
, although
Chopin probably did not complete the work
until
.
ese years brought great creature
comforts and professional acclaim to Chopin,
luxuries unfortunately o set by nagging physi-
cal in rmities. His four-year romantic relation-
ship with George Sand (the literary pen name
of the Baroness Aurore Dudevant) had reached
a comfortable maturity.
e two lovers divided
time between a Parisian apartment and her fam-
ily château at Nohant. Chopin mustered enough
strength for a few public concerts, which the
audiences received with unbridled enthusiasm.
Nonetheless, the plush intimacy of aristocratic
salons remained his usual artistic domain. Cho-
pin’s patrons and students alike came from the
Parisian upper crust. Prince Walenty Radziwiłł
rst introduced Chopin to high society in
at a private soirée in the home of a certain “Bar-
on and Baroness Rothschild,” although which
of the numerous family members sporting the
title “baron” acted as hosts remains unknown.
What is known, however, is that the Baroness
Nathaniel (Betty) de Rothschild became one of
his rst piano pupils in Paris. Perhaps to honor
their decade-long friendship, Chopin dedicated
the Ballade No. to her.
CHARLES TOMLINSONGRIFFES (1884–1920)
Fantasy Pieces, op.
Death at age
robbed Charles Tomlinson
Gri es of the widespread and lasting acclaim
his talent and originality so richly deserved.
Critic Nathan Hale best summarized his legacy:
“Gri es was the rst American-born composer
of consequence whose work was closely linked
to the international scene of his time. … But he
was no mere observer nor an uncritical admirer
of the European avant-gardists. Instead, he uti-
lized their stimulus to pursue his own course.”
His beginnings in Elmira, NY, appear modest
and unpromising. As a boy, he took piano les-
sons with his sister. However, Gri es switched
in his mid-teens to an instructor at Elmira
College—Mary Selena Broughton—who intro-
duced him to contemporary works by European
composers. With her backing, Gri es entered
the Stern Conservatory in Berlin as an aspiring
concert pianist.
While in Germany, Gri es discovered a passion
for composition and le the keyboard program
at the conservatory. Lessons under Engelbert
Humperdinck (composer of the opera
Hansel
and Gretel
) continued for a few months before
Gri es returned to the United States to become
director of music at Hackley School, Tarrytown,
New York, where he taught until his untimely
death. Gri es’s early works strongly re ected his
Germanic training. Several songs, in fact, utilize
German and occasionally French texts. During
his last decade, Gri es turned away from this
Teutonic heritage in preference to Asian and
other “exotic” in uences.
Musico-poetic uni cation characterizes the
Fantasy Pieces, op. . An eclectic group of vers-
es—by William Sharp, Paul Verlaine, and an
anonymous hand—underlays the three “fanta-
sies,” which Gri es composed in
and pub-
lished three years later.
e last poem, by the
unknown author, inspired the brilliant, virtuo-
sic, and supernatural
Scherzo
: “From the Palace
Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin
Charles Tomlinson Griffes
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