Fantaisie-Impromptu
The Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor , Op. post. 66 is a work for piano solo by Frédéric Chopin from 1834. Julian Fontana published it in 1855 posthumously. It is considered one of the most important posthumously published pieces by Chopin.
construction
The work follows the form scheme ABA-Coda, whereby the A-part is fast and the B-part is slow, the coda connects the sixteenth notes of the right hand of the A-part with the main melody of the B-part, which is then in the left Hand appears. It is noteworthy that in the A section the right hand has to play sixteenth notes continuously against eighth note triplets of the left hand (see note value ).
A part
It begins with a G sharp octave held over two bars by the left hand in the bass in the "sforzando", then - becoming quieter - the left hand picks up the eighth-note triplet movement. In measure 5, the starting motif of the right hand begins in sixteenths.
B part
It is in D flat major, the ( enharmonically mistaken ) variant key of C sharp minor, and begins with a two-bar introduction in "Largo" in which the left hand plays the D flat major chord in eighth note triplets over two octaves. Then the tempo designation changes to "Moderato cantabile" and the right hand begins with the calm melody in quarters and straight eighth notes against the eighth note triplets that continue in the left hand.
A part
The A part is repeated unchanged and completely.
Coda
The piece ends in an ambiguous, fantasy-like ending in which the left hand repeats the first notes of the moderato part and the right hand plays sixteenth notes . The final chord is a C sharp major chord.
Similarities with the "moonlight sonata"
In some respects the piece is similar to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata , which is also composed in C sharp minor. Two bars after the melody begins, there is an abrupt ascent and descent with exactly the same notes as in the cadenza of the third movement ( presto agitato ) of that work. The climax on an sixth fourth chord is also similar in both pieces. In addition, the middle section of the Fantaisie Impromptu and the second movement of the Moonlight Sonata are in D flat major , the first and third movements in C sharp minor.
Because of these and other reasons, Ernst Oster writes:
“Chopin understood Beethoven to a degree that no one who has written on the C ♯ minor Sonata or the Fantaisie-Impromptu has ever understood him. … The Fantaisie-Impromptu is perhaps the only instance where one genius describes to us - if only by means of a composition of his own - what he actually hears in the work of another genius. "
“Chopin understood Beethoven as well as anyone who has ever written about the moonlight sonata or the fantasy impromptu. … The Fantaisie-Impromptu is perhaps the only case in which a brilliant composer reveals to us - even if only by means of his own work - what he actually hears in the work of another genius. "
Later use of the composition
The melody of the middle part of the piece was used in the song I'm Always Chasing Rainbows . It can also be heard in the episode “Games with Fire” from the cartoon series Tom and Jerry and in the film Autumn Storms . The piece also appears in the Woody-Woodpecker short film “ Musical Moments from Chopin ”. It can also be heard in various episodes of the television series Lost .
The motif was quoted in Variation 10 of the Variations sur un thème de Chopin by Federico Mompou , which is otherwise based on Prelude No. 7 in A major .
The composition is also mentioned in Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" in chapter 21.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b James Huneker: Chopin: The Man and His Music . Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1911, p. 241 f . ( online [accessed October 10, 2013]).
- ^ GC Ashton Jonson: A Handbook to Chopin's Works . W. Reeves, London 1908, p. 268 f . ( online [accessed October 10, 2013]).
- ^ Ernst Oster: The Fantaisie-Impromptu: A Tribute to Beethoven . In: David Beach (Ed.): Aspects of Schenkerian Analysis (= Music ). tape 449 . Yale University Press, Yale 1983, ISBN 0-300-02800-8 , pp. 189-207 ( online [accessed October 10, 2013]).
- ^ Ernst Oster: The Fantaisie-Impromptu: A Tribute to Beethoven . In: David Beach (Ed.): Aspects of Schenkerian Analysis (= Music ). tape 449 . Yale University Press, Yale 1983, ISBN 0-300-02800-8 , pp. 207 ( online [accessed October 10, 2013]).
Web links
- Fantaisie-Impromptu : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Impromtu op.66 in C sharp minor , description at chopin-musik.com