Polonaise in A flat major (Chopin)
The Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53 by Frederic Chopin was born in 1842. The Polish composer she dedicated the friendly German-Jewish banker Auguste Léo , in whose salon he often visited. It is one of the best known and most important piano works by Chopin. She was later given the nickname Héroïque by musicologists and pianists.
construction
The A flat major polonaise begins with the distinctive introduction in the dominant E flat major . The middle section is in E major. Technically, the work is not "unplayable"; Dilettantes fail because of the (quiet) left-handed octaves in the E major part. Perhaps it is even more difficult to bring out the inner strength and the majestic pride - the maestoso - of the piece and not to "thunder" it. If you play the fourth octaves carefully on the subject, the necessary ounce of measure will add to grandeur. This is also needed in the 26 bars after the E major section. Shaking them up and playing over the ballad-like parlandotone - regular sixteenth notes on the right, regular eighth notes on the left - robs the piece of its size. Otto Emil Schumann aptly describes the work:
“The tense, tense introduction above the Eb as the dominant root note with the alternation of chromatic ascending chords and rolling sixteenth notes, each interspersed with different harmonies (four chord beats each), is splendid. Then first the basic key of A flat major, then the main theme with the fourth steps of the bass octaves, proud and bold, chivalrous and glamorous. The idea of transition, festively adorned with trills and bounces, and the harp-like rushing run until the theme appears even more brilliantly, in high register, with powerful octaves and intermediate trills, is also powerful. The secondary thoughts are also strong. Middle movement in E major related to third; Introduced by seven roaring fortissimo chords, followed by a pianissimo four-tone, descending bass figure (e / d flat / c sharp / b), which repeats itself incessantly as a staccato octave and serves as the basis for the whole movement. In addition, a rhythmically fixed theme, as if blown by three trumpets. The increase in the sentence is enormous. At the end the main clause returns in the greatest splendor. The last three bars are a beautiful example of how Chopin forms his finals: completely free and yet simple. "
First printing
The first print was published by Maurice Schlesinger in December 1843 with the dedication “à M. Auguste Léo”.
literature
- Christof Rüger: Concert Book Piano Music AZ , Leipzig 1979, p. 226.
- Hans Wüst: Frederic Chopin - Letters and Testimonies , 2005.
- Tadeusz A. Zieliński: Chopin. His life, his work, his time , Mainz 2008, pp. 711–713.
Individual evidence
- ^ Otto Schumann: Handbuch der Klaviermusik , 4th edition. Wilhelmshaven 1979, p. 379.