ETUDES

Etudes Op.10 Etudes Op.25 Etudes de la Mthode des Mthodes

The term tude has long been used to describe pieces of technical, sometimes virtuosic, difficulty, focused on
training and refining a specific aspect of a performers technique. Masters such as Czerny and Hanon wrote
notorious etudes that are legendary exercises in finger and hand dexterity and strength. Although invaluable in
this regard, these etudes are lacking in musical development, since most of them are merely repetitions of the
same general pattern of notes. They have no inherent musicality.

Chopins etudes are special in this regard. These etudes inspired many Chopin enthusiasts to seek a piano
teacher so that they can emulate the great composer. Chopin was the first to pioneer the etude into an actual
art form. Although all of his twenty-seven etudes for piano adhere to the basic principle of an etude to train
and refine a specific aspect of a performers technique there is another element present. Each of the etudes,
rather than being a dry repetitive exercise, has its own musical story to tell. Like virtually all of Chopins
compositions, there is an emotional aspect that transcends the mere playing of notes, and takes a true
virtuoso to execute well. This newly developed musical aspect of the etude persisted as a feature of Romantic
repertoire; among the other great Romantics, Liszt was particularly famous for his technically intense yet
passionate concert etudes.

Chopin named very few of his own compositions, almost always preferring to refer to them by opus and
number. His etudes were no exception. However, due to their passionate, Chopin-esque nature, many of the
etudes have nicknames given either by enthusiastic editors or zealous fans. These programmatic titles have
been noted where they are present. Again, it is important to note that Chopin himself did not come up with any
of these titles, and most likely even disapproved of them.

One should also note that while each of the etudes focus on a specific aspect of the performers technique, all
are tied together by a common thread. Even though the Etude Op. 10 No. 1 is a difficult exercise in broad
arpeggiated chords and the Etude Op. 25 No. 10 is a taxing study for octave technique, they share something
in common. Every one of Chopins twenty-seven etudes, in addition to what each specifically focuses on, is an
exercise designed to develop a legato style of playing. Chopins severest criticism of his pupils was that S/he
does not know how to connect two notes; nowhere is this philosophy more evident than in his etudes.

Chopin has truly brought about a complete overhaul of the etude art form. He has transformed it from a dry,
technical exercise into a lively, emotional story that at the same time develops the pianists technique. In this,
they are truly Revolutionary.

Etudes Op. 10, 1829-1833: [No. 1-12]

The twelve Etudes Op. 10 were all written when Chopin was between the ages of nineteen and twenty-three
many of them before he had reached legal manhood. Despite this, many of them are tricky even for
professionals, and have vexed many a brave soul. They are dedicated to Son ami Franz Liszt (His friend
Franz Liszt), whom he met while performing in the salons of Paris.

Op.10 No. 1, C major (Waterfall)

The first etude of the Op. 10 set opens with a bright, broad arpeggiated theme that usually spans about three
or four octaves in a single measure. Many nave pianists (including, at one point, the author) have been fooled
into thinking that this is one of the simpler etudes, for which the extremely simplistic left hand cannot
completely be pardoned for. After all, what could possibly be tricky about simple arpeggios, especially for those
with large hands? Chopin could tell you. Upon closer examination, this pieces arpeggios are anything but
simplistic. The stretches often cover a tenth over three notes, and this span is inaccessible to all but the largest
hands. Therefore, proper fingering and wrist control is a necessity for executing this etude with the smooth
legato that Chopin doubtless intended. Even so, it is an enormously taxing piece that intimidated even the
legendary Vladimir Horowitz; at some parts, the suggested fingering is nearly impossible at full speed. The
programmatic title Waterfall most likely comes from the right hand arpeggios that cascade up and down the
piano, as well as the firm and incessant nature of the piece.

Op.10 No. 2, A minor (Chromatic)

Structurally, this etude is very similar to the one preceding it in that nearly all of the technical difficulty is in
quick, accurate, and legato right hand action. Unlike the first etude, however, the focus here is to achieve
evenness and strength in the third, fourth, and fifth fingers of the right hand. This is accomplished by using
these fingers to play a perpetual chromatic scale up and down the keyboard for the duration of the entire
piece. At the same time, the first and second fingers of the right hand play chords along with the left hand. No
false impressions here; it is laborious enough to play a clean, smooth chromatic scale using the normal
fingering! This etude is also made harder by the intended legato playing and the fact that the entire piece is to
be played very softly. The difficulties here, then, are multifarious: the pianist has to not only play chromatics
using the weakest fingers of the hand, but also play them smoothly, softly, and evenly! Overall, this makes for
one of the more difficult etudes. The source of the programmatic title is immediately obvious upon listening or
looking at the score.

Op.10 No. 3, E major (Tristesse)

The popular Etude Op. 10 No. 3 is set apart from many of the other Op. 10 and Op. 25 etudes most noticeably
by its tempo. While many of the others in these two sets are whirlwinds of notes, this one is calmer and much
slower. It is also, however, incredibly emotional and musical. The primary technical focus here is playing in
three voices. The right hand plays the melody and the left hand plays accompanying notes. However, there is a
third sixteenth-note accompaniment between the melody and bass, played by both hands. In the middle of
the piece, the difficulty shifts to fast playing of chromatic fourths, which could pose a challenge to pianists who
could otherwise handle this piece with ease.

What makes this particular etude notable, however, is not its technical difficulty. It is the nostalgia, the
wistfulness, and the emotion that flow through the music. Chopin is rumored to have proclaimed about this
etude that In all my life I have never again been able to find such a beautiful melody. It is also reported that
while Chopin was playing this for a student, he suddenly began weeping and cried Oh, my homeland! This
etude is one of the best expressions of Chopins nationalism and the love he felt for his Poland.

While the piece is undoubtedly very emotional, many musicians believe that it is poorly nicknamed. Tristesse,
which translates to sadness, is a misnomer, to say the least. The etude is not simply sad; it is an expression
of nostalgia and Chopins love of his homeland. It has firmly established itself as one of Chopins most popular
and best loved compositions.

Op.10 No. 4, C# minor (Torrent)

In direct contrast to the slower and calmer etude before it, the Etude Op. 10 No. 4 opens with a sharp chord
followed immediately tumultuous sixteenth-note runs in both hands. There are several major difficulties
associated with this piece. The sixteenth-note runs make up the melody. The difficulty with this is that the
piece switches which hand does these runs every few measures. Therefore, the melody switches from the right
hand to the left hand and back, many times. There is also a certain amount of difficulty present in playing the
sixteenth notes softly but still very rapidly and fluidly. The pedaling of this etude may also pose a problem. The
etudes nickname is the Torrent. Just the right amount of pedal must be used to achieve this effect. If one
uses too much, the piece sounds like a sluggish river; on the other hand, if one uses too little, it sounds very
choppy and detached. To top things off, for its speed, this is one of the longest etudes of the 24. Fortunately,
the piece is not as challenging musically as some of the other etudes, but one might find that one has a great
deal of trouble in transferring the musical ideas from ones hands to the keyboard! The etymology of the
nickname is immediately apparent upon listening to the piece.

Op.10 No. 5, Gb major (Black keys)

One of the more popular Chopin works, this etude has the right hand playing rapid triplets while the left hand
plays the melody in chords. This would be easier to accomplish, however, if the right hand notes were not
completely on black keys! Chopin also included more dynamic indications in this etude than most others,
though this can be attributed to its relative brevity; at only four pages, the etude lasts about a minute and a
half played at proper tempo. The greatest technical difficulty of this etude is getting the right hand to flow.
Without a firm yet fluid hand motion, the right hand will either be missing some of the intended legato feeling
or some of the intended vivace feeling. (The tempo indication is written Vivace.) Due to the very fast right
hand being played entirely on black keys, it is quite easy to get notes wrong. Even though the piece is intended
to be played legato, there is a certain crispness to it that foils attempts at oversimplifying the pedaling. Too
much pedal makes the right hand sound very messy, while too little makes the left unnecessarily choppy.

There is actually one white key in the right hand. About three-quarters of the way through, the piece
temporarily slows down and the right hand plays the chord D-flat, F, and B-flat!

Op.10 No. 6, Eb minor

Like the Etude Op. 10 No. 3, this etude is not completely about speed and feats of superhuman virtuosity. It
proceeds at a rather slow pace the tempo indication is Andante. The melody is very plaintive and mournful
and is completely in the right hand. The left hand, however, has some practice in playing two different voices.
The first voice consists of one or two bass notes or chords per measure. This is not very difficult. The second
voice, however, consists of a thoughtful sixteenth-note progression that continues throughout the entire piece.
Rather than being an accompaniment, it is almost like a second melody. The progression is only slightly
technically challenging to play; the only major technical difficulties are the unusual positions that the left hand
must occasionally assume. The numerous accidentals make this portion of the piece extremely difficult and
time-consuming to learn, however! Chopins purpose with this etude was to develop a good sense of playing
two melodic lines at once with grace and musicality in both. For this etude to sound musically pleasing, one
must also clearly express the beautiful flowing main melody of the right hand. It is doing this above the
sixteenth-note progression that is the challenge.

Op.10 No. 7, C major (Toccata)

This rather eccentric-sounding etude has some interesting right-hand difficulties; the left hand is rather simple,
playing single eighth notes throughout. However, the right hand is in perpetual motion, characterized by
rapidly changing intervals ranging from a minor third to an augmented sixth. No two intervals of comparable
size are ever next to each other, which make execution at proper tempo a special challenge; a third is almost
always followed by a fifth or a sixth. This is made difficult by the fact that the large interval is not on the same
melodic line as the smaller one. The two notes of the smaller interval are often completely below the two notes
of the larger one. Another difficulty lies in the treatment of the repeated notes in the intervals; occasionally,
the top note of the third is the bottom note of the larger interval immediately proceeding (or preceding) it.
Interpretation is made particularly tricky by the technical difficulty, and the programmatic title comes from the
rapid progression of intervals that can cause the piece to sound rather like a very detached toccata if not
played with legato. Due to the somewhat odd melody and the difficulty of getting a clean sound, it is
unfortunately not one of the most popular etudes.

Op.10 No. 8, F major (Sunshine)

The Etude Op. 10 No. 8 starts off with a brief right hand trill which gives way to rapid sixteenth-note runs
soaring up and down the keyboard during the entire piece in the right hand, with an ebullient melody in the
left. The obvious technical difficulty here is in the right hand, as the rapid sixteenth notes present quite a
challenge. Even though the melody is in the left hand, the right hand is designed to complement the melody in
some parts, so careful dynamic control is necessary for the piece to sound good. There is also the ever-present
difficulty of playing rapid sixteenths evenly, occasionally softly, and, of course, with legato. This etude is also
somewhat of a test in endurance, as Chopins right hand sixteenths are relentless and incessant until the very
end. (It should be noted, however, that the endurance required to play this is nowhere near the endurance
required to play the Etude Op. 25 No. 11!) As with some of the other etudes in the Op. 10 set, the left hand is
extremely simple compared to the right.

The bright, uplifting melody makes this etude much more accessible than some of the others; one might
picture a singing bird, gliding freely in the open air, swooping gracefully a few times before gently landing on a
tree. The piece is not difficult to interpret, but the pianist will almost certainly run into trouble getting the piano
especially the right hand to sound the way he or she wants it to.

Op.10 No. 9, F minor

This etude is one of the most lyrical of all the etudes, with a beautiful, haunting melody reminiscent of one of
Chopins darker nocturnes. The right hand plays the melody in single notes and small chords, and then in much
stronger octaves, neither of which are tremendously difficult technically. Passage work for the left hand is more
difficult. It is similar to the left hand found in the Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1, though faster and more technically
difficult. The rapid arpeggiated stretches often reach a tenth or more. As the piece progresses, there are
numerous jumps, though these are not very difficult in comparison to those of some of the other etudes! The
difficulty is that the left hand must be handled extremely delicately and precisely in order to give the piece its
haunting undertones. The last few measures of the piece also require special attention, as they are very gentle
and delicate in both hands, and it is tricky to obtain the exact effect one wants.

Even though this is not among the hardest etudes, one must not forget that each of Chopins etudes has an
interpretational difficulty. This difficulty is prominent in this one. From the very beginning, a very dark melody
rings out. The melody is more reminiscent of silent despair and struggle than of any open conflict. Our hero
does not burden others with his fight; he chooses to weep to himself silently. As the piece progresses to the
climax, his struggle grows harsher and more violent. It threatens to consume him entirely. Eventually, the
piece fades away to nothing, and our hero ultimately falls.

Op.10 No. 10, Ab major

This piece is built on a very interesting structure. The left hand is not too difficult, playing eighth notes with
two longer, held notes every measure. This is all there is to the left hand. The right hand, however, reveals
one aspect of Chopins musical genius. Its structure is nearly unvarying; a single eighth note followed by an
interval that is almost always above this note. The structure is built on arpeggios, which make the right hand
somewhat simpler it is relatively easy for the fingers to find their place. Despite this simple structure, Chopin
has managed to weave in two not inconsiderable difficulties. Firstly, accents. Although the structure of the
piece is very similar throughout, the rhythm and phrasing vary greatly. The piece can be divided into three
sections based on this: even though each section has the same structure note-wise, they are phrased very
differently; a different part of the rhythm is accented in each section. The second difficulty is the wide range of
tones that Chopin intended the pianist to use. Notwithstanding that the right hand is structurally similar
throughout, there is a wide variety of sounds and tones that Chopin intended for it to express. The pianist
must use the same structure to create an extremely wide range of tones and sounds.

Therefore, despite its seemingly simple construction, the piece is very musically difficult. However, this
difficulty is more than compensated for by the lively, charming melody that results from a good performance!

Op.10 No. 11, Eb major (Arpeggio)

The first thing one notices about this etude is that nearly every note is in a rolled chord! The main focus, then,
is immediately apparent. In both the right and left hands, rolled chords of three or four notes abound. As often
as not, these rolled chords are enormous, up to a twelfth in both hands! Since these (sometimes huge) chords
are in extremely rapid progression, the etude develops wrist control and finger dexterity. It is literally
impossible to roll such large chords with such speed without proper wrist technique. Another difficulty is that
even though the melody is usually the top note of each chord, it is sometimes in the middle. Chopin does not
mark when this is the case; the pianist is left to determine this for him/herself. This presents a twofold
difficulty: One must understand the piece well to know when this is the case, and without considerable skill in
rolling chords, expressing a melody as a middle note is all but impossible. Finally, it is of interest and
importance to note that the tempo indication is Allegretto, not Agitato. A playing of the piece should not be the
product of an extremely taxing effort and lots of pain. The melody is gentle, not brutal; one should picture a
serenely flowing river, not ocean waves crashing onto rocks.

Op.10 No. 12, C minor (Revolutionary)

The Revolutionary Etude holds its place as one of the most eminent and well recognized of all of Chopins
compositions. Beginning with the first dramatic chord all the way to the impassioned conclusion, this piece is
an outpouring of emotion. It is immediately apparent that most of the technical difficulty is in the left hand,
with rapid runs and frequent turns. However, this difficulty is perhaps easier to resolve than those in many
other etudes, as finding a comfortable fingering wins half the battle with this piece. (If, by any chance, one
wishes to seek a greater challenge with this etude, perhaps one could do what Alexander Dreyschock did
learn to play the left hand in octaves, without losing any tempo!) Other difficulties include polyrhythms and
cross-rhythms that are used more and more to convey a sense of conflict and struggle towards the end of the
piece. After the problem of knowing the notes is resolved, one must inevitably move on to the problem of
interpretation, which is always important but especially so in such a famous piece. At a young age, Chopins
first music teacher taught him to respect the works of the old artists namely, Bach, Mozart, and Haydn,
among others. Chopin had a particular distaste for most of Beethovens work, yet it is impossible to imagine
that he was not familiar with it. Many of Beethovens stormiest compositions, such as his Pathtique sonata,
are written in C minor. Surely Chopin knew that C minor was the stormiest key of them all in Beethoven, and
perhaps unconsciously he expressed this in the Revolutionary Etude. The piece reportedly emerged after
Chopin heard of Polands failure in its rebellion against Russia. Chopin was unable to participate due to his poor
health, and when he heard that the rebellion failed, he cried, All this has caused me so much pain. Who could
have foreseen it! During this time period, he produced some of his darkest and most passionate works, such
as the Scherzo No. 2 and this etude.

In the beginning, after a strong chord rings out, the left hand runs relentlessly and the melody is further
developed in the right hand. Given the context of the piece, one could liken the opening chord to a gunshot.
The ensuing tumultuous left hand and impassioned right hand could then be interpreted as a hero fighting a
battle in a war. After a hard struggle, the piece ends quite as chaotically and dramatically as it began, yet in C
major, leaving us with a sense of ambiguity we are not sure if our hero prevailed or perished, but we do
know that he fought bravely with both body and spirit.