Notice how the left hand (the lower-pitched notes) plays the theme of the introduction under the blustery right hand. This étude opens with a slow introduction anticipating the blizzard that later erupts across the keyboard.

They were intended for study but are so beautiful they have entered the standard repertoire. His sets of études fuse virtuosic technique with vibrant melodies. “Winter Wind” is the eleventh of Chopin’s 12 Études, Op. A stormier section comes, where the raindrops sound like six-inch balls of hail, but the lamenting section returns and the piece ends solemnly and gorgeously. The piece begins with a slow, lamenting melody in the right hand over repeated notes in the left hand which sound like raindrops to some. The name “Raindrop” was given by legendary pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow, not by Chopin. Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier, which is organized in a similar fashion. Each of the 24 is in a different key, paying homage to J. While the genre of the prelude implies that they are introductions to something, they are instead a set of stand-alone pieces. The Pieces: “Raindrop” is the fifteenth of Chopin’s set of 24 Preludes, Op. He also fostered a 10-year liaison with George Sand (pen name for the female novelist Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin), who was a great source of inspiration. Aside from performing and composing, another source of income was teaching, and he often dedicated pieces to his pupils. He established himself in Paris, and rather than develop a flashy virtuoso career, he preferred the bourgeois setting of the salon for its intimacy. Chopin sought to take the piano literature to new heights, combining his unique and highly emotional style with a brilliant instinct for dramatic phrasing and melody.īorn in Poland, he was proud of his homeland throughout his life and even drew on Polish folk music for his own compositions. His compositions helped to define virtuosity: they are not only technically difficult, but also require incredible nuance from the performer. Chopin (pronounced SHO-pan) established his reputation as the “poet of the piano,” as all of his works incorporate the instrument, and most of them are solo pieces. Recommended Recordings: Arthur Rubinstein for “Raindrop” and Maurizio Pollini for “Winter Wind” or Martha Argerich for bothĬomposer: Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849). Will you recognize them? You’ll get the feeling you do Étude - a piece intended for study purposes and to improve technique See reddit's content policy for more examples of unwelcome content.Genres: Prelude - a short piece meant as an introduction. commenting on someone's appearance), and the like, are not welcome and will be removed. Comments that contain personal attacks, hate speech, trolling, unnecessarily derogatory or inflammatory remarks or inappropriate remarks (e.g. If you're unsure if your post will be considered spam, please contact the moderators before posting.īe nice to each other. Spam includes posting too frequently, posting mainly links to your blog / Youtube channel, low-content blog posts, etc. No spam, advertising, low-content blog posts, etc. No generic piano music videos / playlists. Very basic theory/song/other tutorials are better suited to /r/learnmusic. The amount of Synthesia 'tutorials' or beginner song tutorials we get is too much and would overtake the subreddit if we allowed them. No basic tutorials or Synthesia 'tutorials'. Please provide as much information as possible to foster good discussion. Pictures lacking context or details are subject to removal. Low-effort and meme image posts are better suited to /r/classicalmemes, /r/pianomemes, or /r/musicpics. No low-effort images, memes, jokes, or context-less images. If the FAQ doesn't answer your question, you can ask your question as a comment in the 'No Stupid Questions' post. What's a good keyboard / piano to purchase?.How do I find sheet music to this song?.Can someone write out the notes to this song?.What is the make or model of my used piano?.The following list of commonly-asked questions have been linked to the appropriate sections of the FAQ: read the FAQ Newest Comments | Participate! Piano Jam | 'No Stupid Questions'Ĭommon generic questions should be asked in the 'No Stupid Questions' post. Welcome to /r/piano! Whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned professional, we hope you've come to talk about pianos.

Raindrop chopin piano