a listening guide
Chopin's forms: what to listen for in an hour of his music
A short field guide to the shapes Chopin's piano music takes, with the numbers that identify them.
Reserve seats for the Chopin recital ↗Forms and the numbers to know
| Form | Worth knowing |
|---|---|
| Nocturne | 21 for solo piano, written between 1827 and 1846 |
| Étude | Two sets: Op. 10, published 1833, and Op. 25, 1837 |
| Prelude | 24 in Op. 28, published 1839; the Raindrop is No. 15 |
| Polonaise | The A-flat major, Op. 53, known as the Heroic, dates from 1842 |
| Ballade and scherzo | Chopin was the first to write them as separate concert pieces |
Why a guide, not a programme
These are notes on the forms Chopin worked in. Which pianist plays on your evening, and which pieces, is theirs to decide, so treat this as a map of the territory and not as a running order.
Nocturne
Chopin took the nocturne, a salon form invented by the Irish composer John Field, to a deeper level. Listen for a singing melody in the right hand over a steady accompaniment: it is the form that suits a quiet room best.
Étude
A study is practice music that Chopin turned into concert music. The two sets, Op. 10 and Op. 25, each give one technical problem to a piece and then make it beautiful. The Revolutionary, Op. 10 No. 12, closes the first set.
Prelude
The 24 preludes of Op. 28 were published in 1839, and Chopin treated them as free-standing pieces, not as introductions. The Raindrop, No. 15, is named for its repeating A-flat, which many listeners hear as falling rain, though Chopin himself objected to that reading.
Polonaise
The polonaise is a Polish dance in triple time with a martial rhythm. Chopin's go beyond the dance floor and need a formidable technique; the Heroic of 1842 is among his most admired pieces.
Mazurka, ballade and scherzo
Chopin wrote his mazurkas for the concert hall, not the dance hall. He was also the first composer to treat the ballade and the scherzo as individual concert pieces, which is why a Chopin recital has so many shapes to offer.