Étude Op. 10, No. 12 (Chopin)

Étude Op. 10, No. 12inC minor,known as the "Revolutionary Étude"or the"Étude on the Bombardment of Warsaw",^[1]is a solo piano work byFrédéric Chopinwrittenc. 1831,and the last in his first set,Études, Op. 10,dedicated "à son ami Franz Liszt"(" to his friendFranz Liszt"). The autographed edition is located in the archive ofStiftelsen Musikkulturens Främjande(The Nydahl Collection) in Stockholm.

History

The 1831Russian attack on Warsaw,which is apocryphally believed to have been the inspiration behind Chopin's "Revolutionary Étude"

Popular legend holds that Chopin was inspired to write the 12th Étude after theBattle of Warsawin 1831 during theNovember Uprisingin his native Poland, but this is not corroborated by any solid historical evidence. At any rate, the piece did first appear around the same time as the November Uprising. Upon the conclusion of this battle, which marked the failure of the Polish rebellion againstRussia,Chopin reportedly cried, "All this has caused me much pain. Who could have foreseen it?"^[2]

Unlike études of prior periods, which were designed primarily to emphasize and develop particular aspects of musical technique, theromanticétudes of composers such as Chopin and Liszt are fully developed concert pieces that reinforce the development of more robust technique.

Technique and analysis

Étude No. 12

Martha Goldsteinplaying on an Érard (1851) - 2985KB

Revolutionary Etude

MIDIrendition

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For Op. 10, No. 12, the technique required in the openingbarsis executing long, loud descending runs, which form adominant minor ninth chordthat builds up to the maintheme.The length and repetition of these rapidpassagesare distinctive. The rest of the passage focuses on the left hand fingeringscalesandarpeggios.The opening theme, in the right hand, is notable for its powerful chordal basis.

A primary challenge of Op. 10, No. 12 lies in the simultaneous playing of relentless left handsemiquaverswhile the RH shapes widely distributedoctavesinto legato melodic shapes.

The left hand technique in this piece involves evenly played semiquavers throughout. The structure is in Chopin's usualternary form(A–B–A–coda). The opening arresting figuration transitions into the mainappassionatomelody.The octave melody's upward ascending forte dottedrhythmsand the continuous tumultuous LH accompaniment provide great drama with few moments of respite. The piece ends by recalling the opening in a final descending sweep (with both hands) descending to anF major chord,eventually cadencing onC major(tierce de Picardie).

References

^de Korwin-Piotrowska, Sophie (1933). Baldensperger, Fernand;Hazard, Paul(eds.).Balzac et le monde slave[Balzac and the Slavic World]. Bibliothèque de la Revue de littérature comparée (in French). Vol. 93. Paris:University of Paris& H. Champion. p. 336.OCLC 489978309.
^Niecks, Frederick (1945),Frédéric Chopin as a Man and Musician,p. 98.

External links

Mutopia Project- A public domain engraving of the score usingGNU LilyPond,available in several formats.
Études Op.10:Scores at theInternational Music Score Library Project
Op. 10, No. 12played byIgnaz Friedman
Op. 10, No. 12played byAlfred Cortot
Op. 10, No. 12played byArthur Rubinstein
Op. 10, No. 12played byClaudio Arrau
Op. 10, No. 12played byVladimir Horowitz
Op. 10, No. 12played bySviatoslav Richter
Op. 10, No. 12played byTamás Vásáry
Op. 10, No. 12played byAdam Harasiewicz
Op. 10, No. 12played byVladimir Ashkenazy
Op. 10, No. 12played byMaurizio Pollini
Chopin-Godowsky - Etude op. 10, No. 12played byFrancesco Libetta(YouTube)

[korwin-piotrowska-336-1] Korwin-Piotrowska, Sophie (1933). Baldensperger, Fernand;Hazard, Paul(eds.).Balzac et le monde slave[Balzac and the Slavic World]. Bibliothèque de la Revue de littérature comparée (in French). Vol. 93. Paris:University of Paris& H. Champion. p. 336.OCLC 489978309.

[2] Niecks, Frederick (1945),Frédéric Chopin as a Man and Musician,p. 98.

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