F. Chopin Nocturnes
Frederic Chopin is called the poet and the soul of the piano. And it is not surprising, because he dedicated all his work, with the exception of several works for other instruments, voice and orchestra, to him. Nocturnes occupy a significant place in his legacy - dreamy, lyrical, turbulent, passionate, mournful and strict - they are all very loved in the music world. We are accustomed to hearing these plays in piano sound, but recently their performance has been gaining much popularity in the arrangement for other instruments. Interesting? Of course, the work is immediately revealed on the other, hitherto unseen side.
History of creation
In the XIX century, nocturnes were considered the most popular works of F. Chopin. Why contemporaries preferred them, it is not at all difficult to guess. They focused on the most important thing that was characteristic of romantic aesthetics - a deeply personal, subjective-lyrical, intimate experience that fully captured the consciousness of the artist of the new era. The newest chamber pianism and salon elegance appeared in them, which became a kind of counterbalance to the virtuoso piano music of the time.
In total, the creative heritage of the Polish genius, there are 21 nocturne. Curiously, their numbering does not correspond at all to the order in which they are born, since it is carried out according to the publication dates. So, plays from №1 - №18 were created in 1830-1846, but the remaining three are youthful. They were published only after the composer’s death and are therefore called posthumous.
Nocturne's genre was very close to Chopin. He began working on it at a young age before leaving Warsaw. His first nocturnes (posthumous, e-moll, c-moll) appeared in 1827, at that time he studied for the second year at the Warsaw Conservatory under the direction of J. Elsner. These first composer experiments can hardly be called completely independent, original creations, since they are very close in style to the compositions of the founder of this genre, J. Field. Three nocturne op.9 were written in 1829-1830. and are dedicated to the brilliant pianist Marie Felicite Pleyel, better known as Camilla Mock. The play of this artist admired R. Schumann, F. Liszt, F. Mendelssohn. G. Berlioz was madly in love with this talented woman. He even planned her murder on the basis of jealousy, but at the last moment decided to abandon this undertaking. Camille had a close friendship with Chopin, he also admired her talent, like many others, and therefore decided to show his respect through such musical dedication.
Nocturnes op.15 (F-dur, Fis-dur, g-moll) saw the light in the years 1830-1833. They are dedicated to another musical genius, who stirred the consciousness of contemporaries with his brilliant piano playing. This is a German virtuoso pianist, composer and conductor Ferdinand Giller. Frederic met him in 1831 in Paris, and as a result, this founder of the Cologne Conservatory became one of Chopin's best friends. The bronze medal, which was carved in their honor, became a symbol of the hot friendship between these two legendary pianists.
Compositions op.27 (cis-moll, Des-dur) were created in the years 1834-1835. The composer's biographers consider this time the happiest in his life. In Paris, his name did not descend from the lips and head to all the French women, he had no problems in his personal life and wealth, his health improved markedly.
Nocturnes op.32 H-dur and As-dur were written in the years 1836-1837. Many researchers believe that these works are in many ways inferior to others in this genre, since they are distinguished by intonation and emotionally poverty. These writings reflected hard times in the life of Chopin, which were associated with a frustrated wedding - the composer planned to tie himself to marriage with Maria Vodzinska, but this was not to be.
Following, 37th opus of nocturnes (g-moll and g-dur) was composed in 1839, when the composer was already acquainted with the French writer George Sand. During this period, his illness became severely aggravated, and he and Sand went to spend the winter on the island of Mallorca. Relief was temporary, and with the rainy season the illness began to come with a new force. Returning to Nogan, to the modest manor of his companion, Chopin created these works.
Works Op.48 (c-moll and fis-moll) appeared in 1841. It was a relatively quiet time when Chopin lived alternately in Nogan and Paris, and was actively engaged in creativity and pedagogy. This opus was dedicated by the maestro to one of his gifted students - "A Mademoiselle Laure Duperre". The name of this girl remained unknown to the musical history, but this should not be surprising. Chopin was very kind to his pupils, and according to the information of the Polish-Swiss musicologist L. Bronarsky, he addressed about half of his compositions to them. Nocturnes op.55 (f-moll, Es-dur)written in 1843, also have a dedication to his student - Jane Stirling. This girl was very close to the composer, often accompanied him on trips to different cities and helped with money. Historians unanimously say that she was in love with her teacher, and therefore did not leave him until death.
62nd opus of plays (H-dur, E-dur) Chopin created a few years before his death - in 1846. It was an unusually difficult time, filled with emotional upheavals - in addition to the worsening illness, his relationship with George Sand deteriorated greatly.
Interesting Facts:
- The forefather of the nocturne is considered to be the 19th century Irish composer John Field, but musical art has been familiar with this genre since the Middle Ages. In those days, this word was called part of the Catholic service, performed at dawn. From the cult framework, the genre came out only in the XVIII century and became a chamber work, sounding at night on the street. Nocturns even wrote J. Haydn, however, all these works were very far from the nocturne in our modern presentation.
- It is believed that the legacy of the Polish pianist, only 21 nocturne. But it is not so. There is a so-called False Nocturne by Chopin (cis-moll number 22). It was found in one of the archives, where rare works of composers of the XVIII-XIX centuries were kept. This manuscript was discovered after the composer's death, and many doubt whether it really belongs to him.
- Chopin repeatedly reworked his nocturnes, and gave to the press only those who were completely satisfied with it. But he considered the failed works unworthy to decorate his collection and asked them to be destroyed.
- The first published nocturnes caused a mixed reaction from critics. Some gave them a negative assessment and constantly kept saying that it was impossible to listen to them, but after a few years they changed their mind.
- One of the best performers of Chopin's nocturnes (and not only) is Janusz Olenijek. It is his game that is seen and heard by viewers in the R. Pianist film “The Pianist”.
- In 1992, the Russian-American film "The Nocturne of Chopin" was shot. It shows the drama of two lovers - a talented pianist from a Jewish family and a simple country girl who faced the war and the persecution of fascists.
- Chopin's nocturnes often appear in films, TV shows, computer games and songs. So, the nocturne opus 9 number 2 sounds in the American television series "Dexter", "Bones", "Mad Men", in the action movie "The Crow" and the feature film "127 Hours". His music was used by the British rock band Muse in his song "United States of Eurasia", as well as the developers of the computer game BioShock Infinite. But Nocturne opus 9 number 1 memorized can be heard in the song E. Vaengi called "Chopin."
- Nocturne number 20 is used in the movie "The Pianist", "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", "Karate Kid", "Peacemaker", "Taverns", the series "The War of Foyle", the video game "The Dying Light". The theme of this nocturne as the basis for the introduction to her album "As I am" was taken by singer Alicia Keese.
- Nocturne f-moll op.55 sounds in the action movie “Peacemaker”, the film “Russia of Orlak”, in the TV series “Underground Empire”, “Jeeves and Worcester”, in the trailer for the Witcher-2: Assassins of Kings.
- Nocturne Des-dur op.27 No. 2 was used in the movie "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "The Siberian Barber".
Modern processing and unusual performance
To date, there are many treatments of works of Chopin for a variety of compositions. One of the first who began experimenting with his plays was N. Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1950, manuscripts were found in his archive — transpositions of Chopin's compositions for orchestras of different compositions — wind, small symphonic, and string. Among them were nocturnes.
I. Stravinsky also did his treatments of Chopin's works. True, it was not his initiative - S. Dyagilev asked him to make transcriptions in order to supplement them with the production of the ballet "Sifildy". The Nocturne As-dur op. 32 №2. The print edition of this instrumentation, as well as the original autograph, is currently stored in the Igor Stravinsky Archive at the Paul Zaher Foundation.
Modern performers continue to work in this direction and offer listeners their vision of Chopin's opuses. The work of the French pianist Jacques Lussier is very interesting in this respect. He became famous all over the world for performing classical pieces in jazz processing. True, he always did this mainly as part of a trio, but in the case of Chopin made an exception - he recorded a disc with 21 nocturns for piano solo.
Jacques Lussier - Nocturne # 1 (listen)
Malaysian guitarist Philip Hiya is also known for his transcriptions of Chopin's nocturnes. Of course, he was not a pioneer in this field — previously, the famous Spanish classical guitarists Francisco Tarregi and Miguel Llobet did transcriptions of these pieces.
Phillip Hye - Nocturne # 2 (listen)
Content
Chopin approached the creation of his nocturnes as a true romantic creator - he retained the contours of the original genre, and at the same time endowed him with tremendous power of feeling and deep content. In 21 essays, he was able to touch on a whole palette of images and those, both personal and general, affecting the interests of a whole generation and not only.
As the brightest representative of the romantic era, he could not but embody contradictory love experiences in his music, filled with despair, now with delight. Among the nocturne, embodying the theme of love, include the Nocturne Des-dur op.27. Many researchers of the composer's creativity are inclined to believe that, most likely, it embodies the emotions that he felt, recalling his feelings for Maria Vodzinska. Another example of a “personal” nocturne is H-dur op.32. Musicologists, trying to decipher the images recreated in a musical language, see in it a real love drama with a tragic denouement. And there are three heroes involved in it - Chopin himself, whose voice is clearly heard throughout the play, and two representatives of the fair sex.
Romance treated the world of nature with special trepidation. They animated it, and even found consonance in it to their moods and experiences. Nocturne b-moll op. 9 is the clearest example. It was in him that the composer reflected his vision of the extraordinary beauty of nature and the feeling of an incredibly strong nostalgia provoked by this contemplation.
In the heritage of the genius Pole there are nocturnes with a so-called humorous orientation, for example, Fis-dur op.15. Russian music journalist A. Gavrilov sees in this composition a very curious comic image. For example, in the extreme parts he sees the maestro himself in a lazy, but flirtatious state. But in the central section of Gavrilov, the composer’s fantasies seem to take him away to sunny Spain, where flamenco rhythms and guitar playing are heard. The third nocturne from this opus (g-moll, op. 15 No. 3) is inspired by images from the legendary tragedy of Shakespeare's Hamlet. These associations were reported by Chopin himself when he left the inscription on the manuscript “After the Presentation of Hamlet”. True, these words on the title page didn’t last long, they were soon crossed out and others appeared instead - “No, let them guess”.
Do not disregard Chopin and another favorite romantic image - a wanderer. He is generally considered a symbol of 19th century art, he is so multifaceted in his interpretations - this is both a traveler admiring the beauty of nature, and a hermit seeking spiritual perfection, and a rebel going against all society, a fugitive trying to hide from people and cruel fate, and just a lost soul wandering aimlessly in white light. Musicologists believe that the image of a lonely wanderer is embodied in the nocturne f-moll op.55, which is a kind of intimate "minivariate" on the philosophical theme of human loneliness in modern society.
And of course, as a man who passionately loves his homeland, Chopin reflected in these compositions and his own feelings for her fate. Indicative in this regard is the nocturne c-moll op.48, which some researchers even compare with a documentary film telling about the national drama - the suppression of the Polish uprising by Russian troops. In the first part of this work, the audience is presented with the image of Frederick himself, sobbing over the tragic events that took the lives of many of his close friends. But in the lower register of this part the fighting was masterfully recreated - the howling of the projectiles and their explosion. The middle section of this work is nothing but the Polish anthem, calling on compatriots not to bow their heads and continue to fight for freedom. A. Gavrilov believes that this nocturne is more worthy of being called "Revolutionary" than the famous etude c-moll, which was so titled by contemporaries.
Today, no one doubts that F. Chopin's nocturnes are among the most cordial and warm pages of his musical heritage. At first glance, these modest lyrical compositions with an elegant form and beautiful piano texture were firmly included in the repertoire of all world-class performers and became part of the golden collection of the immortal masterpieces of musical art of all times and peoples.
Nocturne number 20
Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor was written by Chopin in 1930. Otherwise, this nocturne is called posthumous, since it was published after the composer's death. We invite you to listen to this work performed by the brilliant Polish pianist Vladislav Shpilman, one of the best interpreters of Chopin's music. Under his fingers, the delicate and sophisticated melody of a nocturne sounds like a flowing song, like a living human voice.
And as a "non-standard" version of the nocturne - its arrangement for violin and orchestra. The soloist is German-American violin virtuoso David Garratt. Listen to the slow and gentle melody of the “night song” performed by the violin sounds very different - even more deeply, excitingly, penetratingly .... and by the way, make your own conclusions!
In 2002, according to the biography of Vladislav Shpilman, the film “The Pianist” was shot, telling about his life in German captivity. The film is based on real events, including the fact that Chopin's music saved the pianist’s life. In the movie, Spielman is just performed by Nocturne No. 20.
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