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F. Chopin: Etude op. 25 no. 7 in C sharp minor (Horowitz)

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Vladimir Horowitz performing Chopin's Etude op. 25 no. 7 in C sharp minor. Chopin and Horowitz at their very best!
At first glance, this etude seems quite simple. There is a beautiful and slightly mournful melody, and the accompaniment consists mainly of slow chords in both hands. There are some sections with left hand sixteenth notes, but once the notes are sufficiently learned and the hand motions become natural, they are not difficult at all. Two or three left hand runs constitute the only fast parts in the entire piece, and learning the fingering makes them substantially easier; they are nothing compared to the runs found in some of Chopin's other works. So what, then, makes this piece an etude?
One must not forget that Chopin is nicknamed "the poet of the piano." This etude is actually much more difficult to play well than people claim. (The author knows, since he tried to learn it!) The first difficulty one will come across while trying to put the hands together is that while the melody at first seems to be in the left hand only, it is actually in both hands. In fact, at some points, the melody is rather ambiguous and one cannot be certain whether the right or left hand has the melody note. (Towards the middle and end, this becomes less of a problem.) Therefore, one must have a very good idea of what is happening musically in order to play the piece well. This etude is also an exercise in how singing and delicate one can make the tone. In this respect, it is like the other slow etudes, Etude Op. 10 No. 3 and Etude Op. 10 No. 9. This etude requires an intimate familiarity with the music, which is difficult since it is the longest of the twenty-four. A certain mastery in phrasing is also necessary for a satisfactory performance. Thus, one might call it not an etude for technique, but an etude for musicality and interpretation! It is certainly among Chopin's most emotional compositions.
The programmatic title likely derives its source from the left hand "introduction" to the piece, as well as the importance of the left hand in expressing the theme.
At first glance, this etude seems quite simple. There is a beautiful and slightly mournful melody, and the accompaniment consists mainly of slow chords in both hands. There are some sections with left hand sixteenth notes, but once the notes are sufficiently learned and the hand motions become natural, they are not difficult at all. Two or three left hand runs constitute the only fast parts in the entire piece, and learning the fingering makes them substantially easier; they are nothing compared to the runs found in some of Chopin's other works. So what, then, makes this piece an etude?
One must not forget that Chopin is nicknamed "the poet of the piano." This etude is actually much more difficult to play well than people claim. (The author knows, since he tried to learn it!) The first difficulty one will come across while trying to put the hands together is that while the melody at first seems to be in the left hand only, it is actually in both hands. In fact, at some points, the melody is rather ambiguous and one cannot be certain whether the right or left hand has the melody note. (Towards the middle and end, this becomes less of a problem.) Therefore, one must have a very good idea of what is happening musically in order to play the piece well. This etude is also an exercise in how singing and delicate one can make the tone. In this respect, it is like the other slow etudes, Etude Op. 10 No. 3 and Etude Op. 10 No. 9. This etude requires an intimate familiarity with the music, which is difficult since it is the longest of the twenty-four. A certain mastery in phrasing is also necessary for a satisfactory performance. Thus, one might call it not an etude for technique, but an etude for musicality and interpretation! It is certainly among Chopin's most emotional compositions.
The programmatic title likely derives its source from the left hand "introduction" to the piece, as well as the importance of the left hand in expressing the theme.
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