The steel-framed pianos of today did not exist then. The pianos of the era had wooden frames, and that created a softer, tinnier sound with a quicker decay rate. This had been frustrating for Beethoven, who had invented the steel-frame piano in his head and his music, but had not been able to play on the kind of piano he wished. Fred decided to play only one major concert per year in a large venue, and he did the bulk of his performing in the salons of the wealthy or in his apartment for his friends. His teaching duties provided enough money for him to avoid the concert stage as much as possible. He would never live long enough to play a steel-framed piano.
His major project for 1832 was to get his etudes ready for publication. He had been working on these pieces off and on for the past three years. The word “etude” is French for “study”. Most etudes of the time were intended to aid the pianist in developing his technique, and there was no attempt to create beauty. They were intended to be technical exercises. But Chopin decided to break the mold and write something beautiful. He laid them out in pairs by key signature with one etude in the major mode and one in the minor.
The first two have no accidentals, i.e., neither sharps nor flats. The first is an exercise for the right wrist. The left hand plays octaves while the right hand plays a tenth as an arpeggio, and then the right hand must tuck the thumb and turn the wrist to finish the arpeggio. This happens both on the way up and the way down. This is a magnificent and beautiful piece, and I can tell you just how hard it is to play from actual experience.
The second is an exercise where the third, fourth and fifth fingers of the right hand play the chromatic scale, i.e., each note a half-tone above or below the other. The thumb and second finger play accompanying chords, as does the left hand.
Chopin: Etude in A minor, Op. 10/2
The next two etudes are in four sharps, and the first is one of the best known pieces written by Chopin. It got a second life in movie soundtracks going all the way back to the silent era. The middle section is tricky because of the fingering in playing all those diminished fourths and fifths, something Chopin stole from Liszt.
Chopin: Etude in E, Op. 10/3 (“Tristesse”)
The second is an exercise for both left and right hand for agility. There are a few bars in the middle where there is a harmonic progression that sounds like Bach, and the end is an absolute killer with great dissonance in the last bars.
Chopin: Etude in C# minor, Op. 10/4
The next two are in six flats, and the first has the right hand playing the black keys only, which is how the piece got its name.
Chopin: Etude in G-flat, Op. 10/5 (“Black Key”)
The second is a slow, sad, contemplative piece, an exercise for the left hand first and then the right hand. In each case the fingers must work closely together in a confined space.
Chopin: Etude in E-flat minor, Op. 10/6
In the middle of this set of twelve etudes, Chopin disrupts his pattern with another etude with no accidentals and then one with one flat. The first requires the pianist to play two chords where the bottom note is the same in both chords, but the second finger must yield to the thumb. This goes on simultaneously in both hands. It is extremely difficult to play this at high speed and articulate all the notes.
The second is a high speed exercise for the right hand while the left hand plays the theme.
Chopin returns to his pattern with two etudes in four flats. The first is a stretching exercise for the left hand.
Chopin: Etude in F minor, Op. 10/9
The second is an exercise in keeping the left hand from knowing what the right hand is doing. The left hand is phased in three and the right hand in two.
Chopin: Etude in A-flat, Op. 10/10
The next two etudes are in three flats. The first is an exercise in rolling chords that are far beyond the length of the human hand. The source of its nickname will become obvious.
Chopin: Etude in E-flat, Op. 10/11 (“Harp”)
The final etude from this set is one of Chopin’s most famous pieces, written when he heard about the suppression of the rebellion in Poland. This exercise is all about tucking the thumb on the left hand so to permit seamless playing of a long string of arpeggios.
Lotsa work there, Maestro! I’ll have to “waller” in them when I’m done with Elvis. :)