Frédéric François Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849), was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era who wrote primarily for solo piano. He loved Polish folk music since childhood and composed Polonaise at the age of seven. He started to perform on stage at the age of eight and became famous before the age of twenty. On October 17, 1849, Chopin died of tuberculosis in Paris. He has created about 200 compositions in his life, including 2 piano concertos, 3 piano trios, 3 piano sonatas, 4 Ballades, 4 Scherzos, 27 Etudes, 16 Polonaises, 17 Waltzes, 21 Nocturnes, 4 Impromptus, 3 Ecossaises; in addition, there are boleros, barcarolles, lullabies, variations, etc., a total of 21 volumes. He is known as a “poetic piano genius”.
弗雷德里克·弗朗索瓦·肖邦（Frédéric François Chopin）（1810年3月1日至1849年10月17日）是波兰浪漫主义时期的作曲家和钢琴演奏家，主要为独奏钢琴写作。 他从小就热爱波兰民间音乐，并在七岁时创作了波兰舞曲。 他从八岁开始在台上表演，并在二十岁之前成名。 1849年10月17日，肖邦在巴黎死于结核病。 他一生创作了约200首作品，包括：2首钢琴协奏曲，3首钢琴三重奏，3首钢琴奏鸣曲，4首叙事曲，4首诙谐曲，27首练习曲，16首波兰舞曲，17首华尔兹，21首夜曲，4首即兴曲，3首埃柯赛斯舞曲； 此外，还有波莱罗舞曲，船歌，摇篮曲，变奏曲等，共21卷。 他被称为“钢琴诗人”。
The high ideological value of Chopin's music is that it reflects a side of the general trend of the European bourgeois national movement in the 1830s and 1940s, screaming out the angry and defiant voice of the oppressed and enslaved Polish nation. Chopin's music has a strong Polish national style. His attitude towards national folk music was very serious, he was against novels, yet, not bound by it. He had a deep understanding and mastery of music creation methods of Western Europe at that time and used it as the starting point for his creation so that his music had a rigorous and complete art form that had a profound connection with the classic. He dared to boldly breakthrough tradition and innovate. This is particularly manifested in his deep excavation and enrichment of the potential artistic expression of a series of musical genres such as preludes, etudes, narratives, nocturnes, impromptu, etc., by endowing them new social content. His melody has a high degree of emotional expression and is full of personality; his harmony language is novel and bold. All these factors combine to form a novel and unique Chopin style, which has contributed to the historical development of European music.
肖邦音乐的高度思想价值在于，它反映了1830年代和1940年代欧洲资产阶级民族运动，发出被压迫和被奴役的波兰民族愤怒的声音。肖邦的音乐具有浓郁的波兰民族风格。他对民族民间音乐的态度非常严肃。当时他对西欧的音乐创作方法有深刻的理解和掌握，并以此为创作起点，因此他的音乐具有严谨而完整的艺术形式，与古典音乐息息相关。他敢于大胆突破传统并进行创新。具体体现在他通过赋予新的社会内容，对序曲，练习曲，叙事，夜曲，即兴等一系列音乐流派的潜在艺术表现形式进行了深刻的挖掘和丰富。他的旋律具有很高的情感表达力和个性。他的和声语言新颖而大胆。所有这些因素共同构成了一种新颖独特的肖邦风格，为欧洲音乐的历史发展做出了贡献。
Appreciation #1 Fantaisie-Impromptu In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66 幻想即兴曲
参考演奏视频：https://youtu.be/tvm2ZsRv3C8
It was this piano piece that first brought me into the world of Chopin, and it was also the first time I encountered a challenge when practicing it when I was in my eighth grade. This composition is in ternary form. Its difficulty lies in the continuous sextuplet of the left hand aligning with the quick quadruplet of the right hand in the first and third movements, which is in C-Sharp minor. This combination of a different rhythm and quick tempo cause people to have a sense of illusion. The middle movement is in D-flat major and a much slower tempo with a lyrical melody, which brings the listener into a beautiful world of fantasy. The melody ending is repeated in the bass as if the world in the fantasy is still fading.
This is a work by Chopin at the age of twenty-four (1834), but it was not discovered by his descendants in the sheet music folder until his death and was published in 1855. The title "Fantasy" was taken at the time of publication.
正是首钢琴曲最初将我带入了肖邦的世界，也是我八年级时第一次在练琴时时遇到困难。 这首曲子是升C小调，三段式。 它的困难在于在第一和第三段中，左手的快速六连音与右手的四连音的错位。这种错位的技法和快速的节奏的结合使听众产生幻想，就如曲子的标题所说。 中间段乐章是降D大调，节奏较慢，带有抒情旋律，这使听众进入了一个美丽的幻想世界。 结尾低音中重复的重复旋律，仿佛幻想中的世界仍在脑海中。有意犹未尽之感
这是肖邦二十岁（1834年）的作品，但直到他去世后，他的后人才在活页乐谱夹中发现，并于1855年出版。标题《幻想》是在出版时决定的。
Appreciation #2 Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 in B-flat Minor 降B小调夜曲
参考演奏视频：https://youtu.be/myRTkyWejfo?t=8
While the “Fantasy” opens the first door to the world of Chopin, this Nocturne made me completely obsessed with Chopin. The first melody successfully caught the ears of audiences into the dream world. This piece is in ternary form and a slow tempo. The use of ornaments in the right hands and the soft arpeggio of the left hands described the beautiful night of nature. The key changed to D-flat major in the middle section, and the pure and lyrical melody made the mood more dreamy. Then, it went back to the main melody. During the up climbing of the pitches, it dissipated like a ray of smoke before reaching the highest pitch. As the melody continued to climb, the climax arrives. After another repetition of this melody, the mood had quietly changed, and the sense of slight dissonance in harmony appeared as if it were a trace of fluctuation in a sweet dream. Slowly, the waves gradually smoothed, everything seemed to slowly dissipate, and the light slowly dimmed, just as everything was about to disappear, the familiar melody at the beginning sounded again, bringing the listener into the quiet forest floating forward in the trail. Finally, there are three chords like the church bells in the distance, which makes people feel quiet and comfortable. The dream-like mood gradually goes away and finally disappears…
This nocturne, together with the next two, was written in 1830-1832 and published in 1833. It is the earliest nocturne published by Chopin and dedicated to Mrs. Mary-Pryel.
当《幻想即兴曲》为我打开了肖邦世界的第一扇门后，这首夜曲让我完全沉迷于肖邦。开篇的旋律就能将听众带入梦境世界。这首曲子也是三段式，节奏较慢。右手装饰音的使用和左手的柔和的琶音描述了大自然的美好夜晚。中段转为降D大调，纯净而抒情的旋律使心情更加梦幻。中段过后，回到了主要旋律。音调的上升的过程就像一缕烟雾一样消散着。随着旋律的不断攀升，高潮到来了。再次重复这种主旋律后，情绪悄然改变，韵律的轻微不和谐感出现了，好像是甜梦中的一丝波动。慢慢地，海浪逐渐变平，一切似乎都在慢慢消散，光线慢慢地变暗，就像一切都将要消失一样，随着熟悉的主旋律旋律再次响起，听众仿佛步入到悬浮的阶梯直达宁静森林。最后，远处传来三声和弦，像教堂的钟声，使人感到安静和舒适。梦境般的心情逐渐远去，最后消逝……
这首夜曲以及其后的两首夜曲，写于1830年至1832年，并于1833年出版。这是肖邦出版的最早的夜曲，献给玛丽·普赖尔夫人。
Appreciation #3 Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, “Waltz of the puppy” 小狗圆舞曲
参考演奏视频：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2JCxapd5hU
This piece was created in 1846, dedicated to George Sand, who conducted a relationship with Chopin between 1837 and 1847. It is said that, as Chopin was composing the music for this piece, a little dog named Marquis was running around the house in which he was composing, gleefully chasing its tail. This waltz is also called “Minute Waltz” because it's short and in a fast tempo. The piece is in ternary form, triple meter. After the four-bar introduction, a rapid repetitive rotation melody pattern appeared, depicting how the puppy spun quickly chasing its tail. The tune is lively, witty, and funny. The second part is a beautiful and lyrical waltz theme, as if the puppy ran for a rest, lay down, and rested for a moment, laziness and comfort. The third part is back to the fast main melody, just like the game where the puppy starts chasing the tail after the rest, until the end of the music.
It was one of his final compositions. Chopin’s health was rapidly failing at the time of composing. He included the piece in his last ever concert in Paris in 1848, the year before he passed away (Palmer 2019).
这首作品创作于1846年，献给乔治·桑德（George Sand），后者在1837年至1847年间与肖邦有着暧昧关系。据说当时肖邦正在写这首曲子的时候，一只叫侯爵（Marquis）的小狗在他正在房屋中四处奔跑，兴高采烈地追逐着自己的尾巴绕圈圈。这首圆舞曲又短又快，因此也被称为“分钟华尔兹”。此曲是三段式，三拍子。在四小节引子之后，出现了快速重复的旋律，描绘了小狗如何快速追逐尾巴。乐曲生动活泼，风趣幽默。第二部分是一个美丽而抒情的主题，仿佛小狗奔跑后，躺下休息了一会儿，懒惰和舒适。第三部分回到快速的主旋律，小狗重新开始追逐尾巴，直到音乐结束。
这是肖邦的后期的作品。作曲时，肖邦的健康状况迅速恶化。在他去世前一年，他在1848年在巴黎举行的最后一场音乐会中演奏了这首曲子。
Appreciation #4 Étude Op. 10, No. 12 in C minor 'Revolutionary' 革命练习曲
参考演奏视频：https://youtu.be/7VWHBHeNrg4?t=3
After knowing the failure of Poland's rebellion against Russia in 1831, Chopin created this piece, an outpouring of intense anger and passion. In the beginning, the burst of the dominant seventh chord in C minor built up the main theme. It leads to the pouring of the relentless left hand’s descending scales of sixteenth notes, which evokes anger and anxiety. The disjunct melody composed of dissonant chords and the upstream syncopation in the main melody from the right hand express perseverance and fortitude. The repeated main melody in 0:38 but with a much lower dynamic conveys more than just anxiety and perseverance but also the painful struggle. In the middle of the piece, the emotion was enhanced by three repetitions of the main melody but with more chords and higher rhythm (1:15 - 1:58). After the three progressions, we seem to be able to see the dawn of victory. The ending of this piece uses four tonic chord of C major with fortississimo. The calm, powerful, and meaningful ending seems to express Chopin’s confidence and determination of victory.
在得知波兰1831年革命失败后，肖邦创作了这首充满了强烈的愤怒和热情的作品。一开始的C小调属七和弦的爆发为整首曲子奠定了主题基调。随之而来的左手十六分音符快速倾泻，唤起了愤怒和焦虑的心情。右手的由不协和和弦以及上升的附点音符组成的主旋律表达了刚硬的毅力。在视频中的0:38，更低音量的主要旋律的重复不仅传达了焦虑和毅力，还传达了痛苦的斗争。在乐曲的中间，通过更多的和弦和更强的节奏来演示三次主旋律（1:15-1:58）充分增强的情感。经过这三个加强的主旋律的推进，我们似乎能够看到胜利的曙光。作为一首C小调乐曲，这首乐曲的结尾却使用了C大调的四音和弦和最强音fff, 如此有力的大调结尾似乎表达了肖邦的信心和胜利的决心。
I have read a book that says that Chopin dedicated his music and whole heart to his motherland without reservation. He once wrote: “Sometimes I can only groan, suffer, and pour out my despair at the piano!” I believe the highest state of the art is the infusion of emotion. The artworks of Chopin are like a living person, with blood, flesh, and soul.
肖邦毫无保留地将他的音乐和真挚的心献给了祖国。他曾经写道：“有时候我只能呻吟，受苦，并把我的绝望倾泻在钢琴上！” 我相信最先进的钢琴技术永远是情感的注入。肖邦的作品就像一个活着的人，有着鲜血，肉体和灵魂。