12 Tremendous Composers 12 Composers    

Lesson 20: Fantasie Impromptu, Op 66

by Frédéric Chopin

Performer: Pandora Selfridge

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Listen to the music daily.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Frédéric Chopin wrote 'Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66' in 1834 for solo piano. The composition was not published until after his death in 1855.

Vocabulary

Fantaisie: Form of instrumental composition with free structure and improvisational characteristics.
Impromptu: A short musical composition for an informal occasion often with the character of spontaneity and usually to be played solo.
Waltz: A piece of music for a ballroom dance in 3/4 time.
Mazurka: A classical musical composition inspired by a Polish folk dance in triple time, popularized by Chopin.

Composer

1. During his boyhood Frédéric Chopin played much in public, journeying to some of the great cities of Europe, among them Vienna, Berlin, and Munich.
2. Therefore, when Frédéric Chopin played in Paris it was as an artist. Here, as at home, he charmed everyone by the beauty of his music and the loveliness of his touch.
3. Frédéric Chopin possessed the true piano hand. It was somewhat narrow. The fingers were long and tapering. It seemed at once strong and vigorous, yet delicate and sensitive.

4. Indeed, Frédéric Chopin's music is of just these qualities. It is strong in its nobility, delicate in its sentiment.
5. One would think that to arrive in Paris and to be welcomed by the great ones would make everything easy. But it was not so for Chopin. Only a few people were present at his first concert and for quite a while he had no pupils.
6. Indeed, it was all so discouraging that Frédéric Chopin made up his mind to return to his beloved Poland. His friend, Franz Liszt, begged him not to go. Others, too, urged him to stay in Paris. One friend, who met him in the street as he was about to leave, advised him as did the others to stay in Paris.
7. But no, Chopin was going home.
8. 'But,' said this friend, 'first come with me to visit a true lover of music.'
9. So Frédéric Chopin went with him to the house of Baron Rothschild. Here he played, so charming the company with his music that ever so many of them begged him for the privilege of lessons.
10. And so, all in a moment, his troubles blew away, as troubles often do. Here is a picture of Frédéric Chopin playing in the home of a prince.

11. Do you wonder what kind of a man the little Polish boy became after he found success in Paris?
12. One person said about him: 'Chopin talks little, and rarely about music. But when he does speak of music one must listen to him.'
13. Another said: 'He is reserved and quiet, especially among strangers, but among his friends he is witty and full of sly humor.'
14. But Frédéric Chopin's thoughts were not for words, they did not weave the pretty phrases of idle talk. They were busy making preludes, nocturnes, waltzes, mazurkas, impromptus and many other kinds of music that we shall learn to love as we hear them.
15. Music was Frédéric Chopin's true speech. The world soon learned to love what he said in it. And it always will love it. See how beautifully he wrote his music.

16. There was neither telephone nor telegraph in those days. Yet it did not take long for another composer, Robert Schumann, who lived far away, in Germany, to learn that a genius by the name of Chopin lived in Paris. Here is a picture of Schumann.

17. The post carried to Schumann a copy of Chopin's first printed music. This was a theme taken from Mozart's Opera Don Juan, which Chopin arranged with variations for the piano.
18. When Schumann played it to his friends everyone exclaimed: 'How beautiful it is!'
19. Then someone said: 'Chopin—I never heard the name. Who can he be?'
20. So we see that his thoughts printed as music flew like winged messengers to carry news of him to others in distant places. And people not merely asked: 'Who can he be?' but they found out who he was, and kept passing the news on and on until finally it has reached us!

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Composition Information

• Recite the name of the composer and the composition.

Activity 2: Study the Music Timeline

Examine the music timeline to answer the following questions.

• What is the year of birth of the lesson composer?
• What is the year of death of the featured composer?
• How old was the composer upon death?
• Which composer (if any) directly precedes the studied composer by date of birth?
• Which composer (if any) directly succeeds the lesson composer by date of birth?
• Which other timeline composers were alive at the same time as the studied composer?

Activity 3: Map the Music

• Frédéric Chopin lived in Paris, France.
• What is the capital of France?
• Which countries border France?

Activity 4: Write a One-Page Paper About Frédéric François Chopin

Read these facts about Frédéric François Chopin and write a one-page story out of them, using your own words.

• Frédéric François Chopin was born in Poland.
• His birthday was March 1, 1809.
• He spent most of his life in the two cities of Warsaw and Paris.
• His father was French; his mother Polish.
• At the age of nine he made his first public appearance as a pianist.
• Many distinguished people welcomed him to Paris.
• Among them were Liszt, Berlioz, Meyerbeer, and Heine.
• His first weeks in Paris were discouraging. His first concert poorly attended.
• This tempted him to return to Poland.
• But his friends urged him to remain in Paris.
• Finally success came.
• Chopin was described as one who spoke little, especially among strangers.
• Some of the music forms which he wrote are the nocturne, waltz, mazurka, impromptu, concerto, polonaise, etude.
• Schumann was one of the first to declare Chopin a genius.
• Chopin worked hard all his life.
• But in his last years he suffered from ill-health.
• Like Milton, Beethoven, Stevenson and Grieg, he kept on with his work, in spite of his illness.
• Chopin once went to England and Scotland.
• Chopin was very fond of Bach and urged his pupils to practice Bach pieces every day for the mental drill as well as the drill for the fingers.

Review

Question 1

Name some of the great cities in which Frédéric Chopin played.

1 / 5

Answer 1

Chopin played in Vienna (Austria), Berlin (Germany), and Munich (Germany).

1 / 5

Question 2

What led Frédéric Chopin to want to leave Paris, France?

2 / 5

Answer 2

In Paris, only a few people were present at his first concert and for quite a while he had no pupils.

2 / 5

Question 3

Why did Frédéric Chopin change his mind and remain in Paris, France?

3 / 5

Answer 3

A friend arranged for Chopin to play at the house of Baron Rothschild. Here Chopin played so charmingly that many of the other attendees begged him for the privilege of lessons.

3 / 5

Question 4

Name some of the kinds of music that Frédéric Chopin composed?

4 / 5

Answer 4

Chopin composed preludes, nocturnes, waltzes, mazurkas, impromptus, and other types of music.

4 / 5

Question 5

Which great German composer discovered Frédéric Chopin to be a genius?

5 / 5

Answer 5

The German composer Robert Schumann discovered Chopin to be a genius.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. Name some of the great cities in which Frédéric Chopin played. Chopin played in Vienna (Austria), Berlin (Germany), and Munich (Germany).
2. What led Frédéric Chopin to want to leave Paris, France? In Paris, only a few people were present at his first concert and for quite a while he had no pupils.
3. Why did Frédéric Chopin change his mind and remain in Paris, France? A friend arranged for Chopin to play at the house of Baron Rothschild. Here Chopin played so charmingly that many of the other attendees begged him for the privilege of lessons.
4. Name some of the kinds of music that Frédéric Chopin composed? Chopin composed preludes, nocturnes, waltzes, mazurkas, impromptus, and other types of music.
5. Which great German composer discovered Frédéric Chopin to be a genius? The German composer Robert Schumann discovered Chopin to be a genius.

References

Tapper, Thomas. Frédéric François Chopin - The Story of the Boy Who Made Beautiful Melodies Philadelphia, PA. Theodore Presser Co., 1917.

'Fantaisie-Impromptu.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.