Frédéric Chopin "Waltz in B Minor" (op. 69 №2)
Contemporaries called him the soul of the piano, and not only because he composed delightful pieces for his favorite instrument, but also knew how to perform them so enthusiastically that the public listened with bated breath. The name of this brilliant musician is Frédéric Chopin. The brilliant composer lived a short life, but left descendants a priceless legacy, in whose musical images not only reflected the feelings of a citizen-patriot who loved his country very much, as well as his unattainable romantic dream. Chopin's musical treasures include works of various genres, but waltzes occupy an important place in his work, among which Waltz No. 10 in B minor (h-moll) deserves special attention - a real gem of piano literature.
Read the story of Frederic Chopin's Waltz in B Minor, the content of the work and many interesting facts on our page.
History of the creation of "Waltz in B minor"
Scrolling through biography of Chopin, we find in it a lot of sad pages, causing a feeling of deep compassion. At twenty years old, having left his beloved homeland, Frederick did not even suspect that he would never see his sweet Poland again, but only, constantly yearning, would exalt her in his brilliant creations.
But not only sad memories of abandoned native places made the composer unhappy: he was constantly haunted by failures in his personal life. Surrounded by a multitude of celebrity fans who tried their best to attract the attention of a talented composer, Chopin dreamed all the time to meet his real, pure love, but in heart affairs he was haunted only by sheer bad luck. The composer inspired all the sorrowful experiences in his musical works, for example, the creation of the famous Waltz in B minor is also associated with a romantic love story, which unfortunately ended very sadly for the composer.
Chopin experienced his first tender feelings for Constantia Gladkovskaya, a young singer studying at the Warsaw Conservatory. The dark-haired, slender beauty, the owner of a delicate velvety voice at first glance won the heart of a young man. Frederick, despite his open nature, did not tell anyone about his feelings, and besides, he was so embarrassed and timid in front of the girl that he was afraid to talk to her. The period of romantic torments of a talented composer lasted for six months and at that time, inspired by his feelings, he wrote his priceless second piano "Concert", three delightful waltzes, as well as the song "Desire", which is today recognized as one of the best vocal masterpieces by the composer. Gaining courage, Frederick still admitted to the girl in his feelings, which to the composer’s joy turned out to be mutual. The young man was happy, and his only dream at that time was to quickly connect fate with his beloved.
In order to fulfill this desire, Chopin needed to earn money for a wedding, and for this, on tour tours, it was necessary to go to Vienna and then to Paris. Saying goodbye, Constance, as a sign of love, presented the composer with a ring, which he took as a talisman and kissed, longing in a foreign land for his chosen one. However, everything did not happen as planned by Chopin: the girl did not wait for her lover, and, breaking the oath of allegiance, married another. The news of Constance’s treason was so shocking Frederick that he couldn’t believe it for a long time. Being in a state of despair that his dreams of a happy family life had collapsed, Chopin wrote "Waltz in B Minor" in 1830, in which he expressed all his sadness and heartache.
Interesting Facts
- Count Jozef Grabowski, who became the husband of Constantia Gladkovskaya, forced his wife to abandon the career of an opera singer. At the age of thirty, misfortune befell a woman: she is blind. Constance lived up to seventy-nine years, and before she died in 1889 she burned all the messages of Chopin.
- Why did Constance Gladkovskaya not marry Chopin? This mystery is still not disclosed. Perhaps, she heard rumors about the composer's treason, who was always surrounded by enthusiastic fans.
- Waltz number 10 in B minor by Frédéric Chopin is often published with the title Melancholic Waltz, although the composer himself never given this work to him so never.
- Waltz in B minor Chopin wrote in 1829, that is, at the beginning of his career as a composer, and the work was published only after the composer's death.
- Despite the sad memories associated with this work, Chopin dedicated it to Vilyusu. So the composer called Wilhelm Kohlberg, who was a close friend of the composer in his youth.
- In 1994, the talented Polish director Waldemar Shaykovsky, inspired by the wonderful work of his compatriot, made the animated film Frederic Chopin. Waltz in B Minor, which tells of a sad love story that inspired the genius composer to create many wonderful works.
Content of "Waltz in B Minor" by Chopin
Frederic Chopin's famous Waltz in B Minor is a poetic musical miniature full of tenderness and sadness. The composition is enclosed in a three-part form, having the following structure: II: BUT :II: In A:II - WITH - A B A.
The waltz begins with an attack, the third beat, which is lined with the first note of the next measure, and such syncopation then continues throughout the first section. The starting point from which the lyrical melody originates is the dominant F-sharp of the second octave. This rush quickly fades away and the melody, having risen only half a tone, is directed downwards in broken lines. However, such a pacification is not for long and the music again strives upwards and, having reached the note "re" of the third octave, makes a jump to the septim downwards - this is like a reminder that human life is not constant and there are ups and downs in it. By the end of the first sixteen-period period, the voltage drops, everything calms down, and then repeats again.
The next waltz theme (D major) is in a completely different mood: light and cheerful. At first, the music consists of small monotonous motifs that seem to be circling in one place. Then, after a sharp upward leap, the melodic line gradually descends and smoothly leads to a sad melody that sounds at the beginning of the composition, although now, filled with chromaticisms, it sounds very excited.
The middle part of the waltz, written in the main key of the same name of the work - C major, begins with a smooth, light melody, which sounds only four bars, after which there are invocative intonations in the rhythm of the mazurka. In the next period, the composer beautifully voiced the entire topic of the section with a two voice.
Have Frederic Chopin There was a reputation as a conqueror of women's hearts; nevertheless, from the love of women, he experienced not only joy, but also bitter disappointment. The maestro created magnificent works inspired by feelings, even if they remained unresponsive and dedicated each note in his works to his chosen ones. From love at the composer, sometimes there was only sadness and longing, but beautiful music was preserved, which in the present time causes listeners delight and admiration.
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