Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 09/25/2007, uploaded on 01/08/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

A little known work of Chopin’s, the Cantabile in B-flat major was composed in 1834. Chopin had not long been in Paris—only a couple of years—but the piece is certainly tinged with the wistful longing that colored so many of the composer’s works. The melody, marked dolce and certainly song-like with Chopin’s usual penchant for ornamentation, is accompanied by a soft accompaniment of chords. A mere fourteen measures in length, it passes by almost in an instant. It seems as if it merely sets the stage for more action but then suddenly retreats away, particularly with the descending chromatic harmonies leading up to the end and then the appoggiaturas of the closing melodic figure. Yet, at the same time it seems to also hold a great deal of substance. There is no mistaking the sentiment of work and at its conclusion one feels oddly that he has grasped the composer’s meaning but at the same time is left in search of a wider context in which to place the experience. Perhaps this was Chopin’s intention, perhaps not. Nevertheless, it is a unique piece in and of itself though it be overlooked because of its brevity.      Joseph DuBose

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Cantabile                     Frédéric Chopin

Chopin's piano music remains the most frequently played in history.  He is one of the few universal masters, and has never suffered an eclipse.  Arthur Rubinstein wrote: "...it is not Romantic music in the Byronic sense.  It does not tell stories or paint pictures.  It is expressive and personal, but still a pure art."

Almost every note he wrote is in the permanent repertoire, but this first group of short pieces on today's program (written from different periods of his career) is an exception-they have remained little-known.     Ren Zhang

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.