Classical Music | Piano Music

Frédéric Chopin

Marche Funèbre Op. 72 no. 2  Play

Nicolas Horvath Piano

Recorded on 10/01/2011, uploaded on 10/01/2011

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

 ( live rec )

The little known kin of the great Funeral March from the Piano Sonata No. 2, the Marche funèbre in C minor was composed in 1829, predating the later march by eight years, while Chopin was still a student at the Warsaw Conservatory. It is one of the many pieces which the composer held on to in manuscript but never considered worthy enough for publication and the greater musical public. Nevertheless, against his express wishes that all his unpublished manuscripts be destroyed after his death, the Marche funèbre appeared in print in 1855, six years after the composer’s death, alongside the Nocturne in E minor and three écossaises, both of which were also composed around the same time.

The beginning of the march is dignified, opening with a solemn motif in bare octaves then proceeding directly into the principal theme. Though the listener will not find the profound artistry of its successor, one can nonetheless witness Chopin’s emerging style that ultimately led to the later piece’s creation. The opening section proceeds slowly but steadily on, weighted down by the burden of grief. The trio section changes to the key of A-flat major. A new melody here appears, lyrical and consoling, attempting to find some sense of comfort. Finally, the march theme returns to round out the piece’s ternary design. The reprise, however, is abbreviated and the piece concludes somewhat abruptly on stern octaves.      Joseph DuBose