Chopin's Etudes, Op. 10, 25, Posth.

Chopin actually wrote three sets of etudes for the piano. In addition to Opus 10 and 25, he wrote a set of three etudes without opus numbers. Opus 10 and 25 each contain twelve etudes. Opus 10 was composed between 1829 and 1832 and published in 1833. On the other hand, Opus 25 was composed between 1832 and 1836 and published in 1837. Playing these works is an important method for developing not only the technical aspects of composition but also understanding piano playing. The works contain an endless arrangement of textures, moods, and colors to explore.

Opus 10: C-a-E-c#-Gb-eb-C-F-f-Ab-Eb-C
No. 1 is in C major. It is a study that requires the right hand to expand and contract when playing a series of arpeggios. It is difficult to play this piece in tempo because the arpeggiated figuration in the right hand is interrupted throughout.

No. 2 is in A minor. This is an exercise for the weaker fingers of the right hand that designates a fast chromatic scale to be played with the third, fourth, and fifth fingers.

No. 3 is in E major and is a study for the right hand to maintain the singing tone of the melody. It is extremely beautiful to listen to. I thought it sounded a bit like a nocturne.

No. 4 in C # minor is technically demanding. The study contains running sixteenth notes that alternate between the hands in a fast tempo.

No. 5 in Gb major is nicknamed “Black Key” because the right hand plays the arpeggios exclusively on the black keys in triplet rhythm. I’ve seen my friends perform this up close. I think it requires a lot of rotation in the wrist.

No. 6 is in Eb minor. Some say that this is the easiest to play of the set. Somehow I think this is musically challenging to play as one can see there are several phrasings and melodic contours involved in this etude. Perhaps I should have started with this piece. There is no contrast in mood in this etude.

No. 7, in C major, is a study in double notes. I played this last semester and have not yet mastered it. The right hand alternates between thirds and sixths in quick sixteenth-note rhythm. Proper knowledge of wrist and arm technique is required to play this.

No. 8 is in F major. It has been nicknamed the “Sunshine Etude.” The melody is principally played by the left hand. The right hand plays both ascending and descending passages in which the accent always falls on the first note in each of four eighth-note groups. It is probably difficult to keep the right hand’s notes clear and even.

No. 9 is in F minor. This time the left hand has more figures than the right hand. Hearing this etude, I recalled my lesson this week in which the duple meter was against the triple meter between the hands. Right away, the phrase “a cup of tea” technique comes to my mind. However, I think the flexibility in the wrists and fingers plays an important role as well, in particular in the left hand, to master this piece. Some say this is one of the easier etudes to play in the set. I doubt that it would be easy for me rhythmically. Perhaps I should learn this one to master the two-against-three rhythm.

No. 10 is in Ab major. Interestingly, I think Chopin presents the same idea he used in Etude No. 9 and adds a wide variety of articulations and phrasings. However, the rotation technique may be required for the right hand to play the broken chord figures and the left hand to play the large skips and arpeggiation. This etude looks unbelievably difficult.

No. 11 in Eb major is a study in arpeggiated chords in a chorale-like setting. The wide span of the chords and the intonation within the melody are probably the most difficult to master.

I believe No. 12, which is in C minor, is the most well-known of the etudes in Opus 10. It is nicknamed the “Revolutionary Etude.” The piece opens up with the left hand playing a rapid descending harmonic minor scale. The relentless left hand figuration with the right hand playing the heroic melody in octaves and chords makes the study both technically and musically challenging. Some say that Chopin wrote this etude as a reaction to the unsuccessful Polish revolution against Russia in 1831.

Opus 25: Ab-f-F-a-e-g#-c#-Db-Gb-b-a-c
No.1 in Ab primarily consists of rapid arpeggios and has a harp-like sound.

No. 2 in f minor is similar to opus 10, nos. 9 and 10, which are based on a polyrhythm. There is a pair of eighth-note triplets on the right against the quarter-note triplets on the left.

No. 3 in F major sounds like a galloping horse. It seems that the main difficulty for performers of this study is to successfully execute the four different voices.

No. 4 in a minor, an exercise of syncopation, explores off-beat staccato chords that are set against a regular on-beat bass.

No. 5 in e minor, a study with a series of quick minor seconds, is one of the few etudes that are cast in ABA form.

No. 6 in g# minor is a perfect exercise for practicing thirdsin high speed. One spot, in which both hands play chromatic third scales, is extremely difficult.

No. 7 in c# minor focuses on melodic phrasing for the left hand. I think it sounds rather gloomy.

No. 8 in DB major is a study of running double-sixths. It provides a good warm-up exercise when one awakes in the morning.

No. 9 in GB major, the shortest etude of this opus, is nicknamed the “Butterfly.” The graceful and good-natured piece is a study of staccato-portato alternations.

No. 10 in b minor, a study in legato octaves, is in ternary form (Bm-BM-Bm).

No. 11 in a minor is nicknamed the “Winterwind” etude. This etude is primarily comprised of sixteenth-note triplets. Performing this study requires a good balance of stamina, dexterity, and technique in order to manage its rapid scales and arpeggios. As I listen to all of the etudes, I now realize that this should not have been my first etude piece. It is difficult and took me several years to master.

No. 12 in c minor, which is sometimes nicknamed the “Ocean” because of its series of rising and falling arpeggios, is the last study piece in the opus 25 etude.

The last three posthumous etudes, the Trois Nouvelles Etudes, are less technically dazzling than opus 10 or 25. However, the harmonic and formal structure seems to be quite balanced.