The F minor study, No. 9, is the first one of those tone studies
of Chopin in which the mood is more petulant than tempestuous.
The melody is morbid, almost irritating, and yet not without
certain accents of grandeur. There is a persistency in repetition
that foreshadows the Chopin of the later, sadder years. The
figure in the left hand is the first in which a prominent part is
given to that member. Not as noble and sonorous a figure as the
one in the C minor study, it is a distinct forerunner of the bass
of the D minor Prelude. In this F minor study the stretch is the
technical object. It is rather awkward for close-knit fingers.
The best fingering is Von Bulow's. It is 5, 3, 1, 4, 1, 3 for the
first figure. All the other editions, except Riemann's, recommend
the fifth finger on F, the fourth on C. Von Billow believes that
small hands beginning with his system will achieve quicker
results than by the Chopin fingering. This is true. Riemann
phrases the study with a multiplicity of legato bows and dynamic
accents. Kullak prefers the Tellefsen metronome 80, rather than
the traditional 96.
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