Prev | Current Page 183 | Next

Huneker, James, 1860-1921

"Chopin : the Man and His Music"


Kullak calls the study in F "a spirited little caprice, whose
kernel lies in the simultaneous application of four different
little rhythms to form a single figure in sound, which figure is
then repeated continuously to the end. In these repetitions,
however, changes of accentuation, fresh modulations, and piquant
antitheses, serve to make the composition extremely vivacious and
effective." He pulls apart the brightly colored petals of the
thematic flower and reveals the inner chemistry of this delicate
growth. Four different voices are distinguished in the kernel.
"The third voice is the chief one, and after it the first,
because they determine the melodic and harmonic contents":
[Musical score excerpt of 'four different voices']
Kullak and Mikuli dot the C of the first bar. Klindworth and Von
Bulow do not. As to phrasing and fingering I pin my faith to
Riemann. His version is the most satisfactory. Here are the first
bars. The idea is clearly expressed:
[Musical score excerpt]
Best of all is the careful accentuation, and at a place indicated
in no other edition that I have examined.


Pages:
171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195