Riemann places half notes at the beginning of each measure, as a
reminder of the necessary clinging of the thumbs. I like Von
Bulow's version the best of all. His directions are most minute.
He gives the Liszt method of working up the climax in octave
triplets. How Liszt must have thundered through this tumultuous
work! Before it all criticism should be silenced that fails to
allow Chopin a place among the greatest creative musicians. We
are here in the presence of Chopin the musician, not Chopin the
composer for piano.
III
In 1840, Trois Nouvelles Etudes, by Frederic Chopin, appeared in
the "Methode des Methodes pour le piano," by F. J. Fetis and I.
Moscheles. It was odd company for the Polish composer. "Internal
evidence seems to show," writes Niecks, "that these weakest of
the master's studies--which, however, are by no means
uninteresting and certainly very characteristic--may be regarded
more than op. 25 as the outcome of a gleaning."
The last decade has added much to the artistic stature of these
three supplementary studies.
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