Étude Op. 10, No. 5 (Chopin)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Étude Op. 10, No. 5 in
G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable composi ...
is a study for solo piano composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1830. It was first published in 1833 in France, Germany, and England as the fifth piece of his '' Études Op. 10''. This work is characterized by the rapid triplet figuration played by the right hand exclusively on black keys, except for one note, a F
natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
in measure 66. This melodic figuration is accompanied by the left hand in staccato chords and octaves.


Significance

The so-called "Black Key Étude" is one of the composer's most popular. It has been a repertoire piece of pianists since Chopin's time and has inspired numerous exercises, arrangements and paraphrases. Chopin himself did not believe the study to be his most interesting one, and in a letter to his pianist friend and musical executor
Julian Fontana Julian (or Jules) Fontana (31 July 181023 December 1869) was a Polish pianist, composer, lawyer, author, translator, and entrepreneur, best remembered as a close friend and musical executor of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. Life Born in War ...
he comments on Clara Wieck’s performance:
Hans von Bülow Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for es ...
(1830–1894) spoke rather disdainfully of Op. 10, No. 5 as a "''Damen-Salon Etüde''" ("ladies' salon étude").


Structure and stylistic traits

The piece is marked Vivace and written in 2/4 meter. Like all of Chopin's other études, this work is in
ternary form Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form consisting of an opening section (A), a following section (B) and then a repetition of the first section (A). It is usually schematized as A–B–A. Prominent examples inclu ...
ABA. The two eight-bar periods of the A section are characterized by frequent dynamic contrasts. Each reentry of the first bar, occurring every four bars, is marked by a
forte Forte or Forté may refer to: Music *Forte (music), a musical dynamic meaning "loudly" or "strong" * Forte number, an ordering given to every pitch class set * Forte (notation program), a suite of musical score notation programs * Forte (vocal ...
, followed in the second bar by a
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
restatement in a lower register. This capricious opening in the tonic is replied by an upward movement and a syncopated accompaniment in the third and fourth bar. This pattern is repeated four times. The harmonic scheme of the A section is relatively simple, featuring tonic (first two bars) versus dominant (third and fourth bars), but the
consequent A consequent is the second half of a hypothetical proposition. In the standard form of such a proposition, it is the part that follows "then". In an implication, if ''P'' implies ''Q'', then ''P'' is called the antecedent and ''Q'' is called ...
of the first period shifts to B major (''poco rallentando'', ), while the consequent of the second one modulates to the dominant key
D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...
. D major is also the key of the middle section which is exactly twice as long as the A section. Its 32 bars though do not subdivide into four eight-bar periods but into sections of bars with six motivically distinct modifications of the original
semiquaver Figure 1. A 16th note with stem facing up, a 16th note with stem facing down, and a 16th rest. Figure 2. Four 16th notes beamed together. In music, a 1/16, sixteenth note ( American) or semiquaver (British) is a note played for half the dur ...
triplet figure, thus offering an attractive break from the symmetry. An effective dynamic increase begins in bar 23 but does not end in a climax as the
crescendo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...
does not lead to
fortissimo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...
but eases off in diminuendos (bars 36 and 40). Harmonically the section (bars 23–41) may be interpreted as an extended and ornamented D-flat major
cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...
. Musicologist
Hugo Leichtentritt Hugo Leichtentritt (1 January 1874, Pleschen, , nearby Posen, Province of Posen13 November 1951, Cambridge, Massachusetts) was a German-Jewish musicologist and composer who spent much of his life in the USA. His pupils include composers Leroy Ro ...
(1874–1951) compares the left hand of bars 33–48 to horn signals. These "announce" the recapitulation of the A part which begins as a literal restatement in bar 49, seems to approach a climax and eases off with a sudden '' delicatissimo pianissimo smorzando'' passage, leading via a cadence to the coda. The coda consists of two periods, the last one stretched by three bars. The first one is a restatement of the middle section's opening transposed to the tonic G major. The consequent of the second period contains a brilliantly swooshing, widely positioned arpeggio for both hands (bars 79(83) and is pianistically attractive. Its effect is based on the accent enforced by a third at the beginning of each triplet, as well as on the tenth and
eleventh In music or music theory, an eleventh is the note eleven scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the eleventh. The interval can be also described as a compound fourth, spanning an octave plus a ...
stretches of the left hand and the ascending bass line covering the entire range of the keyboard. The piece ends with a rapid octave passage, and staccato, played by both hands on black keys, in a G major
pentatonic scale A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many an ...
. Some prominent performers, including
Horowitz Horowitz ( he, הוֹרוֹביץ, yi, האָראָװיץ) is a Levitical Ashkenazi surname deriving from the Horowitz family, though it can also be a non Jewish surname as well. The name is derived from the town of Hořovice, Bohemia. Other ...
and Rosenthal, choose to perform the final octave passage ''glissando''.


Black keys

Étude Op. 10, No. 5 is known as the "Black Key Étude" as its right-hand part is entirely on black keys, except for one note. Leichtentritt states that the melodic character resulting from the use of black keys is "based on the
pentatonic scale A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many an ...
to which the piece owes its strangely playful, attractively primitive tint." He presents a melodic reduction of the right hand part which, played in octaves by piccolo and flute, resembles a frolicsome Scottish
jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts of ...
. The cadence to the coda (bar 66) contains the only white key, F, to be played by the right hand. But in the original editions the two thirds (G–E and D–F) are placed on the left hand staff, though editors like
Jan Ekier Jan Stanisław Ekier (29 August 1913 – 15 August 2014) was a Polish pianist and composer known for his authoritative edition of Chopin's music for the Chopin National Edition. Biography Ekier was born in Kraków, Poland. As a youth, he ...
recommend them to be (partially) played by the right hand.


Character

Chopin gave the tempo/character indications ''
vivace In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
'' (lively, vivid) and (in small print) ''brillante''. German pianist and composer
Theodor Kullak Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blue ...
(1818–1882) says that the piece is "full of
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
elegance." American music critic
James Huneker James Gibbons Huneker (January 31, 1857 – February 9, 1921) was an American art, book, music, and theater critic. A colorful individual and an ambitious writer, he was "an American with a great mission," in the words of his friend, the critic Be ...
(1857–1921) calls it "graceful, delicately witty, a trifle naughty, arch and roguish and delightfully invented." Leichtentritt states "the piece shall glisten and sparkle, giggle and whisper, entice and flatter, have charming, occasionally coquettish, accents, bubble over with lively agility, enchant with amiable elegance". Chopin scholar Robert Collet believes that it "needs to be played with real gaiety and wit, though not without tenderness."


Technical difficulties

In Robert Schumann’s 1836
Neue Zeitschrift für Musik 'Die'' (; en, " heNew Journal of Music") is a music magazine, co-founded in Leipzig by Robert Schumann, his teacher and future father-in law Friedrich Wieck, and his close friend Ludwig Schuncke. Its first issue appeared on 3 April 1834. His ...
article on piano études, the study is classified under the category "speed and lightness" ("''Schnelligkeit und Leichtigkeit''"). Huneker states "it requires smooth, velvet-tipped fingers and a supple wrist." Chopin's original indication concerning articulation of the right hand is ''
legato In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, the player makes a transition from note to note wit ...
''. A ''sempre legatissimo'' indication is given at bar 33. Nevertheless, Austrian pianist and composer Gottfried Galston (1879–1950) questions these indications and calls them "completely incomprehensible." He argues for a "''leggierissimo'' with tossed fingers" ("''mit geworfenen Fingern''") and is backed up in this opinion by Leichtentritt. French pianist Alfred Cortot (1877–1962) modifies the ''legato'' indication and talks about a "brilliant and delicate legato—so-called ‘''jeu perlé''’ pearly" play" He believes the main difficulty, among others, to concern "suppleness while shifting the hand in order to facilitate even action of the fingers in disjunct positions." Preliminary exercises are given by both Galston and Cortot. Hungarian pianist and composer
Rafael Joseffy Rafael Joseffy (July 3, 1852 – June 25, 1915) was a Hungarian Jewish pianist, teacher and composer. Life Rafael Joseffy was born in Hunfalu, Szepes County (now Huncovce, Slovakia) in 1852. His youth was spent in Miskolc, and he began his ...
(1852–1915) introduces exercises in his ''instructive edition'' including numerous "octave-exercises on black keys."


Paraphrases and arrangements

In the ''Studienbuch'' (1922) Galston published his complete arrangement in double notes which was first recorded by Artur Cimirro in 2017. Seven versions can be found in
Leopold Godowsky Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. (13 February 1870 – 21 November 1938) was a Lithuanian-born American virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time, known for his theories concernin ...
’s 53 '' Studies on Chopin's Études''. They include a version for both hands reversed, a transposition to C major for the white keys, a ''
Tarantella () is a group of various southern Italian folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania and Puglia. It is characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in time (sometimes or ), accompanied by tambourines. It is among the mo ...
'' in A minor, a '' Capriccio'' "on the white and black keys," an
inversion Inversion or inversions may refer to: Arts * , a French gay magazine (1924/1925) * ''Inversion'' (artwork), a 2005 temporary sculpture in Houston, Texas * Inversion (music), a term with various meanings in music theory and musical set theory * ...
for the left hand, an inversion for the right hand and a version for the left hand alone. Besides these, there is a combination of Op. 10, No. 5 and Op. 25, No. 9 ("Butterfly"), called ''Badinage'' (banter), which Canadian pianist
Marc-André Hamelin Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ (born September 5, 1961), is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical proficiency of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has received 11 Gr ...
calls a "brilliant ''jeu d’esprit''" and a "fantastically clever feat of combinatorial wizardry." German pianist Friedrich Wührer's version for both hands reversed resembles Godowsky's first one.


Notes and references


External links


Analysis of Chopin Etudes
a
Chopin: the poet of the piano
*
''Étude Op. 10 No. 5''
performed by Beau Pluto
Sheet music
available in .pdf or
LilyPond LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving. One of LilyPond's major goals is to produce scores that are engraved with traditional layout rules, reflecting the era when scores were engraved by hand. LilyPond is cross-pl ...
format, from Mutopia. * played by
Vladimir de Pachmann Vladimir de Pachmann or Pachman (27 July 18486 January 1933) was a pianist of Russian-German ethnicity, especially noted for performing the works of Chopin and for his eccentric performing style. Biography Pachmann was born in Odessa, Ukraine as ...
(1927: with commentary, mistakes and changes) * played by
Ignaz Friedman Ignaz Friedman (also spelled ''Ignace'' or ''Ignacy''; full name ''Solomon (Salomon) Isaac Freudman(n)'', yi, שְׁלֹמֹה יִצְחָק פֿרײדמאַן; February 13, 1882January 26, 1948) was a Polish pianist and composer. Critics (e.g ...
(1928) * played by Alfred Cortot * played by Raul Koczalski * played by Arthur Rubinstein * played by
Claudio Arrau Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque to 20th-century composers, especially Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and B ...
* played by
Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz; yi, וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ, group=n (November 5, 1989)Schonberg, 1992 was a Russian-born American classical pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of al ...
* played by Byron Janis * played by
Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...
* played by Maurizio Pollini {{DEFAULTSORT:Etude Op. 10, No. 5 (Chopin) 10 05 1830 compositions Compositions in G-flat major