Frédéric Chopin "Waltz No. 7 in C Sharp Minor" (op. 64 No. 2)
Frederic Chopin is an outstanding Polish composer and pianist who has created magnificent creations in piano music, which today are considered unsurpassed masterpieces. In his works, distinguished by special trepidation and subtlety, the whole texture fascinates, and the harmony envelops the melodic lines so amazingly that one gets the impression of something extraordinarily sublime. Chopin composed many works for piano in various genres, but waltzes occupy a special place in his work, among which one of the most repertoire is Waltz No. 7 in C sharp minor (cis-moll).
History of creation
The biographers of Chopin believe that the waltz in the composer’s works is of particular importance and even assigns him the role of an autobiographical genre directly connected with the musician’s personal life. These wonderful works Frederick dedicated to women who played a decisive role in his fate. For example, there is an assumption that the most famous C sharp minor minor waltz, published in 1847, was inspired by Chopin with sad memories of a girl with whom he was passionately in love. Maria Vodzinskaya was the sister of the lyceum composer’s friend, and they met in Dresden in 1835, when Chopinreturning to Paris after meeting with his parents, he decided to stay in this German city for a while in order to meet his friends. Sixteen-year-old Maria, although she was not considered to be a beauty, but with her charm won the heart of the composer. Such a deep feeling flared up between young people that, as they said goodbye, they swore allegiance to each other.
In Paris, Chopin was surrounded by rich countess and baroness, who wanted to link their fate with a brilliant musician, but Frederick’s thoughts were only about “little Maryna”, whose love inspired him to create delightful works. Constant correspondence and periodic meetings of young people in Dresden reinforced their feelings and in 1836 Frederick and Maria became engaged. However, Chopin, inspired by love, had to return to Paris again, and the Vodzinsky from Dresden moved to Poland. After this letter to Chopin, Maria began to arrive less and less, and their content changed markedly. Soon the composer learned that the girl, at the insistence of her parents, married the son of a rich earl.
Interesting Facts
- Waltz in C Sharp Minor was called the “seventh”, since in the complete collected works of Chopin among the waltzes he occupies this very place.
- Although there is an opinion that “Waltz in C Sharp Minor” is inspired by Chopin with sad memories of Maria Vodzinskaya, however, the composer dedicated this work to his pupil, the daughter of banker Charlotte de Rothschild.
- In her last letter to Chopin, Maria Vodzinskaya herself explained to Frederica why she betrayed him and married another person. The girl wrote that the composer needed passionate and pure love for inspiration of creativity, and gray family everyday life would only hinder him.
- Despite the breakdown of relations between Frederick and Maria, the Vodzinsky family until the last days of the composer maintained a friendly relationship with him.
- After Chopin's death, when his archive was being dismantled, a dried rose, once donated to the composer Maria Vodzinskaya, and a package with the inscription “my sorrow” were found. In the package were letters from his girlfriend: their great musician kept the rest of his life.
- Frederic Chopin's music has always inspired creative people. In 1892 Alexander Glazunov Orchestrated several works of the great Polish composer and combined them into a suite. A little later, at the request of choreographer Mikhail Fokin, he was instrumented and a waltz in C sharp minor. To the music of the suite, the talented choreographer staged ballet, which is still very popular throughout the world. In our country, the play is called "Chopeniana", but abroad it is called" Sulfides ".
- Frederic Chopin's Waltz in C Sharp Minor is so popular that many directors of animation and feature films gladly insert the music of this work into the soundtracks of their films. For example, you can mention the famous animated series "The Simpsons", the television series "Underground Empire" (USA), the film "Gray Gardens" (USA) and the film "LOL" (France).
- Frederic Chopin's music, which has many admirers, did not leave indifferent and famous French composer and conductor Paul Mauriat. He made talented arrangements of many works of the brilliant Polish maestro, among which there is a waltz in C sharp minor.
Content
"Waltz C Sharp Minor"- this is an elegant romantic piano miniature filled with lyricism and melancholy. The work is written in a very original three-part form, with rondo features. It can be represented by the following scheme: A + B C + B A + B. or a kind of complementary refrain that completes each part.
The first theme of the waltz (Tempo giusto) is leisurely and sad. It begins with a wide sex move, which is very characteristic of romance music. Next, the composer builds a melodic line on expressive second "sighs" concluded in the rhythm of the mazurka, followed by a gentle and light descending chromatic passage. After the first romantic dreamy theme, an airy, light melody in the same C sharp minor key follows. The continuously sounding eighth notes of the second theme (più mosso) create a feeling of incessant whirling as well as light flying.
In the third theme of the waltz (più lento), for which the composer chose the key of D-flat major, the mood of the music changes significantly. Her accompaniment is greatly facilitated by inter-tact syncopes, so the melody sounds like a light chanter cantilen. The tempo here again slows down and the duration in the melodic line increases to quarter.
Musical content Waltz in C Sharp Minor much wider than usual dance images. His sad, sorrowful melody reveals to the utmost the feeling of bitterness, pain and confusion that have seized Chopin in his difficult life moments. Perhaps this is why the work is so closely perceived by the audience, and it is extremely popular with them.
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