POLSKI

Songs of F. Chopin

SONGS OF FRYDERYK CHOPIN

Songs in the creativity of Chopin do not occupy a very important position; they rather constitute a margin. They were often created during social gatherings, when the composer improvised various pieces on the spot. They were frequently inscribed in the albums of ladies, including Emilia Elsner, Maria Wodzińska, and Delfina Potocka. These works do not present the compositional means that F. Chopin used in his piano works, and thus he did not value them very highly. They did not go through his artistic selection. He did not prepare them for print, although towards the end of his life, he probably carried them with such an intention. After the composer's death, they were collected by Julian Fontana and published with the family's consent in 1859. Interest in them arose only in the second half of the 20th century, including them in the vocal repertoire. The first songs date back to the years 1829 to 1831. During this time, the composer met with young artists, enthusiasts of new art and romantic ideology, rebelling against the ideas of the previous era. Among them were Stefan Witwicki, Bohdan Zaleski, Seweryn Goszczyński, and Edward Odyniec. These young creators were enthusiastic about freedom ideas and also sought new poetic means of expression. In 1830, a collection of poems by S. Witwicki titled "Pastoral Songs" was published. Following the suggestion of A. Mickiewicz, to base new Polish poetry on the patterns of "folk songs," the poet made his own stylization of folk poetry. Their style is simple and unpretentious, yet not devoid of a certain charm and authenticity. "Pastoral Songs" along with their aesthetics appealed to Chopin so much that he began to compose and improvise to them appropriate music, uncomplicated, referring to folk roots. However, these works did not fit into his creative ambitions and rich artistic imagination, so he approached them rather lightly. He composed them spontaneously for his own pleasure and that of his friends, often in social situations under the influence of a momentary mood, having read or heard a poetic text. He would improvise a melody and accompaniment on the spot. Sometimes he would write down his ideas, adding a piano introduction and conclusion. These texts were copied by acquaintances, and thus the songs quickly spread in Warsaw, gaining great popularity. They were performed in many bourgeois homes, although it was not always known who the author of the music was. Some of the songs to the lyrics of S. Witwicki have a simple song-like character. The composer often used folkloric materials in them. The melodies easily stick in the ear and remain in memory. Among them are cheerful, joyful, and also nostalgic pieces based on texts full of drama and pain. The piano accompaniment in the songs is rather economical, chordal. In the introduction and at the end of the piece, the piano part is more elaborate and treated solo. One of the most popular songs by F. Chopin is "The Sunbeam" also known as "If I Were a Little Sun in the Sky." During the composer's lifetime, it was very popular in Warsaw. It entered school songbooks as an example of Chopin's vocal creativity. The composer did not leave a tempo indication for the piece. The character of the song is mazurka – waltz-like.

Among the songs to the lyrics of S. Witwicki, particular attention should be paid to "The Soldier." The song was created in 1830 during the time when secret preparations for the November Uprising were underway. The lyrics of the song, full of patriotism and heroic pathos, reflect the atmosphere of those days. The composer used expressive articulatory means, large dynamic contrasts, and also developed the piano part, which bears illustrative features. Here appear fanfare-like sounds, evoking associations with F. Schubert's song "Die Post." The motoric movement in 8/8 time based on spread chords reflects a galloping horse.

In the same year, F. Chopin once again arranged a song to the lyrics of A. Mickiewicz titled "Away from My Eyes." The original version of the song was created three years earlier. The piece is built from two sections A and B, of which B is repeated. Section A is maintained in a slow tempo – Larghetto in a meter. It has the characteristics of a recitative. It begins with a 4-bar expressive piano introduction. Then the vocal part appears, harmonically and dynamically supported by the piano. Numerous dynamic contrasts occur here in small 2-bar sections. Section B is maintained in a faster tempo – Andantino in a meter. The melody is smoothly led by the voice, supported by the piano accompaniment. During his stay in Vienna in 1831, Fr. Chopin returned to the collection of poetry by S. Witwicki and composed two more songs. Distanced from his homeland, lonely, haunted by the fall of the uprising and the bloodshed in Poland, plagued by states of depression, he chose tragic poems related to the theme of death: "The Sad River" and "The Fiancé." "The Sad River" is a piece that begins with a twelve-bar piano introduction introducing a nostalgic mood. After it, the vocal part appears, and the accompaniment is limited to vertical or spread chords. The harmony highlights the poignant text. At the end, the piano part contains material from the introduction as a kind of literary commentary.

In Vienna, another song was created, which the composer probably thought of earlier in Warsaw. The text was found in the preface to "Pastoral Songs," where a Lithuanian text taken from a folk legend was placed, translated into Polish by Ludwik Osiński. This resulted in the composition of a piece titled "Lithuanian Song." This song, extremely rich in terms of rhythm and harmony, exhibits features of a recomposed song. The song titled "The First Spring" to the lyrics of S. Witwicki was created in 1836 in Dresden, probably at the request of Maria Wodzińska, and was inscribed in her album. The text expressing the complaint of a faithful suitor for years, and ultimately the rejected rival, was framed by F. Chopin in the style of kujawiak, a type of folk dance. To Witwicki's text, he also composed a song titled "Spring" in 1838. This is the simplest vocal miniature by Chopin. The simple melody based on folk singing repeats several times. To the lyrics of Bohdan Zaleski, the composer created four songs: "The Countless Boy," "The Double End," "There is Nothing Needed," "Dumka." They are less charming than the songs written to Witwicki's texts, more melodically conventional and less rich in terms of harmony. To the texts of A. Mickiewicz, two songs by Chopin were created – already mentioned "Away from My Eyes" and "My Darling." The latter, probably written under the influence of feelings for Maria Wodzińska, belongs to the most successful works of Chopin's lyricism. Besides those mentioned, F. Chopin is the author of two more songs: "Leaves Falling from the Tree" to the text of Wincenty Pol and "Melody" to the text of Zygmunt Krasiński. On May 3, 1836, the Great Emigration in Paris celebrated the anniversary of the Constitution of May 3. The patriotic celebrations were accompanied by the poetry of Wincenty Pol related to the November Uprising and the music of F. Chopin. For this occasion, the composer wrote 10 songs, of which only one has been preserved, transcribed and kept by J. Fontana, dated "May 3, 1836 Leaves Falling from the Tree to the poem 'Song from the Graves.'" The mood of the song is dominated by a somber and depressing atmosphere. The last, most poignant in terms of expression song "Melody" was created in the last period of Chopin's creativity in 1847. It is based on a text with a biblical motif referring to the situation of the entire Great Emigration longing to return to a free homeland. From the heights, where they bore terrible burdens, They saw from afar the promised land. They saw the light of heavenly rays, To which below their tribe was drawn And they themselves would not enter that space! To the joys of life, they would never sit down, And even, even they may be forgotten. The pessimistic tone of this poem must have deeply affected Chopin, especially since the composer was already aware of the approaching death and that he would not live to see the return to his homeland. This work is entirely different from those created earlier. There is no simple, catchy melody here. The solo singing is based on sparingly arranged chords, forming a harmonic support and resembles a fragment of a musical drama. Here, Chopin's innovative ideas in the field of harmony are evident. The piano part plays a significant role in creating the appropriate mood and highlighting the text. Very interesting colors appear, supported by dynamics. All this contributes to the coloristic qualities of the piece. J. Fontana expressed himself about this song as follows: "In this music, Chopin raised himself to the height of himself, becoming again terrifying as he sometimes did in his piano works."

Chopin's songs are not easy to interpret, even though they do not have much significance compared to his piano or chamber works; they are full of charm and have found many outstanding interpreters. They have entered the vocal repertoire of many artists. The character of the songs is very diverse. We encounter, among others, works with cheerful, joyful content referring to folk roots ("The Sunbeam," "The Pastoral"). The pianist's task is to emphasize the dance character of the piece, to bring out and highlight certain rhetorical turns, to convey a mood of lightness and cheerfulness. In songs such as "The Sad River," "There is Nothing Needed," or "Melody," the climate of tragedy dominates, caused by the composer's sense of loneliness while living in emigration, affected by the political situation in Poland. The piano here is a supporting and complementing element to the vocal part, and its task is to emphasize the mood of sadness and pessimism through appropriate harmonic turns. It is important to pay attention to the coloristic effects. The piano part in Fryderyk Chopin's songs is not very elaborate. The important components are the introduction and conclusion, in which the pianist should create the appropriate mood for the piece. Important are also the effects related to color and the way of phrasing, showing influences of the Italian "Bel canto." In the song titled "The Soldier," the composer uses eighth-note figurations on spread chords at a very fast tempo, requiring considerable technical agility. The fanfare-like sounds appearing in the right hand part are a challenge for many pianists. In his songs, Chopin provides the opportunity to demonstrate great fantasy, musicality, and technical agility, which is usually subordinated to musical expression by the composer.

ad. Agata Adamczyk
University of Silesia
Institute of Music

Powiązane Video Wszystkie video

Instrumenty i sprzęt muzyczny

PWM Chopin Fryderyk - Najpikniejszy Chopin na fortepian
PWM Chopin Fryderyk - Najatwiejszy Chopin na fortepian
AN Drodowski Mirosaw ″Fryderyk Chopin na 2 gitary″ ksika
AN Drodowski Mirosaw - Fryderyk Chopin na gitar - ksika

Contact


Maria Łakomik
Press materials, sponsorships, content. Filip Łakomik
Technical matters, integrations. Submit an article about music
You may send any free materials (text/graphics/video) related to classical music that you think should be featured on the website.

Partners

Bookstore Alenuty.pl
Sheet music and books.
  • księgarnia muzyczna

Music shop Muzyczny.pl
Instruments & equipment.
  • sklep muzyczny
culture online

Copyright © 2011-2025 CameralMusic.pl