Work on the Texture of F. Chopin’s Piano Compositions: Analytical and Performance Aspects

Abstract

The article is devoted to the consideration of the features of texture in the pieces of music written by Frederic Chopin. This aspect of the research is covered from the perspective of performance analysis, which combines the musicological approach with the technology of piano playing. The creative work of F. Chopin provides a fertile material for this, since it represents the style of one of the few true composers-pianists, who have considered the piano as an instrument of universal possibilities concentrated in the hands of a single performer.Relevance of the chosen topic is determined by the need for systematic implementation of the methods of performance analysis in educational and creative practice related to the familiarization with the Chopin’s piano heritage.The aim of the article is to identify the features of the texture in the pieces of music written by Frederic Chopin, on the basis of which the reading and interpretation of a particular sample should be built.The research methodology is based on a combination of general scientific and special musicological approaches to the study of the phenomenon under consideration. They include the method of deduction, which determines the course of research in the direction from the general (the phenomenon of texture in music) to the special (piano texture) and specific (Chopin’s piano texture with its performance attributes), special methods of performance and texture analysis.Results show that the choice of the textural aspect in the study of Chopin’s style focused on the “image” of the piano is due to the problems of artistic and technical nature. After all, any Chopin’s opus is not only an artifact of the world piano culture, but also the subject of actual interpretation, the skills of which are laid down during the pianist’s training.Novelty lies in the fact that the approach to the Chopin’s piano style from the perspective of texture is not only relevant, but also the least tested in terms of scientific discourse. The method of implementing the features of Chopin’s piano writing is also insufficiently developed that is a constant task for performers, teachers and students who turn to his music in the course of educational and creative activities.Practical significance of this article is determined by the possibility of using its materials and conclusions both in the theoretical development of piano texture issues, and in educational work related to the development of the technology of its implementation in the pieces of music written by Frederic Chopin.The conclusions note that the comprehension of the “secrets” of Chopin’s piano texture is the most important interpretive task solved at two levels — prior-style (educational practice) and style (the activity of concert pianists). These levels are connected to each other and together represent an integral phenomenon defined in the world piano culture by the concept of “Chopinism”.