Étude in A-flat major, Op. 25 No. 1

History

The Paris Chopin Society places the twelve-study Op. 25 collection between 1832 to 1836 and records its first publication in 1837. A later Richault print, catalogued around 1860, names Marie de Flavigny d'Agoult as the set's dedicatee. The collection range does not give each study an independent completion year.

Sources

• frederic-chopin.com
• repozytorium.nifc.pl

What to listen for

1. 1

   A melody lives inside broken chords

   The pickup leads to a projected melody embedded in flowing broken chords. Listen for the longer song rather than only the small-note surface.

2. 2

   Chromatic sequences grow toward a high point

   The middle expansion changes colour and builds toward an appassionato peak. Hear the melodic direction through the increasingly active texture.

3. 3

   Repeated cells soften into a high sweep

   Repeated melodic cells diminish before a light cross-staff ascent and return. Follow the sweep as one connected gesture.

4. 4

   Detached chords yield to held harmony

   A detached chordal response precedes the final arpeggiated held sonority. Hear the difference between its short attack and the sustained arrival.

How to practise it

Shape the prominent upper notes without hardening the surrounding triplet texture.

1. Play only the changing upper notes first, then restore the triplets at a tempo where that line remains audible.
2. Enter the first low A-flat only after counting the rest, then practise returning to it without striking it heavily.

How hard is it

About this piece

Collection

The study studio

Licence

Public Domain

Source

mutopiaproject.org

More by Frédéric Chopin

1. 1Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
2. 2Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
3. 3Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro