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Romantic · etude

Étude in A minor, Op. 25 No. 11

Frédéric Chopin · Level 10, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A study in the set dedicated to Marie d'Agoult. Étude in A minor, Op. 25 No. 11 is an etude by Frédéric Chopin from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 10, an estimate.

On this page
  • etude
  • Romantic
  • grand
  • stormy
  • voicing

Also known as Frédéric Chopin: Étude in A minor Op. 25 No. 11 Winter Wind.

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

What to listen for

  1. Begin with a single singing line

    The opening is a measured upper melody while the lower staff rests. Keep the repeated notes and dotted rhythm connected, leaving room for the phrase before the texture becomes busier.

  2. The opening gathers more voices

    The melody returns in a fuller texture with independent lower lines. Listen for the familiar shape inside the chords rather than making every voice equally prominent.

  3. A new tempo changes the character

    The source marks Allegro con brio as the rapid upper line begins. Keep the lower chordal rhythm clear beneath the small-note groups; the faster texture still needs an underlying pulse.

  4. Follow the sweep through the registers

    The fast pattern continues lower through the keyboard while bass notes and chords sustain underneath. Shape the changing register without speeding up as the line descends.

How to practise it

Shape the measured introduction without confusing it with full-work readiness.

  1. Keep the dotted rhythm distinct.
  2. Hear the opening as a phrase.
  3. Coordinate the added layers without making every note heavy.

How hard is it

Level 10, estimated

The concert-level proposal targets sustained clarity, coordination and musical direction through the complete study, rather than treating its busiest gestures as isolated speed exercises.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Frédéric Chopin, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
The study studio
Licence
CC0
Source
musescore.com

More by Frédéric Chopin

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

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Shape the measured introduction without confusing it with full-work readiness.

Practise it in PlayPiano