Discovering the Classical Music Composers: Frederic Chopin

This month we explore in our blog one of the most beloved piano composers:

Frederich Chopin. He was a Polish-born pianist and composer and his writings changed the course of piano music. An interesting fact about him is that he only gave 30 public performances in 30 years of concertizing! Yet his music and legacy echo through the centuries and his repertoire holds unmatchable weight and significance in the piano repertoire.

Early Years

Chopin's mother was Polish, his father a Frenchman who had come to Poland as a young man and held jobs as a bookkeeper and tutor before marrying and settling in Warsaw. Young Frederic studied piano with Wojciech Zywny and harmony and counterpoint with Jozef Elsner, gave his first concert when he was 8, and rather quickly outdistanced his teachers. Seeking to expand his horizons, he left Poland for Vienna in November 1830, and after eight months there, headed for Paris. He would never again return to his native country.

The Composer And His Piano

Chopin was the first composer of genius to devote himself uniquely to the piano — every one of his works was written for it either as a solo instrument or in combination with other instruments. The majority of his solo pieces are in shorter forms and improvisatory by nature. These include 20 nocturnes, 25 preludes, 17 waltzes, 15 polonaises, 58 mazurkas, and 27 etudes.

In our new The Creative Muse Project, we explored the art fusion of dance and piano to bring a fresh take to his Grande Valsa Brilliante Op. 34, No.2 in A minor.

This is a slow waltz that mixes melancholy with glimpses of hope and liveliness in the middle section. Since Chopin is known as the "poet of the piano", our intention with this project is to represent each move of the dance as the "word" of his music.

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We hope you enjoyed this article and we look forward to educating parents and students in the art of teaching and learning more about music and piano.

If you would like more information, contact us at 813.528.3638 and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

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New Worship Piano Series!

Dear readers,

We want to invite you to check out our new worship piano series on our academy's youtube channel! This new segment is dedicated all to worship piano music featuring solos, duets and other music collaborations.

You too can learn how to play beautiful worship piano for your church! Do you want to discover how to play classic hymns, contemporary worship chords, modern Christian songs, and everything else for your church?

Contact us for more information! Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Levels. In-person and Online Lessons Available!

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Celebrating Creativity and Francis Poulenc!

"Creativity is intelligence having fun" - Albert Einstein.

As an artist, it is important to experiment, reinvent, explore, and not be afraid of making mistakes. In this short project, I decided to explore simple ideas of using a green screen to create a more artistic and light-hearted video, while celebrating the life of French composer Francis Poulenc.

Valse in C major, FP. 17,

Here I perform Valse in C major, FP. 17, which is the fifth movement of the piano suite L'Album des Six. This piano suite was originally published in 1920 by Eugene Demts, and written by the members of the group of French composers known as Les Six.

This movement was also orchestrated by the composer in 1932.

The pieces of L'Album des Six and their composers are:

• Georges Auric: Prélude (22 December 1919; dedicated to General Clapier).

• Louis Durey: Romance sans paroles, Op. 21 (August 1919; dedicated to Ricardo Viñes).

• Arthur Honegger: Sarabande, H 26 (January 1920).

• Darius Milhaud: Mazurka (1914).

• Francis Poulenc: Valse in C, FP 17 (July 1919; dedicated to Micheline Soulé).

• Germaine Tailleferre: Pastorale, Enjoué (4 September 1919; dedicated to Milhaud).

ABOUT FRANCIS POULENC

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (7 January 1899 – 30 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music.

As the only son of a prosperous manufacturer, Poulenc was expected to follow his father into the family firm, and he was not allowed to enroll at a music college. In his early works, Poulenc became known for his high spirits and irreverence. During the 1930s a much more serious side to his nature emerged, particularly in the religious music, he composed from 1936 onwards, which he alternated with his more light-hearted and humorous works.

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We hope you enjoyed this article and we look forward to educating parents and students in the art of teaching and learning about music and piano.

If you would like more information, contact us and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

"Celebrating Creativity and Francis Poulenc!" by Piano Performance Arts Academy, LLC.

#pianolessons #learntoplay #wesleychapel #zephyrhills #tampa #newtampa #riverview #brandon #tampabay

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#advancedpianolessons

#AllAgesAndLevels