The Mystery of Chopin's Préludes

205 Pages·2015·5.271 MB·English

by  Anatole Leikin

the Mystery of Chopin’s Préludes
Frontispiece: the Carthusian Monastery of Valldemossa.
photograph by enric Calafell Alemany
the Mystery of Chopin’s Préludes
AnAtole leikin
university of California, santa Cruz, usA
© Anatole leikin 2015
All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Anatole leikin has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and patents Act, 1988,
to be identified as the author of this work.
Bach musicological font © yo tomita
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British library
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
leikin, Anatole, 1946- author.
the mystery of Chopin’s preludes / by Anatole leikin.
pages cm
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn 978-1-4094-5224-9 (hardcover)—isBn 978-1-4094-5225-6 (ebook)—
isBn 978-1-4724-0681-1 (epub) 1. Chopin, frédéric, 1810-1849. preludes, op. 28.
piano, i. title.
Ml410.C54l35 2015
786.2'18928092--dc23
2014026189
isBn 9781409452249 (hbk)
isBn 9781409452256 (ebk – pDf)
isBn 9781472406811 (ebk –epUB)
printed in the United kingdom by henry ling limited,
at the Dorset press, Dorchester, Dt1 1hD
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Music Examples ix
Preface xiii
1 The Traditions, the Innovations, and the Predicaments 1
2 Lamartine’s Les Préludes: The Lyrics and the Milieu 13
3 The Mallorca Factor 23
4 Lamartine’s Les Préludes and Chopin’s Préludes 43
5 Deciphering the Préludes 67
6 Further Thoughts 145
Appendix: Alphonse de Lamartine, Les Préludes (with English translation
by Tamah Swenson) 161
Bibliography 179
Index 187
This page has been left blank intentionally
List of Figures
Frontispiece: The Carthusian Monastery of Valldemossa.
Photograph by Enric Calafell Alemany
3.1 The cemetery at the Carthusian monastery. Drawing by J.B. Laurens 33
3.2 A corridor in the Carthusian monastery. Historical photograph by
Charles W. Wood, as found in his book Letters from Majorca 34
3.3 The ceiling in Chopin’s cell. Photograph by Maria Ezerova 36
3.4 Gothic chair in Chopin’s cell. Photograph by Maria Ezerova 37
3.5 A corridor at the Carthusian monastery at night. Photograph by
Maria Ezerova 38
3.6 The Carthusian monastery in winter. Photograph by Enric Calafell
Alemany 39
5.1 Chopin’s manuscript, Prelude 1, mm. 29–34 70
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List of Music Examples
1.1 Hummel, Prelude 1 from 24 Preludes, Op. 67 5
1.2 Hummel, Prelude 2 from 24 Preludes, Op. 67 5
4.1 Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, Prelude and Fugue in
G minor, (a) Prelude, m. 50, (b) Fugue, mm. 1–2 49
4.2 Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, Prelude and Fugue in
E major, (a) Prelude, mm. 63–70, (b) Fugue, mm. 1–2 50
4.3 Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, Fugue in E major, m. 37 50
4.4 Dies irae, stanzas 1–4, with an English translation 57
4.5 Dies irae motifs written separately 58
4.6 Dies irae, inner motivic structure 60
4.7 (a) Kirnberger, Die Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik,
(b) Cherubini, Cours de contrepoint et de fugue 61
4.8 Dies irae, a complete chart of all the motifs 62
4.9 Beethoven, Piano Sonata, Op. 7, No. 3, movement 4, (a) mm.
87–89, (b) mm. 106–108 64
5.1 Chopin, Prelude 1 from Opus 28 69
5.2 Kirnberger, Die Kunst des reinen Satzes in der Musik 70
5.3 (a) Chopin, Prelude 1, mm. 28–34, (b) Prelude 2, mm. 1–4 71
5.4 (a) Chopin, Prelude 1, mm. 1–9, (b) Prelude 1, mm. 21–34,
(c) Prelude 2, mm. 1–7 72–3
5.5 Chopin, Prelude 2, mm. 1–8 in George Sand’s copy 74
5.6 Chopin, Prelude 2 75
5.7 Chopin, Prelude 3, imitation between LH and RH, (a) LH, m. 1,
(b) RH, mm. 3–6 79
5.8 (a) Chopin, Prelude 3, mm. 1–10, (b) Prelude 3, mm. 16–26 80–81
5.9 Chopin, Prelude 3, mm. 26–33 82
5.10 (a) Chopin, Prelude 4, mm. 1–12, (b) Prelude 4, mm. 20–23 83
5.11 Bach, Crucifixus, mm. 1–4 84
5.12 Chopin, Prelude 4, mm. 1–10 (LH) 84
5.13 Bach, Crucifixus, mm. 5–14 (chorus reduction) 84
5.14 Chopin, Prelude 4, mm. 1–23 (Crucifixus motifs) 86
5.15 (a) Chopin, Prelude 4, mm. 7–9 (RH), (b) Prelude 4, mm. 17–23 87
5.16 Chopin, Prelude 5 88
5.17 Chopin, Prelude 6 91
5.18 Chopin, Prelude 7 (modified) 92