Monday, August 25, 2008

THE BLACK KEY ETUDE

Etude is a French word, meaning study.
A short composition for a solo instrument intended
as an exercise or to dem
onstrate technical virtuosity.

Only once, and in the right hand in mea
sure 66, is a white key played in Frederic Chopin's Etude for Piano in G-flat Major, Opus 10, No. 5, called appropriately--and what else!--the Black Key Etude. The left hand plays the melody, mostly chords and octaves,while the right hand accompanies with the fast triplets on black keys.


Excerpts from the Black Key Etude

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chopin is one my favorites solo piano performer. I like his Etude Op.,No. 6 in E flat minor, correct me if I was wrong,the first theme of this piece was commercialized into a song: No Other Love... I also like his polonaises and nocturne...
Such a virtuso pianist and composer, and one of the best tone poets...

Anonymous said...

should be "virtuoso" pianist

Bay Martin said...

You are probably referring to Etude in E Major, Opus 10, No. 3, also known as No Other Love.

If you are talking about To Love Again, the correct title is Nocturne in E flat Major, Opus 9, No. 2.

Frederic Francois Chopin is considered the "the poet of piano music".

Anonymous said...

Do you play this etude? How does it sound? Play it for me one day!