# Was this actually a Chopin work?



## Mesenkomaha (Jun 24, 2014)

If this should be in the Identifying Music topic then I humbly apologize.

Surfing through the randomness of Spotify yesterday I came across a very cool sounding Zen-like piano piece. I was really enjoying the sound when I opened up my app and it said Chopin. Something just doesn't seem right about this.

The album in question is called Zen and according to Spotify, Amazon, and iTunes it is indeed by Frederic Chopin. The tracks themselves are called Chinese Fantasy, OP. 12 numbers 1 through 25.

https://play.spotify.com/album/6Ho3...e&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Chopin/dp/B00AKHYS3S






Can anyone shed some light on this? When I researched this myself I couldn't find anything linking this particular music, opus numbers nor song titles, to Chopin. I find it all really odd even I am greatly enjoying the album!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Mesenkomaha said:


> If this should be in the Identifying Music topic then I humbly apologize.
> 
> Surfing through the randomness of Spotify yesterday I came across a very cool sounding Zen-like piano piece. I was really enjoying the sound when I opened up my app and it said Chopin. Something just doesn't seem right about this.
> 
> ...


Uh, read the Amazon page a bit, and all is revealed

Zen
Chopin
November 11, 2012 | Format: MP3

Label: Chopin
Copyright: 2012 Hung I Chan

All 25 tracks are listed as
"Chinese Fantasy Op.12" -- Nos.1 through 25

They are all so clearly Chinese / pentatonic _new-age_-ish treacle.

Most likely, this is an indie recording and the 'composer' decided that the "Chopin" label would generate a number of hits on a search and bring people to this recording of his music... (Amazon's search engine is not so particular, search for music of Alban Berg, your nest recommends are for the Alban Berg string quartet playing, say, Schubert)

*Amazon users who type Chopin in the search window will be led by Amazon's software to Chopin recordings, and Hung I Chan's 'Chinese Fantasies.' Ditto for those using the search engines of Spotify and iTunes.*

The tactic is devious, unethical, and intensely aggressive; while there is nothing illegal about it, it perhaps constitutes one genre of spamming, I suppose.

I thought the music has less worth than the wholesale cost of materials used for one CD


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## Mesenkomaha (Jun 24, 2014)

Yeah it is just odd to me that a reputable place like itunes or spotify, arguably the largest music distributers online now, would credit this work as Frederic Chopin.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Mesenkomaha said:


> Yeah it is just odd to me that a reputable place like itunes or spotify, arguably the largest music distributers online now, would credit this work as Frederic Chopin.


You might complain to each about this listing, as spamming -- tactics to deliberately crash in to get hits piggybacking off any and all "Chopin" searches. It is certainly worth a try 

Writing and posting a negative review mentioning the tactic is free in all three online seller's formats, I believe.

Right now, it looks like yours would be the first review in any of those sellers formats..._ Hint, Hint, Hint._


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