# Is Chopin Your Favorite Piano Composer?



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

He is for me. Such a poet of melody for the instrument! I can say he has influenced my composition more than any other, even though my virtuosity is non-existent, .


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Chopin is certainly one of the greatest piano music composers. Him, along with the likes of Debussy hold that position. He takes an musical idea and holds it the right place without holding it pointlessly long and takes the listener to true Romanticism, rich in that type of tonality almost unequalled to this day as far as the piano is concerned.


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

Chopin, then Rachmaninov, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Glass, Debussy, Satie, Schubert,etc etc

So many greats...for me it's impossible to really rank them. To me, they are like different foods in the grocery store. So many great flavors to enjoy, and no need to rank them. Avocadoes, or olives, or manchego cheese, or fruits, or ice cream?


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

I would've said so at one time, but now my choice would be Debussy.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

consuono said:


> I would've said so at one time, but now my choice would be Debussy.


There's more consonance in Chopin compared to Debussy which is what makes me gravitate towards him more I think.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

"Is Chopin Your Favorite Piano Composer?"

No, but the _Nocturnes_ do nicely on a rainy day. Arrau does a classy job of it.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Coach G said:


> "Is Chopin Your Favorite Piano Composer?"
> 
> No, but the _Nocturnes_ do nicely on a rainy day. Arrau does a classy job of it.
> 
> View attachment 154286


I've always loved Ivan Moravec's collection of the Nocturnes.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

Schumann is my favorite. But I do believe that Chopin composed the greatest etudes of all time.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

cybernaut said:


> Chopin, then Rachmaninov, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Glass, Debussy, Satie, Schubert,etc etc
> 
> So many greats...for me it's impossible to really rank them. To me, they are like different foods in the grocery store. So many great flavors to enjoy, and no need to rank them. Avocadoes, or olives, or manchego cheese, or fruits, or ice cream?


You rank the piano music of Tchaikovsky and Glass above Debussy? Huh, interesting


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I've never been a fan of Chopin's music. Prefer Liszt and Schumann from that generation.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

chu42 said:


> You rank the piano music of Tchaikovsky and Glass above Debussy? Huh.


I'm not sure if you're joking, but I think he was simply listing, not ranking.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'm not sure if you're joking, but I think he was simply listing, not ranking.


Well, he said "Chopin, then Rachmaninov"...which seems to postulate a ranking

I didn't expect tht Tchaikovsky nor Glass would even be in the discussion, especially not before mentioning Schumann, whom Tchaikovsky believed to have the greatest piano music of all time. A lot of Tchaikovsky's piano music comes off as an outlet for his obsession with Schumann. Luckily we cannot say the same for his orchestral and concerto works!


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

chu42 said:


> You rank the piano music of Tchaikovsky and Glass above Debussy? Huh.


nope. Chopin is at the top for me. Then comes everyone else. Can't choose between them.

And there are so many others...Liszt, Schumann, Haydn, Brahms, etc.


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'm not sure if you're joking, but I think he was simply listing, not ranking.


Exactly.

And anyway, what if I ranked those others as favorites above Debussy? Everyone is entitled to their own tastes. This is not a dictatorship.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Nope, Schumann. Then Rubinstein, Grieg and Gottschalk.


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

chu42 said:


> Schumann is my favorite. But I do believe that Chopin composed the greatest etudes of all time.


You rank Schumann over Chopin? Huh.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

cybernaut said:


> You rank Schumann over Chopin? Huh.


I think Chopin is much more popular with general audiences, while Schumann is much more popular with professionals and academics.

Both are great however.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

chu42 said:


> I think Chopin is much more popular with general audiences, while Schumann is much more popular with professionals and academics.
> 
> Both are great however.


I tend to trust the audience of academics. Who's less pompous in their opinions?


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

I rank Chopin over Schumann by a hair, but honestly not by much. Schumann took a _long_ time for me to understand - more than three years of listening. But then the Fantasie in C and Davidsbündlertanze fully opened up my eyes to his poetic genius. What I previously thought was bland, repetitive music I now find to be achingly passionate and memorable, and it helped me somewhat to think about the music as being very vocal, very lieder-like. I like Chopin's sonatas better, and I adore his "unconnected" sets of miniatures like the preludes and nocturnes, but there's something about the Schumannian piano suite that is very special and is like a pianistic adaptation of the song cycle. In terms of sheer ingenuity, I might even say Schumann is the finest piano composer. I am very glad that I stuck with his music, because learning to like the piano works also opened up his symphonies, songs, and chamber music to me.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I think Debussy is the successor of Chopin. They both hold the very top of that position but there hasn't been any successor to Debussy to date. That's alright, we have plenty to enjoy from the said composer along with others like Liszt, Schumann etc.


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

chu42 said:


> I think Chopin is much more popular with general audiences, while Schumann is much more popular with professionals and academics.
> 
> Both are great however.


do you have some proof of that statement? Would love to see it.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

ArtMusic said:


> I think Debussy is the successor of Chopin. They both hold the very top of that position but there hasn't been any successor to Debussy to date. That's alright, we have plenty to enjoy from the said composer along with others like Liszt, Schumann etc.


I find Debussy's harmony too dissonant for my tastes.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*Karol Szymanowski*'s solo piano music is really very good. Another Polish composer, whom I consider Chopin's heir.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

SanAntone said:


> *Karol Szymanowski*'s solo piano music is really very good. Another Polish composer, whom I consider Chopin's heir.


I listened to a work by him, it was beautiful. Thanks for the recommendation!


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

No. i see Schumann mentioned a lot here though. I will have to listen to him some more. Right now neither of these two are in my top 8


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

golfer72 said:


> No. i see Schumann mentioned a lot here though. I will have to listen to him some more. Right now neither of these two are in my top 8


Who is your current No. 1?


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Beethoven and JS Bach for me, with Chopin and Debussy trailing.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

I used to practice this long ago; the section (played at ppp; 0:26) is so difficult


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

ORigel said:


> Beethoven and JS Bach for me, with Chopin and Debussy trailing.


I'll have to leave Bach aside; he didn't compose for the piano.

My favorites in no particular order:

Scriabin
Chopin
Schumann
Shostakovich
Schubert
Haydn
Mozart


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bulldog said:


> I'll have to leave Bach aside; he didn't compose for the piano.
> 
> My favorites in no particular order:
> 
> ...


I'd allow Bach. Any instrument in the "keyboard family" is close enough for me.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I find Debussy's harmony too dissonant for my tastes.


I can see what you mean but he did write much tonal music continuing on with the rich harmonic approaches of Romanticism, taking solo piano music to a higher level. But you are right, he did write (or try to develop) some dissonant approach before the likes of Schoenberg/SVS.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

ArtMusic said:


> I can see what you mean but he did write much tonal music continuing on with the rich harmonic approaches of Romanticism, taking solo piano music to a higher level. But you are right, he did write (or try to develop) some dissonant approach before the likes of Schoenberg/SVS.


Clair De Lune, while cliche, is perfect to me.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Clair De Lune, while cliche, is perfect to me.


I agree, it is his greatest or one of his greatest, solo piano work.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Chopin: Rondo À La Krakowiak In F Major, Op. 14 -
Rondo. Allegro non troppo - Poco meno mosso ·
Jan Lisiecki · NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester · Krzysztof Urbański

High in my list , special the : Krakowiak - Concert Rondo in F, Op. 14.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

cybernaut said:


> do you have some proof of that statement? Would love to see it.


To be clear, I don't mean to say that Schumann is _favored_ over Chopin-only that he's more popular with professionals than with general audiences. I think they are viewed to be on the same tier by professionals.

Here is an interview of 11 world-class pianists on Chopin and Schumann:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11VZc8HdojjMHyFfVQ4mGJu0sIU8jY4A_/view?usp=sharing

It's an interesting read and not only does a little bit of elucidation on how Chopin and Schumann are viewed by their audiences, but also by the pianists themselves.

It's worth noting that out of the 6 pianists who demonstrated a preference between the two, 5 of them (Vogt, Buchbinder, Hewitt, Schiff, and Oppitz) say they play more Schumann than Chopin while only 1 (Badura-Skoda) says they play more Chopin than Schumann. Andras Schiff in particular says he plays full-Schumann concerts and almost zero Chopin.

Of course this is not representative of the dozens of professional pianists out there, but I'd also like to think that this isn't just random chance. I myself am a piano student and my peers, my professor, and myself mostly prefer Schumann to Chopin.

Schumann is an artist's composer while Chopin was a composer who was more universal-which also speaks to the great strength of Chopin's music.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

ArtMusic said:


> I can see what you mean but he did write much tonal music continuing on with the rich harmonic approaches of Romanticism, taking solo piano music to a higher level. But you are right, he did write (or try to develop) some dissonant approach before the likes of Schoenberg/SVS.


He only wrote tonal music. Dissonance is not atonality.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## Ned Low (Jul 29, 2020)

No. Liszt is my favourite.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

I think Schumann is my favorite.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Since you allow Bach, it's Bach for me. But Chopin is a close second. Honorary mentions go to Debussy, Ravel, Faure, Beethoven, Grieg and Shostakovich.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I find Debussy's harmony too dissonant for my tastes.


Perhaps his most dissonant major work is his opera _Pelléas et Mélisande_. It might be worth a listen to compare the tonal works he wrote for piano and this opera to see that. But best to remain with Chopin, you can't go wrong if you are into Romantic solo piano music.


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## Wilhelm Theophilus (Aug 8, 2020)

Never understood why people love Chopin. To me it just seems like he wrote some nice piano pieces.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

chu42 said:


> Schumann is my favorite. But I do believe that Chopin composed the greatest etudes of all time.


 Uchida once said that she thought that the Chopin études are more a test of technique and stamina than of poetic sensibility.

This is brought out in her performance


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

chu42 said:


> He only wrote tonal music. Dissonance is not atonality.


What do you think the final movement of the second sonata?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Mandryka said:


> Uchida once said that she thought that the Chopin études are more a test of technique and stamina than of poetic sensibility.
> 
> This is brought out in her performance


She's quite young there.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I think he was one of the greats, but not a personal favorite. I don't listen much to Schumann or Liszt either. The only Romantic piano music I listen to often is Brahms. 

Other favorites include J.S. Bach, Mozart, Ravel, Debussy, Bartok, Rodrigo and Prokofiev.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

tdc said:


> I think he was one of the greats, but not a personal favorite. I don't listen much to Schumann or Liszt either. The only Romantic piano music I listen to often is Brahms.
> 
> Other favorites include J.S. Bach, Mozart, Ravel, Debussy, Bartok, Rodrigo and Prokofiev.


And yet op 45 is so Brahmsian


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Wilhelm Theophilus said:


> Never understood why people love Chopin. To me it just seems like he wrote some nice piano pieces.


To me it seems you have just answered your own question/statement.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Malx said:


> To me it seems you have just answered your own question/statement.


I think what he means is, he finds it safe and inoffensive and lacking in any real true emotion. This I wholeheartedly disagree with!


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

My answer to the thread question, leaving aside any attempt at judgment of musical quality, is undoubtedly "yes". I've loved Chopin's piano music first and foremost for nearly six decades as both listener and player whereas Schumann, who's getting a lot of praise in this thread, doesn't come even close to floating my boat in the same way. To each their own.


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

Difficult for me to choose “the” top but these are among the greatest Piano composers for me

Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Grieg, Rahmaninov, Beethoven

and I also believe if Bach was living in classic or romantic era, he would have been a phenomenal piano composer too.


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## Wilhelm Theophilus (Aug 8, 2020)

Malx said:


> To me it seems you have just answered your own question/statement.


People usually love something great. They _like _something that is nice. To me Chopin's pieces are nice, I don't dislike them, but I don't see whats great about them, so I don't love them.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Wilhelm Theophilus said:


> People usually love something great. They _like _something that is nice. To me Chopin's pieces are nice, I don't dislike them, but I don't see whats great about them, so I don't love them.


Interesting. I think I'm in the minority in your reckoning. I love something I think is nice, and like something great, hence I don't love Bach in general. But I don't even feel Chopin is nice.


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## Wilhelm Theophilus (Aug 8, 2020)

Phil loves classical said:


> Interesting. I think I'm in the minority in your reckoning. I love something I think is nice, and like something great, hence I don't love Bach in general. But I don't even feel Chopin is nice.


I don't understand you. You don think Chopin is great but you love his music? You think Bach is great but don't love him? Why would you think Bach is great if you don't love his music?


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Mandryka said:


> And yet op 45 is so Brahmsian


That one always sounded like Scriabin's tonal stuff to me


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

Mandryka said:


> What do you think the final movement of the second sonata?


I'm guessing that you're referring to Chopin-not Debussy, who never wrote a piano sonata?

It's a very advanced work but still displays a strong semblance of harmonic outline.


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## Clloydster (Apr 19, 2021)

I have listened to and like some of Chopin's piano music, but Beethoven is still my favorite for piano music.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

For me, Debussy provides the most refreshing and aesthetically pleasing music for solo piano.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

I think that someone can recognize the _greatness_ of something without necessarily _loving_ it. i don't like most rock music or dance music. And I have no use for rap and heavy metal, no use for it whatsoever. But I can still understand what makes some of it "great" to others, if someone were to explain to me the innovations and techniques of the guitar and drum solos, the cultural significance, etc. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean that other people can't have good reasons for liking it and calling it "great". And I think a lot of this comes down to temperament and feeling it on a deeper level.

I remember an interview with the Cuban-American concert pianist, Horacio Guetierrez, from the _Tonight Show_ back in the 1980s. Johnny Carson asked Guetierrez if he ever considered playing some jazz, pop, or other crossover stuff like other classical musicians were dong at the time. Guetierrez said that to play it, you have to "feel" it, and when it comes to that kind of music, I don't. I don't think that Guetierrez was putting down other genres or saying that those genres weren't as great as classical, it was just that he wasn't "feeling it".

So you can say, "Yeah, the music is great, but it's not _me_."


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## Wilhelm Theophilus (Aug 8, 2020)

Coach G said:


> I think that someone can recognize the _greatness_ of something without necessarily _loving_ it. i don't like most rock music or dance music. And I have no use for rap and heavy metal, no use for it whatsoever. But I can still understand what makes some of it "great" to others, if someone were to explain to me the innovations and techniques of the guitar and drum solos, the cultural significance, etc. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean that other people can't have good reasons for liking it and calling it "great". And I think a lot of this comes down to temperament and feeling it on a deeper level.
> 
> I remember an interview with the Cuban-American concert pianist, Horacio Guetierrez, from the _Tonight Show_ back in the 1980s. Johnny Carson asked Guetierrez if he ever considered playing some jazz, pop, or other crossover stuff like other classical musicians were dong at the time. Guetierrez said that to play it, you have to "feel" it, and when it comes to that kind of music, I don't. I don't think that Guetierrez was putting down other genres or saying that those genres weren't as great as classical, it was just that he wasn't "feeling it".
> 
> So you can say, "Yeah, the music is great, but it's not _me_."


When you say "the music is great" what do you mean? other people think its great?


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

Brahmsian Colors said:


> For me, Debussy provides the most refreshing and aesthetically pleasing music for solo piano.


Not a very adventurous list, but it's Debussy, Chopin and then Beethoven for me. I still need to listen to more chamber/solo stuff from 20th century artists, though.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

fbjim said:


> Not a very adventurous list, but it's Debussy, Chopin and then Beethoven for me. I still need to listen to more chamber/solo stuff from 20th century artists, though.


You still need to listen to chamber/solo stuff by Brahms and Schumann! They are considered maybe the greatest in the chamber/solo category.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

Wilhelm Theophilus said:


> When you say "the music is great" what do you mean? other people think its great?


I mean that other people have good reasons to think that it is great, and I can understand and agree with those reasons, though it may not speak to me the way that it would speak to someone else. Didn't you ever see a piece of furniture that you can tell is finely crafted, well-measured, decorated well, but despite it's obvious quality you wouldn't want it as part of your living room because it just doesn't match up, not only to the decor of your living space, but even to your own personality?


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

chu42 said:


> You still need to listen to chamber/solo stuff by Brahms and Schumann! They are considered maybe the greatest in the chamber/solo category.


oh, please don't remind me of how much there is to listen to still, it's overwhelming, aha


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I am not really a fan of works for solo piano, or any solo instrument for that matter.

But if I were forced to make a decision, off my limited experience with the genre, I'd go with Ligeti.


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## Wilhelm Theophilus (Aug 8, 2020)

fbjim said:


> oh, please don't remind me of how much there is to listen to still, it's overwhelming, aha


it takes me sooooo long to become familiar enough with a piece to like it, and there so much to listen to


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Wilhelm Theophilus said:


> I don't understand you. You don think Chopin is great but you love his music? You think Bach is great but don't love him? Why would you think Bach is great if you don't love his music?


Not that my opinion really matters, but yes, I think Bach is a great composer. But I admire him more than love his music. Chopin is semi-great to me, but I don't find his music nice, so I'm kind of ambivalent with Chopin.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

Quite possibly. Chopin, Debussy, and Liszt are my favorite composers of solo piano music.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

And who could forgot Chopin's piano concertos, with that famous slow movement from the 2nd concerto?


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Mandryka said:


> And yet op 45 is so Brahmsian


A little bit, yes! Its a nice piece, I enjoyed it. Chopin's music does seem more 'feminine' to me somehow though and I also generally find something more 'thick' or substantial in Brahms counterpoint/textures, also Brahms use of rhythm tends to be more complex.

I do admire Chopin's sense of harmony, also the Chopin has a certain lyrical, flowing quality that is different from Brahms. Its related to the difference in their rhythmic approach.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

tdc said:


> Brahms use of rhythm tends to be more complex.


Brahms' use of polyrhythms is nowhere as varied as Chopin's though. Brahms even uses less polyrhythms than Hummel.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

hammeredklavier said:


> Brahms' use of polyrhythms is nowhere as varied as Chopin's though. Brahms even uses less polyrhythms thanHummel.


That may be, but for me the aural effect in Brahms is that his rhythmic approach tends to sound less predictable than in Chopin or in Hummel. It may be related to where he places accents? I'll have to think about that. If I recall correctly its also related to his phrasing and how it was influenced by Renaissance composers, so there is less of a sense of where the bar line is. Brahms use of rhythm is an area where he is considered highly innovative, its discussed in some detail in the Swafford bio.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

tdc said:


> That may be, but for me the aural effect in Brahms is that his rhythmic approach tends to sound less predictable than in Chopin or in Hummel. It may be related to where he places accents? I'll have to think about that. If I recall correctly its also related to his phrasing and how it was influenced by Renaissance composers, so there is less of a sense of where the bar line is. Brahms use of rhythm is an area where he is considered highly innovative, its discussed in some detail in the Swafford bio.


My general impression is that Brahms uses a lot of smaller-numbered polyrhythms, mostly "3 vs 2"s polyphonically. Whereas Chopin tends to adopt a more bel-canto style; higher-numbered polyrhythms such as "7 vs 4"s, "6 vs 5"s tend to appear more often and spontaneously in Chopin.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

edited and deleted.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

hammeredklavier said:


> My general impression is that Brahms uses a lot of smaller-numbered polyrhythms, mostly "3 vs 2"s polyphonically. Whereas Chopin tends to adopt a more bel-canto style; higher-numbered polyrhythms such as "7 vs 4"s, "6 vs 5"s tend to appear more often and spontaneously in Chopin.


I wouldn't call bel canto influenced embellishments "complex polyrhythms". In fact, the point of them is that they don't need to follow a set rhythm at all.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

chu42 said:


> I wouldn't call bel canto influenced embellishments "complex polyrhythms". In fact, the point of them is that they don't need to follow a set rhythm at all.


Chopin also does this stuff (switching between "6 vs 4"s and "6 vs 5"s) sometimes:




which anticipates Scriabin:


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

I do not have a single favorite.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

No. I like his short pieces such as etudes and preludes. But I find his larger works sometimes frivolous. My favorite piano composer is Beethoven.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

No, Beethoven is my favorite for solo piano works, particularly due to the _Appassionata_, the late sonatas and the Diabelli variations. But I love Chopin nonetheless.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

edited...........................


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

hammeredklavier said:


> Chopin also does this stuff (switching between "6 vs 4"s and "6 vs 5"s) sometimes:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, he creates that wash of color effect. Brahms stays away from that kind of writing.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

chu42 said:


> I wouldn't call bel canto influenced embellishments "complex polyrhythms". In fact, the point of them is that they don't need to follow a set rhythm at all.


That is correct.



chu42 said:


> Yes, he creates that wash of color effect. Brahms stays away from that kind of writing.


True.

This is why my initial point stands - Brahms is more interesting to me from a rhythmic perspective. I never said Chopin did not do anything interesting with rhythm. As hammered pointed out you can find similar polyrhythms in Hummel. Brahms music stands out to me as more distinct rhythmically within his era.

I suspect it is largely due to the way that rubato is used in Chopin that the flow of the music tends to stay there through those polyrhythms. Something seems less straight forward and predictable to me in Brahms phrasing in pieces like for example op. 118 no. 6 and op. 119 no. 1, among others.

Perhaps it is that the pulse of the music is obscured more in Brahms.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

tdc said:


> That is correct.
> True.
> This is why my initial point stands - Brahms is more interesting to me from a rhythmic perspective. I never said Chopin did not do anything interesting with rhythm. As hammered pointed out you can find similar polyrhythms in Hummel. Brahms music stands out to me as more distinct rhythmically within his era.
> I suspect it is largely due to the way that rubato is used in Chopin that the flow of the music tends to stay there through those polyrhythms. Something seems less straight forward and predictable to me in Brahms phrasing in pieces like for example and op. 119 no. 1, among others.
> Perhaps it is that the pulse of the music is obscured more in Brahms.


I can see your point; Chopin sometimes can be less interesting than Brahms in terms of accompaniment rhythm, (ex. Berceuse, and Prelude in D minor from Op.28). But I think Brahms just seems to be better at handling 'polyphonic rhythm', and overall Chopin feels more "fluent" in an improvisatory manner:
7:31~7:44




the melodies are too good to be simply called "embellishments" as well.
And the section at 8:26~8:30, (triplets inside a "9 against 8") is
what David Bruce discusses in:


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