Chopin Edition: Singers and Pianists

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

Or should I say "Singers vs. Pianists' right hand"? Notice how the pianists here create the concept of an accompanist and a singer. Phrasing, legato, pedal, touch, dynamics, rubato, spaces and ornaments serve this purpose. Chopin even advised his students to go to the opera and take singing lessons. According to Chopin's pupil Vera Kologrivoff Rubio (Pachmann's teacher), Chopin said: 'You must sing if you wish to play'; and Chopin made Rubio take lessons in singing. Or so said another Chopin pupil, Jan Kleczyński: "Chopin's advice was, that this theory [of musical declamation] should be grounded upon the rules which guide vocalists, and that it should be perfected by hearing good singers." Or Maurycy Karasowski: "He loved to find in piano playing what we understand by portamento in singing . . . The best way to attain naturalness in performance, in Chopin's view, was, to listen frequently to Italian singers. He always held up as an example to pianists their broad and simple style, the ease with which they used their voices and the remarkable sustaining powers which this ease gave them." Or Emilie von Gretsch: "During lessons Chopin would repeat indefatigably: 'II faut chanter avec les doigts! (''You have to sing with your fingers')." Mikuli: "Under his fingers each musical phrase sounded like song, and with such clarity that each note took the meaning of a syllable, each bar that of a word, each phrase that of a thought. It was a declamation without pathos; but both simple and noble." Chopin constantly drew analogies with the vocal, for example: "The wrist: respiration in the voice." According to Emilie von Gretsch: "Chopin played me four Nocturnes I had not heard before - what enchantment! - it was unbelievably beautiful. His playing is entirely based on the vocal style of Rubini, Malibran and Grisi, etc.; he says so himself . . . Today Chopin showed me another new, simple way of obtaining a marvellous result. I had felt in what respect my playing was lacking, but without knowing the solution. True to his principle of imitating great singers in one's playing, Chopin drew from the instrument the secret of how to express breathing. At every point where a singer would take a breath/9 the accomplished pianist [. . . ] should take care to raise the wrist so as to let it fall again on the singing note with the greatest suppleness imaginable. To attain this souplesse is the most difficult task I know. But once you succeed in doing it, then you laugh with joy at the beautiful sound, and Chopin exclaims, 'C'est cela, parfait! merci!'" Without understanding Bel Canto in the 19th century, Chopin's request for legato on the piano and his cautious attitude towards the pedal may not be fully understood. Or can Chopin's rubato be understood without understanding the way the singer moves independently of all metrical elements while the accompanist maintains the tempo? As can be seen in the recordings, the left hand, which acts as an accompanist, does not always play the same way, but it never goes beyond the measures in the note and always maintains the main tempo; the freedom of the left hand is only within measure. The pulse of the piece is here and the right hand moves freely depending on here, thus creating a "controlled" rubato. The right hand, which has the freedom of a vocalist, moves most of the time ahead of the central tempo provided by the left hand but sometimes behind the rhythm, sometimes in conjunction with the left hand. But either way, its freedom always depends on the steady rhythm of the left hand. Playing this way is much, much more difficult than playing everything metronomically or with a messy rubato. Because in this way both the "conservative" and the "free" tendency are together. It's like the combination of the classical vein and romantic blood in Chopin's compositions. Camille Saint-Saëns (He knew and listened to names close to Chopin, such as Clémence de Grandval and Pauline Viardot. Viardot is especially important, she played a lot with Chopin): “A question of the greatest importance in playing the music of Chopin is that of 'tempo rubato.' That does not mean, as many think, that the time is to be dislocated. It means permitting great liberty to the singing part or melody of the composition, while the accompaniment keeps rigorous time... This kind of playing, demanding complete independence of the two hands, is not within the ability of everybody. Therefore, to give the illusion of such effect, players dislocate the bass and destroy the rhythm of the bar.” Mikuli: “In [Chopin’s] oft-decried tempo rubato one hand - that having the accompaniment - always played on in strict time, while the other, singing the melody, either hesitating as if undecided, or, with increased animation, anticipating with a kind of impatient vehemence as if in passionate utterances, maintained the freedom of musical expression from the fetters of strict regularity.” That's why we need to listen to opera singers, as Chopin said. But not the modern ones! 19th century Bel Canto opera tradition, which Chopin was influenced by, is very different from today's opera. Probably names like Patti and Battisini are the names recorded closest to this tradition but they don't have any Chopin recordings either. However, I have compiled it with Chopin recordings that are as close to their style as possible.There are some differences, for example it seems that singing used to be at lower volumes (the halls were also smaller) and the texts were more clearly pronounced. However, many of the recordings here can be said to be close to the old Bel Canto tradition in many elements. Nowadays, piano techniques have changed a lot, they have even become anti-Chopin. Chopin would not approve of today's piano techniques! For example, it is very difficult to play legato the way Chopin wanted, today's pianists do not do real legato and use a lot of pedals in order to avoid making "mistakes". There were people who used the pedal extensively in Chopin's time, but there are reasons why Chopin did not approve of them and banned his students from using the pedal before they learned legato: If you stay away from legato and rely entirely on the pedal, maybe you will play more comfortably and you will not make "mistakes", but you will largely lose the clarity, polyphony, multi-layeredness and singing effect that Chopin wanted. Of course there are exceptions, but if we were to generalize; unfortunately today's piano techniques have been shaped entirely to make it easier for pianists to play. Modern pianists' technique is not "better", they just play with more simplified technique. Today's piano technique equalizes all fingers, but Chopin opposes this and looks for dynamic layering. If you pay attention, although old pianists always played the middle segment at equal volume, they often played the vocal melodies in various dynamic ranges, although generally stronger, which creates the impression that a singer is accompanying the piano. An excerpt from Chopin's own drafts: "For a long time we have been acting against nature by training our fingers to be all equally powerful. As each finger is differently formed, it's better not to attempt to destroy the particular charm of each one's touch but on the contrary to develop it. Each finger's power is determined by its shape: the thumb having the most power, being the broadest, shortest and freest; the fifth [finger] as the other extremity of the hand; the third as the middle and the pivot; then the second [illegible], and then the fourth, the weakest one, the the buzz of a string plucked on the harp or the guitar-like a violin pizzicato. You can make this marvellous vibration of the string not so much by snatching your hand away from the key, as by using a short, dry touch - almost grazing it like a fly brushing against it with its wing. Basic technique Siamese twin of the third, bound to it by a common ligament, and which people insist on trying to separate from the third - which is impossible, and, fortunately, unnecessary. As many different sounds as there are fingers." Chopin was also against the prevailing style of piano today, which gives ready-made tones and dynamics, and also cannot produce sound effects. Gretsch: "He found it dangerous to work much on an instrument with a beautiful ready-made sound like the Erard. He said these instruments spoil one's touch: 'You can thump it and bash it, it makes no difference: the sound is always beautiful and the ear doesn't ask for anything more since it hears a full, resonant tone'." & Karasowski: " 'When I feel out of sorts,' Chopin would say, 'I play on an Erard piano where I easily find a ready-made tone. But when I feel in good form and strong enough to find my own individual sound, then I need a Pleyel piano'." Today's pianos do not have much flexibility. Pianists such as Moriz Rosenthal, Artur Schnabel, and Richter complained about the inflexibility of post-1930s Steinways and their inability to reproduce sound effects. Additionally, the tone of today's pianos is too metallic for the vocal tone Chopin desired. Almost all of the pianists in the video are pianists who studied with Chopin's pupils. Their phrasing, tone, legato and rubato are really close to the old Bel Canto style. Perhaps pianists such as Hofmann (especially his attitude in concerts), Horszowski and Friedman could have been included in this video, but I did not want to extend the list too much. Pianists such as Rachmaninoff, Backhaus, Lhevinne, Horowitz, Richter, Moravec etc. were also singing on the piano, but theirs is more like the opera singers who came to the fore in the first half of the 20th century. I preferred pianists who were closer to the 19th century Bel Canto tradition.

[@berlinzerberus]

Bezaubernder CORTOT - Er ist einzigartig, so poetisch das Impromptu! Wunderbarer Musiker, wirklich! 💯

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

Wie Horowitz Cortot beschreibt: "Wunderschöner Musiker“

[@Chopin1995]

If someone isn’t aware of Pauline Viardot’s transcriptions of Chopin’s mazurkas for the voice & piano, I strongly recommend it. She was working on them with Chopin by her side!

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

Indeed. But I wish Viardot's students and old school singers close to her style had recorded more of these.

[@lBJamiel]

That is useful information. I had decided in ignorance that the voices sounded as though they were from that era - and very precious.

[@MrInterestingthings]

I knew there was a singer who ang the Impromptu and this concert music was known by everyone before television bought folk music eaily to everyone and somehow by 1980's classical music was very little scene on t.v. or the cinemas .Yet in the 30's Paderewsky and Depachmann,Hambourg everyone was filmed if not playing getting off cruise boats to visit America. I was stunned to see that many recorded these favorites !

[@Schubertd960]

Once again thank you for your magnificent scholarship. Your channel is one of the reasons I got interested in older schools of pianism, and the depth of your research has brought to light many undervalued treasures.

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

Thank you very much! My primary goal is to draw attention to the old tradition of pianism. I'm grateful to hear this.

[@TheSoteriologist]

A unique document. I wouldn't even have known that some of his works were actually being sung !

[@fredericfrancoischopin6971]

You turned an unpleasant day into a better one for me. These are very precious

[@steveegallo3384]

Sensational rare collection and curation......BRAVO from Mexico City!

[@chopin5981]

Cortot doesn't play like singing, he actually sings! Even though the tempo is high, everything is very clear. His tone and phrasing belong to the great singer, just like Caruso or Callas. Koczalski sings better than I thought, like a 19th century singer. Cortot seems to have modernized the vocals more, but it's still somewhat Chopin-like. Michalowski plays extremely freely, I don't remember anything similar.

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

@ladivinafanatic Actually, my motivation for making this video was that recording! I even thought that Cortot was influenced by the Caruso recording in his Verdi recording. But then I limited the concept to Chopin. I have a different idea in my mind that I will compare Cortot's recording with Caruso and use them together. Maybe I'll make a kind of "Liszt edition", combining Liszt's vocal, violin, orchestra and organ adaptations, and I can use these two records there. Or it could be something much different. Cortot's talent for imitation is extraordinary. For example, Cortot plays Albeniz's Malaguena - especially in the 1923 recording - almost like a guitar, all its timbres and touches are like that. There may also be a special Cortot compilation of this style.

[@Chopin1995]

I finally listened to the entire video. Well, I loved it and it left me with tears in my eyes, which was unexpected. There's many personal reasons behind it, but it was a beautifully spent hour of this evening. Would love to see another part in the future. It made my day, even though in theory I could do a video like this myself as well. I'm going to keep this video in my collection. Thank you very much. Chopin is simply the greatest.

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

I'm so glad to hear that and that you feel that way!

[@Chopin1995]

@@OzanFabienGuvener Perhaps I should add one important thing. Paderewski consulted interpreting Chopin's music with Marcelina Czartoryska, who obviously was one of the most prominent student of Chopin. He mentioned it in his memoirs, and he especially mentioned the 17th Prelude in A flat major and playing that low A flat towards the end like a bell from a distant. So in a way Paderewski also worked with Chopin's student. Worth to mention that Paderewski invited Artur Rubinstein to his villa in Morges (probably in 1903), they met a few times. Then a very young Krystian Zimerman visited Rubinstein at the end of his life (there's one video of them together and at least one photo). And now Rafał Blechacz mentions Zimerman as his mentor. What I'm trying to say is that we have that direct link to Chopin to this day.

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

@@Chopin1995 I understand what you mean. But did Rubinstein approve of Paderewski's Chopin? No. He despised, criticized and disapproved of pianists such as Paderewski, Cortot and Koczalski. He even tried to go in the opposite direction of these pianists, Rubinstein said this in his books. Paderewski, Cortot and Koczalski, on the contrary, adopted people associated with Chopin whom they met. Rubinstein considered Chopin a "composer of the classical period" and completely ignored tradition. Rubinstein was also friends with Friedman, but he never praised Friedman's Chopin. So there is a connection, but it is not pianistic. Of course, this is not a criticism of Rubinstein.

[@Chopin1995]

@@OzanFabienGuvener Well said. Rubinstein is my favourite pianist, but, like you said, he ignored the 19th century "romantic" tradition, and changed the way the entire world plays Chopin. I also remember those words from his books. And this is also why Chopin Competition was born, to go agains that "romantic" tradition and change the perception of Chopin music in the 20th century. Rubinstein started this modern approach to Chopin it seems to me. There's an interview with Rubinstein in Polish Radio from 1961, when he remembers those meetings with Paderewski. I haven't listened to them in years. Paderewski is very close to me, as I live VERY close to his manor house in Poland, which is now the only surviving house of Paderewski. I wrote a master thesis on that matter, about his stay there between 1897 and 1903, and apparently it’s good enough to be released as a book. I still work on it and hope to make it happen later this year. I played my very first recital there (in 2011), and two more in later years. Currently it’s called The Paderewski Centre, and just 2 months ago Rafał Blechacz performed there (not for the first time). Beautiful evening it was. He said that he had been talking with DG about doing an album with Paderewski's music. Apparently we can expect it in the next few years. Excuse me for another long text, it's a pleasure to discuss with you about these giants of the piano we all love.

[@saltburner2]

The melody from the Op10/3 Etude is perhaps best know - as Tristesse it was recorded by many famous singers, including John McCormack and Richard Tauber, Gigli and Ninon Vallin.

[@ThePianoExperience]

So beautiful ! Thanks for making this video :)

[@alainspiteri502]

Two unsurpassable it's Impromptu N-1 by Alfred Cortot and Samson François in discography !

[@alainspiteri502]

@ladivinafanatic Alfred Brendel Said that " Preludes Chopin " by Alfres Cortot is the best recording in disco of Chopin , it's not me .

[@alainspiteri502]

@ladivinafanatic J saw in live Samson François at Alger ( 1958 ) , j remember j have akways his,last recording 1970 Chopin Cto-1 with L Fremeaux Monté Carlo Orchestra ( pity died too young ) !

[@correasilvio2010]

Paderewsky fantástic!

[@markomaric4031]

Man,just thanks.

[@boteanu.tudor6]

Why was the Ravel and his friends play Ravel video deleted ? Maybe you will reupload it, it was one of my favs.

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

Unfortunately it was blocked by copyright last week. I found that video very valuable too. I will have to make a new video by changing many recordings, paying attention to copyrights.

[@HansWurst-xj7xh]

I could not find a (good) recording of the Chopin opera by Orefice anywhere. What recording did you take this nocturne from? Also great compilation and insights as always, thanks a lot!

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

Other recordings of Enzo Leliva's Chopin opera are also available on the following album: The Harold Wayne Collection, Vol. 24 (1904-1908). I came across this Chopin opera recording years ago, but I couldn't remember it while making the video. After some research, I found it again. There are also some noteworthy recordings that I did not use so that the video would not be too long: Amedeo Bassi's recording of Nocturne Op 15 no 3 (aria name: "O! mia Polognia") is quite nice. Also Gino Martinez-Patti's 24th prelude (as Goccegrosse, available at Archive.org). There are also some recordings by Ferruccio Tagliavini.

[@HansWurst-xj7xh]

Thank you for the quick lookup and the other recommendations, I will check them out later! The Bassi recording I already found on KZbin in a very crackly version but I still like it!

[@OzanFabienGuvener]

@ladivinafanatic You're right, I thought a lot about using those two recordings in this video. They only voiced the beginning of the nocturne, so I decided to take it out, but I could still put it in. It especially showed off Hofmann's wonderful double voice. I think it was a wrong decision, It should have been in this video.

[@busraertas7381]

Cortot ❤❤❤ 😂

[@sadblooms5805]

Haha😮

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

Grita. Molesta. 😷