Chopin's FUNERAL MARCH (from Sonata no. 2, Op. 35) - Analysis tutorial

Chopin's Funeral march, the slow movement from his 2nd sonata Op. 35, stands out as an archetype for such an occasion - but what is it about the music that makes it that way? Pianist Henrik Kilhamn finds out in this episode by going through the piece one section at a time. There is also another famous march from the film score repertoire that uses the same chords!
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Analysis tutorial
11:44 Performance
⭐️ Easy Arrangement
Chopin Funeral March: sonatasecrets.gumroad.com/l/c...
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Frédéric Chopin: Piano sonata no. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35, movement 3: Marche funèbre: Lento
📄 Score: Schirmer edition, 1895, editor: Carl Mikuli, imslp.org
Emoji artwork provided by JoyPixels, joypixels.com

[@SonataSecrets]

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[@PhilipGarciaReacts]

I have lots of respect for this type of analysis and play through. Thank you for taking me through this beautiful timeless piece. Emotions we all have felt.

[@woxtosz4621]

By playing this piece you can imitate by those two chords in left hand the feel of church bells, when funeral procession cames out of the church. Then the trill in left hand can imitate snare drum. In Poland military orchestra use snare drums when wreaths are folding.

[@caterscarrots3407]

I find it interesting how Chopin decides to end this piece with an incomplete phrase. It's like the emotion has got you so much that you just can't speak anymore. Or like the soul is rising to heaven. Either way, it sounds conclusive, despite ending on an incomplete phrase. Most pieces I know of, melancholic or not, either end on a complete phrase or, especially in powerful and upbeat pieces, just a few final chords(or sometimes chords being hammered to death). Chopin subverts this coda expectation and ends on an incomplete phrase and I think he does this to emphasize just how melancholic the piece is.

[@SonataSecrets]

I don't think I hear the phrase as so inconclusive, but of course it's not a firm ending, it just stops when there is nothing more to say...

[@tekraynak]

Ravel's Le Gibet does the same! Ends on an incomplete set of notes, even though we all know where the music has ended.

[@MN-jl5rk]

This piece is magical. The middle is hope.

[@Clay_Rose]

Loved the seamless transition to imperial march :)

[@amyqiu8137]

To me, the funeral march is a day hike in the Pacific Northwest. You walk under a dark and green canopy of trees and moss. Then you walk into an open meadow and lie down amongst wildflowers and fluttering butterflies. Then you have to get up and walk back the same way you came. To me, it’s never felt like it should be a depressing piece.

[@DeflatingAtheism]

The so-called funeral march from Beethoven’s 7th doesn’t strike me as even slightly sad!

[@sukholmes1066]

Thanks!

[@johnnyb3409]

Thanks. Learning this piece at the moment. As usual, your explanations are beneficial and a joy to listen to.

[@hassaanali7405]

Really looking forward to a proper tutorial on the main channel. Love your work from Pakistan

[@SonataSecrets]

Thank you Hassaan!

[@LavaMLG]

Your performance at the end is so moving

[@karlralph2003]

the original unequal temperament makes the piece completely transcend. i could never enjoy this piece until i heard it in unequal temp. it feels so flat and dead in equal temp. hope anyone reading this checks it out

[@franciscojoseledolemos3282]

Thank you for the suggestion. I have found a good comparison between the "ancient" and the "modern" temperament here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qICpnamLf62lm8k, and you are right, the piece sounds much more dramatic.

[@islaadele1212]

It's kind of awful think how much pain Chopin waded through in his short life. I know his health was poor for the most part, but he worked on even with debilitating TB. It's awful but inspiring that he took such pain and used it to make such beautiful music. Would he have been such a great composer if he'd had an easier life? Who knows. Wonderful analysis. You see the beauty of life through the mirror of death - very profound truth. Thank you!

[@jessevallejo8797]

I think Chopin was more influenced by the death of his sister & his self-imposed exile from Poland. Russia invading Poland at the time & him fearing the worst for his family did not help him either. Unfortunately, he still died relatively young at 39. Who knows how much his method & music would have changed as he was already writing music far ahead of his time. The man was already scratching at atonality right before he passed away.

[@ahmetbaturalpmirzabey5141]

I Love and respect your content so much... Don't stop please❣️💕

[@iceman4311]

The guy that made the undertaker song in the WWE definitely captures the feel of this song

[@TheMrlovegoodtimes]

as a composer this most be the best feedback

[@CrazyBookEater]

Thank you so much for this video! I’m practising this piece right now and it’s a bit hard without a teacher or any feedback, that’s why I’m watching different interpretation videos. Really like your comments and positive energy, thank you!

[@fab006]

Subscribed. This has been one of my favorite pieces ever since my grandfather died some years and I had occasion to listen to it seriously. Thank you for verbalizing so well what it does with my emotions!

[@eqon1234]

Love your videos! Makes me understand the music on a much deeper level! Thanks from 🇨🇦

[@SonataSecrets]

My pleasure! :)

[@DeflatingAtheism]

Submitted: There is no Gb Major chord in the beginning bars of the funeral march, it is only an extended Bb minor chord with an upper Gb neighbor tone fluctuating over the F. To analyze it as a separate Gb Major chord leaves you with an unresolved fourth in the bass.

[@theUltimateLord]

Chopin wrote another funeral march in c Minor too

[@wolfgangkowalik6]

GREAT HENRIK , CHOPIN COMPOSED THE SADDEST COMPOSITION EVER !!

[@bagherhabibi9596]

Love your videos. Thanks for doing this❤️.

[@DLPlanes]

great analysis, your really add more depth and meaning to the score

[@alcyonecrucis]

Congrats on all your hard work, I think it helped many musicians :)

[@tackontitan]

Would love to see your thoughts on the Scherzo of this sonata. It's always been one of my favorite movements to perform.

[@themukhtalef]

Thank you so much for this great analysis….

[@TheKickid]

Thanks! Learning a lot! 😀

[@Aeros802]

Just discovered this channel, due to me loving this piece so much. Really enjoyed this analysis, as I can't read musical notes =(. How can such a video have 1 dislike? unbelievable..

[@IvyTeaRN]

Could you make such analysis of Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie? Love your work!

[@sunving]

Thank you very much ,

[@meeh_muller]

perfect

[@aarikk]

I don't know why, I always imagined the trills to be the drums in a march.

[@user-zc8sd8jx8s]

has anyone mentioned yet that Horowitz's interpretation is the best ever played? especially how he lets those fortissimo bass notes linger on for a good while.

[@DavideMazzetti]

No, they haven't, and I don't like absolutes - I doubt his is the best version EVER played, except in your opinion.

[@user-zc8sd8jx8s]

@@DavideMazzetti I never express anyone else's opinion except my own.

[@Saiyana]

The one dislike was from the person who died

[@ridhaghariani4263]

👍💖🎵🎼🎹💖👏

[@zeynepdal9605]

Ellerine sağlık

[@classicalmusic4027]

please do the first movement 🙏 or the full sonata..

[@dennisneo1608]

As a rock/pop guitarist and songwriter, I have no idea where these brilliant classical composers get their notes from. It seems they're using different scales. There are only 12 chromatic notes. So why do their's sound so great?

[@margarethansen7480]

👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️

[@caterscarrots3407]

A windows update has made my computer unusable.😭 It lasted for years. I am composing a funeral march by hand because my computer is unusable. Even though my computer isn’t dead, it feels like I am at the funeral for my computer. My dad will transfer my compositions to the next computer I get. ☠️RIP computer and may your MuseScore files be transferred to the next computer I get. I’m composing this march for you.☠️

[@SonataSecrets]

Funeral march for your computer 😂 - we all could use that sometimes... Good luck with the composition and the next computer!

[@caterscarrots3407]

Sonata Secrets Thanks. I’m sure I will have good luck with the funeral march I am composing. I’m making quite a bit of progress with it.

[@caterscarrots3407]

@@SonataSecrets Well I have a new computer now and it is even faster than my old computer was(my old computer was already pretty fast). So now, I'm just waiting for the files in the documents folder of my old computer to be transferred to my new computer. That will take a while, but, I'm a patient person.

[@alfredcollins3944]

I like how he dress the part. Lol

[@robinpetersson3081]

No finale?

[@louiscorbett3278]

surely an analysis isn't just describing what we can all see but with more adjectives(lovely arpeggio, lovely notes, lovely crescendo....). i was hoping for an analysis on form harmony (A/B sections, interludes, cadences, modulations etc.)