You should make a compilation of all the times Chopin uses the V7/13 (chopin) chord as its very ubiquitous in his music (in this theme alone he utilizes it 5 times) . Even though many composers used this chord in romantic era; somehow, when chopin uses it -- it sounds so idiomatically like chopin.
Perhaps how he attacks it so directly without preparation and resolves it to the tonic without passing by the F which was the convention. If I'm not wrong he does it at the end of the first theme in the second ballade
But wait a minute,... Why is this chord called V7/13? No question on V7 but why is the third note of a scale up an octave named as 13-th? IMAO it should be called 10-th so the chord's actual name is gonna be V7/10 (the ACTUAL Chopin's chord😅). This way 13-th note of a scale is just a sixth over an octave
The 10th would be doubling the third of the Bb7 (D), not G. G is the 13th as you ascend from the root upwards in thirds: Bb (1), D (3), F (5), Ab (7), C (9), Eb (11), G (13).
I don't listen to classical music very often but there's something magical about Chopin composition that always makes me wanna listen to all his pieces again
@@gmfrunzik No. We all respect Bach. He is the foundation he is the source. But comparing Bach to Chopin is comparing Henry Ford's first car to a 2024 model Ferrari.
I don’t play any instruments but I am a musician in heart. Chopin has always deeply touched me. He is an easy to listen musician. Almost everyone with a musical soul can enjoy listening to his nice ballads. Some of his studies are just the reflection of a soul full of beautiful melodies. I am grateful to such great composers who have left after them some sweet fragrances that continue to fill up our musical souls!
The first Chopin's Ballade is my favourit, and this theme particularly is in my heart, i really appreciate your video and your analysis. Thank you so much.
I always love playing this specific section when I test different pianos. The example is a rather interesting interpretation that I’m not familiar with.
1:06 i don't know if you meant this melody in particular, but it's what comes to mind when i think of chopin's most beautiful melody. been in a lot of pain today but it's little moments like this that make it worth it
I'm learning this Ballade right now and I have to say this section is more difficult than it sounds. To really bring out the melody using legato while simultaneously making sure your touch is delicate can be challenging. Up to that point, I didn't obsess over every note but this section I spent a while on.
In my opinion calling the "Chopin Chord" a 13 chord is quite anachronistic. By this time this chord was considered an unresolved appogiatura of the 5th often called "add 6th". It's only in the early 20th century that composers and jazz musiscians started calling this note a 13th because it was no longer considered an unresolved tension in order to create expressivness but rather a true extenstion note of the chord in order to create color.
Yes I agree. Chopin most likely didn’t consider these harmonies extension tones. That’s why he never included the supposed 13th in the left hand harmony. Only in the melody. So essentially he was reharmonising the third with the dominant to create a slight tension
Probably in the thousands considering that he has multiple melodies in most pieces and who knows how many drafts that he didn't deem good enough to publish
I love your channel for these. I also analyzed this excerpt using harmonic functions but afterwards I thought what if I did a contrapuntal analysis but never got to it. Have you tried it? Im thinking maybe those V13 chords are more contrapuntal rather than being actual V13
I've played piano for quite a while (average skills, with decidedly poor mechanics, and jack shit knowledge of musical theory) but nothing makes me feel as on top of the world as parts of Chopin's Valse Brillante in E Flat Major. Everyone's entitled to their opinion on what his best stuff is but I think everyone can agree he was a fucking genius
I disagree. In four part writing, a V13 chord would entail the root, third, seventh and the 13th. Those are the most important notes and often the 9th and 11th are left out.
Yeah, this may be true for four part writing, but in Chopin's case, no one would call this chord V13. At least in Eastern European musical theory. It could be a case of the difference in theoretical Schools of different countries. But as a person with a higher musical education myself, I can say that we usually associate 13th chords with Debussy, Ravel and so on up to jazz.
@@daylond1113 then it's indeed a matter of terminologie. I think the general consensus is a V13 is an extension of the V7 chord, which is why it's stacked above, while added 6 is usually reserved for chords without the seventh e.g C E G A.
I find the accompaniment to the beginning melody incredibly 'off' and irrational in its relation to the melody - i mean wonderfully so - a big part of the magic
Amazing piece, of course ! You probably noticed the beautiful opening on a Neapolitan sixth color ^^ Curious about your C7 analysis (th-cam.com/video/3M8HZIvnXKg/w-d-xo.html) : what made you choose V7/ii and not e.g. V/V/V ?
Yes I plan to do the opening soon since it's so special! I've never seen V/V/V before, I think it's sufficient notated as V7/ii just that it goes into the dominant of the dominant after.
Lovely theme BUT... Focusing in the beauty of it is simply not listening to the ballade where it belongs. This shining theme contrasts sharply with the extremely dark beginning. Both appears 3 times in the whole piece, with some distracting virtuoso improvisations between them. One get to think this piece will end in a very bright, satisfying way. But... NO! Chopin frustrates the listener in such a sadic way. I was completely shocked when I listened to it for the very first time. The first extremely dark theme becomes even darker everytime it re-appears, to the point that it completely overshadows the shining theme at the violent, cruel, ironic coda. Piece ending is a complete catastrophe. It is about damnation, we had hope in the second theme that failed to blossom. LIFE IS HOPELESS. Chopin was a very melancholic anti social person. He hated his music to be played sentimentally. He hates to please. In my teen years I was quite fascinated by all these distressful qualities. His music is so intriguing. I guess no other composer can be so cruel. If you want heaven, listen to Brahms.
The ballade expresses Chopin's feelings about the rebellion in Poland and its brutal crushing by the Russians. That is why the piece alternates between so many different emotions - from dejection, to "if only" longing, to reliving the excitement, delirious joy, triumph, panic, rage and finally back to dejection - because it traces the trajectory of his feelings as he relives the events over and over in his imagination.
You should make a compilation of all the times Chopin uses the V7/13 (chopin) chord as its very ubiquitous in his music (in this theme alone he utilizes it 5 times) . Even though many composers used this chord in romantic era; somehow, when chopin uses it -- it sounds so idiomatically like chopin.
Perhaps how he attacks it so directly without preparation and resolves it to the tonic without passing by the F which was the convention. If I'm not wrong he does it at the end of the first theme in the second ballade
But wait a minute,... Why is this chord called V7/13? No question on V7 but why is the third note of a scale up an octave named as 13-th? IMAO it should be called 10-th so the chord's actual name is gonna be V7/10 (the ACTUAL Chopin's chord😅). This way 13-th note of a scale is just a sixth over an octave
It's called a 13th cuz its the 13th of the dominant (G being the thirteenth of B flat), it's not the thirteenth of the root chord. @@vanek_9397
The 10th would be doubling the third of the Bb7 (D), not G. G is the 13th as you ascend from the root upwards in thirds:
Bb (1), D (3), F (5), Ab (7), C (9), Eb (11), G (13).
@@liamesanchez Yeah, that makes sense 😊
I don't listen to classical music very often but there's something magical about Chopin composition that always makes me wanna listen to all his pieces again
Love, my son, love
because Chopin is not from classic era. He is from romantic era. and he is LEAGUES above other composers... So you have good taste!
@@goktugblackhe’s inferior to bach
@@gmfrunzik No. We all respect Bach. He is the foundation he is the source. But comparing Bach to Chopin is comparing Henry Ford's first car to a 2024 model Ferrari.
@@goktugblack actually objectively this depends on many categories and Bach just wins in all except in very few
Chopin certainly had a genius for writing melody.
As Rubenstein said when he performs chopin - perfume eminates from the piano. Brilliantly said.
I don’t play any instruments but I am a musician in heart. Chopin has always deeply touched me. He is an easy to listen musician. Almost everyone with a musical soul can enjoy listening to his nice ballads. Some of his studies are just the reflection of a soul full of beautiful melodies. I am grateful to such great composers who have left after them some sweet fragrances that continue to fill up our musical souls!
Beautifully said. Without these soulful talented giants, there would have been a void in our hearts.
The first Chopin's Ballade is my favourit, and this theme particularly is in my heart, i really appreciate your video and your analysis. Thank you so much.
This theme achives so much in so little, its almost feels effortless, but so beatiful.
Loveliest? But there are so many to choose from!
But this piece is my favorite
😅
Awesome! My favourite channel on TH-cam! Thank you so much!
That's very kind of you! Thanks a lot!
I'm so glad you touched on this piece! It's always been my favourite throughout all of the other pieces made by the greats. What a beautiful piece!
A beautiful piece indeed :-)
Excellent, and I love how it soon transforms into a more triumphant version (the A major part)
Beautiful my man❤, don’t stop uploading ever!!!
One of my favorite Chopin melodies. Thanks for this great analysis. Can we see an analysis of the famous dolcissimo section from Liszt's Dante sonata?
Thank you!
an immortal masterpiece
I love the melody of the third movement of his piano trio... One of my favorite musical moments for sure
Keep up the good work!
Yes, this passage is exquisite!
The melody in his second sonata’s first movement is his loveliest melody to me
Impresionante, y más tocado por el Maestro Rubinstein 👏👏
Great!!
"Mssr. Chopin, you are in the middle of a miracle! And I am not quite cured!"
Great video. Thanks!
‘Chopin’s loveliest melody’ is a very hard pick. So many great ones to choose… though, this one is beautiful.
I completely agree
one of the best youtube classical music channels.
can you do chopin ballade 4 analysis please, hofmann's recording would be nice
I'll definitely get to that one in the future!
My favourite Chopin has got to be his first impromptu. Although, this one is a classic and always lovely to listen to!
I always love playing this specific section when I test different pianos. The example is a rather interesting interpretation that I’m not familiar with.
1:06 i don't know if you meant this melody in particular, but it's what comes to mind when i think of chopin's most beautiful melody. been in a lot of pain today but it's little moments like this that make it worth it
Fell off my bed while watching this
I'm learning this Ballade right now and I have to say this section is more difficult than it sounds. To really bring out the melody using legato while simultaneously making sure your touch is delicate can be challenging. Up to that point, I didn't obsess over every note but this section I spent a while on.
In my opinion calling the "Chopin Chord" a 13 chord is quite anachronistic. By this time this chord was considered an unresolved appogiatura of the 5th often called "add 6th". It's only in the early 20th century that composers and jazz musiscians started calling this note a 13th because it was no longer considered an unresolved tension in order to create expressivness but rather a true extenstion note of the chord in order to create color.
Yes I agree. Chopin most likely didn’t consider these harmonies extension tones. That’s why he never included the supposed 13th in the left hand harmony. Only in the melody. So essentially he was reharmonising the third with the dominant to create a slight tension
@@butter5014chopin have made many tunes with all 13 notes
then he brings this theme back later on with even more grandeur.
I wonder how many melodies he created in his life must be hundreds maybe even a thousand?
Probably in the thousands considering that he has multiple melodies in most pieces and who knows how many drafts that he didn't deem good enough to publish
The RH figurations starting at 1:07 are directly derived from the A theme, but with a different rhythmic emphasis.
Yes it's hard to say otherwise! Though I'll admit I didn't realise that before
1:10 Closing Section of B theme as you call it is actually the A theme in a new key and starting on a different upbeat.
It has certain similarities I agree but it's an entirely different theme to me.
I love your channel for these. I also analyzed this excerpt using harmonic functions but afterwards I thought what if I did a contrapuntal analysis but never got to it. Have you tried it? Im thinking maybe those V13 chords are more contrapuntal rather than being actual V13
Outlines V13 pretty clearly to me, I'm not exactly sure what a contrapuntal analysis would entail?
On the same day that valkyriver uploads their cursed version of ballade 1 hmmmm
Another fun fact: The bell motif around 0:24 is made up by very penetrative C and F’s, initials for Frederik Chopin (musical cryptogram)
Thank you for this interesting analysis!! Can you do ravel Daphnis et Chloe next?
Daybreak you mean?
@@skylarlimexany part, I love the whole ballet!
I've played piano for quite a while (average skills, with decidedly poor mechanics, and jack shit knowledge of musical theory) but nothing makes me feel as on top of the world as parts of Chopin's Valse Brillante in E Flat Major. Everyone's entitled to their opinion on what his best stuff is but I think everyone can agree he was a fucking genius
We usually call Chopin's chord V7 with 6th instead of 5th. Chord V13 must have 9th and 11th. At least for Romantic and Modern periods.
I disagree. In four part writing, a V13 chord would entail the root, third, seventh and the 13th. Those are the most important notes and often the 9th and 11th are left out.
Yeah, this may be true for four part writing, but in Chopin's case, no one would call this chord V13. At least in Eastern European musical theory. It could be a case of the difference in theoretical Schools of different countries. But as a person with a higher musical education myself, I can say that we usually associate 13th chords with Debussy, Ravel and so on up to jazz.
@@daylond1113 then it's indeed a matter of terminologie. I think the general consensus is a V13 is an extension of the V7 chord, which is why it's stacked above, while added 6 is usually reserved for chords without the seventh e.g C E G A.
Ive heard him use all
This would be good to precede the song, 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. I'd be surprised if it didn't inspire the writing of that song.
Chopin's best melody IMO is the Barcarolle.
Fair enough
I find the accompaniment to the beginning melody incredibly 'off' and irrational in its relation to the melody - i mean wonderfully so - a big part of the magic
Do you have/could you do any videos on Wagner? Thanks!
Good idea!
You should listen to meditation on them by abdal wahhab (composer: solhi alwadi)
It is great deep piece
who's Steve Jobs?
hm. at 1:27 he skips a beat in each bar...
🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻✌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Who's playing this?
It says rubinstein
Amazing piece, of course ! You probably noticed the beautiful opening on a Neapolitan sixth color ^^
Curious about your C7 analysis (th-cam.com/video/3M8HZIvnXKg/w-d-xo.html) : what made you choose V7/ii and not e.g. V/V/V ?
Yes I plan to do the opening soon since it's so special! I've never seen V/V/V before, I think it's sufficient notated as V7/ii just that it goes into the dominant of the dominant after.
❤❤ go to ILLONA GUITAR......Spanish guitar
Lovely theme BUT... Focusing in the beauty of it is simply not listening to the ballade where it belongs. This shining theme contrasts sharply with the extremely dark beginning. Both appears 3 times in the whole piece, with some distracting virtuoso improvisations between them. One get to think this piece will end in a very bright, satisfying way. But... NO!
Chopin frustrates the listener in such a sadic way. I was completely shocked when I listened to it for the very first time. The first extremely dark theme becomes even darker everytime it re-appears, to the point that it completely overshadows the shining theme at the violent, cruel, ironic coda. Piece ending is a complete catastrophe. It is about damnation, we had hope in the second theme that failed to blossom. LIFE IS HOPELESS.
Chopin was a very melancholic anti social person. He hated his music to be played sentimentally. He hates to please.
In my teen years I was quite fascinated by all these distressful qualities. His music is so intriguing. I guess no other composer can be so cruel. If you want heaven, listen to Brahms.
The ballade expresses Chopin's feelings about the rebellion in Poland and its brutal crushing by the Russians. That is why the piece alternates between so many different emotions - from dejection, to "if only" longing, to reliving the excitement, delirious joy, triumph, panic, rage and finally back to dejection - because it traces the trajectory of his feelings as he relives the events over and over in his imagination.
Interestig analyses. The interpretation unfortunately is terrible
Just because it's different from what you're used to? I find it exquisite.