Impromptu

I am into collecting dvds especially on music performances, opera and films about composers. A quick check into our vast dvd library, revealed Amadeus-about my all times favourite Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. My Immortal Beloved-Ludwig Van Beethoven and now I am watching:

Impromptu- This 1991 romantic comedy is about the controversial 19th century feminist author George Sand and the unlikely object of her desire: Well-mannered composer Frederic Chopin, says the video cover. The film starred Hugh Grant, as the frail and sickly composer and Judy Davis as his suitor.

Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola near the Polish capital in 1809/10, the only son of 4 children. His father a French immigrant to Poland played the flute and the violin and worked as a tutor to the children of the aristocrats. Chopin's mother played the piano and it made him wept with emotion as a young boy. He began music lessons very young, taught initially by his eldest sister and then polish tutors and at 8 saw his first composition in print. It was a polonaise. I wondered which one was it???? . "He was a genius, born with certain reflexes in his fingers, ears and mind that less fortunate musicians never attained' (The Lives of Great Composers -Harold C. Schonberg).

Chopin's own father wrote," You know, that the mechanics of piano playing occupied little of your time, and that your mind was busier than your fingers. If others had spent whole days working at the keyboard, your rarely spent an hour playing other men's music." Such was his talent that he decided to compose only for the love of his instrument- the keyboard. In fact, Chopin gave very little concerts, he last recital at age 26 was 26 April 1835 though he did concerts right up to 1848 for polish refugees. Chopin very much prefered to play in the intimate surroundings of a salon- for friends and the French aristocractic society that he moved in and was well loved and respected.

Physically, Chopin was short, slim and fair with bluish grey eyes. He had a prominent nose and was coughing much due to tuberculosis. He was physically weak and tried to avoid the draft. However, Chopin had many students, mostly countesses and princesses and he was never in need financially unlike Mozart. He lived in luxury.

At the party of the Countess Marie d'Agoult, the mistress of his contemporary, the virtuoso Franz Liszt, Chopin met George Sand whose real name was Aurore Dudevant, a divorcee of two children, a notorious wild woman with a huge string of lovers including possibly Liszt. George Sand was a feminist who wrote about the degradation of marriages and smoked cigars. She was often dressed and behaved like a man with the bowler hat and all.

Chopin initially felt an aversion for Sand "What a repulsive woman Sand is! But is she really a woman? I am inclined to doubt it." By the summer of 1838, Chopin's and Sand's involvement was an open secret.

In the movie, there was a memorable scene in which at the party of a certain countess, Sand climbed into Chopin's room through the window and placed herself right under his piano since she was so capitvated by his music-the language of gods. He was playing a nocturne and almost died of shock upon his discovery of the crazy woman. Hugh Grant played the character very well and even had a piano coach to advise him on posture, and breathing at the piano. However, the straight-faced musician who was neither effeminate nor chaste eventually succumbed to the courtship of Sand who was so smitten by his music she even transformed herself to capture his fragile heart. He liked women of high intellect.

They were together for several years-opposites attract. Chopin was liken to a "lady" and Sand the "man" in the relationship in terms of relationship qualities. So Sand babied , mothered, looked after him and the relationship appeared plationic with no children and no evidence of Sand having other partners as well. Sand becaome more of a nurse and eventually she did remarry another notorious sculptor. In the end Chopin died of chronic pulmonary tuberculosis at age of 39. George Sand's daughter Solange, his favourite among her two was with him on that fateful day 17 October 1849. There were stories that many countesses, students took turns to sing and play for him while he was passing on.

During my 1995 Europe tour, i had visited Warsaw's Holy Cross Church where in one of the pillars was laid Chopin's heart. In recent years there were requests by scientists to examine this poor heart but the Polish government would not agree to it. I remembered staring at the pillar, with its ornamental bouquet, dumbfounded at the idea of a human heart in brandy??(it was at Chopin's request, he had a fear of being buried alive) at my eye level. I had said to myself, surely I must get to know more about Chopin and his beautiful music that I already loved much.

With Frederic Chopin, the piano became a total instrument-singing, poetry, infinite colours, nuances, intimate and heroic. There was a whole new level of ideas on pedalling, fingering, rhythm and colours taken up by younger students of his days.The apotheosis of the piano under Chopin is liken to what Nicolo Paganini did to the violin several years earlier. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Chopin left us with so much music to explore -waltz, marzuka, etude, polonaise, nocturne,scherzo, prelude, fantasy, impromptu, ballade, variations, sonata and concertos and so on. His music is both lyric and spontaneous. It has mass appeal.

Perhaps it's about time for Yan the Chopin lover, to teach me some Chopin pieces athough the piano is strictly not my instrument. I can start with a prelude in C# minor op 28 since it is only 20 seconds long. I will learn it note by note, phrase by phrase. Pity Chopin did not write any music for violin-my favourite instrument. But there are always transcriptions of his piano music into violin pieces.

I will get there!!