Fantasy in F Minor, Barcarolle, Berceuse and Other Works for Solo Piano

by Frédéric Chopin

Chopin's piano works, renowned for their technical brilliance, also invariably project the composer's mercurial moods. Their complex emotional content often lies close to the surface: a sparkling and graceful passage may be tinged with melancholy, a dark moment may be crowned with a note of triumph. This superb collection of fifteen of Chopin's works for piano reflects these compelling qualities in some of the greatest piano compositions of the Romantic period.
Foremost among them is perhaps the magnificent Fantasy in F Minor , Op. 49. Here, too, are the often-performed Barcarolle , Op. 60, and Berceuse , Op. 57; the Allegro de Concert , Op. 46, and the Andante spianato , Op. 22; and ten other works.
The volume contains the following fifteen pieces: Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49; Barcarolle, Op. 60; Berceuse, Op. 57; Bolero, Op. 19; Tarantelle, Op. 43; Allegro de Concert, Op. 46; Andante spianato, Op. 22; Funeral march in C Minor, Op. 72, No. 2; Three Ecossaises, Op. 72, No. 3; Introduction and variations on "Je vends des scapulaires," Op. 12; Introduction and Variations on a German Air; Variation No. 6 from the Hexameron ; Rondo in C Minor, Op. 1; Rondo "à la Mazur" in F Major, Op. 5; and Introduction and Rondo, Op. 16.
All of these works have been meticulously reproduced here from the authoritative 19th-century German edition by Chopin's distinguished student Carl Mikuli, whose Foreword is reprinted here in an English translation. Printed on durable paper and sturdily bound, this edition offers pianists a choice selection of some of the most engaging works in the solo piano repertory.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Frédéric François Chopin (1 March 1810 –17 October 1849) is one of the most famous, influential, and admired composers and virtuoso pianists of the Romantic era.

He was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, of Polish and French parentage, in the village of Żelazowa Wola, Poland. In Warsaw he was hailed as a child prodigy and as the “second Mozart” for his piano and composition skill, for which the composer Robert Schumann complimented the talented pianist: “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!”

Due to the political situation in Poland, he left his country for France at the age of twenty. There he composed his two piano concertos with their patriotic Polish themes and rhythms, based on traditional polish dances. He never returned to Poland, but after his death his sister Ludwika took his heart to Poland - in accordance with his last will, where it was placed inside a pillar of the Holy Cross Church at Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street.

In Paris, he made a career as a performer and teacher as well as a composer, and he adopted the French variant of his name, “Frédéric-François”. In 1836 he met the French writer George Sand, with whom he had a relationship for nine years until 1847. He suffered poor health for much of his life and this forced him to give up performing and teaching shortly before he died on 17th October 1849.

His compositions, which are almost exclusively for the piano, such as the Funeral March piano sonata and the twenty-seven études (op. 10 and op.25, plus a further set of three without opus numbers), are widely considered to be amongst the pinnacles of the piano repertoire. Although some of his music is among the most technically demanding for the instrument, Chopin’s style emphasizes poetry, nuance and expressive depth, rather than mere technical display. He is often cited as one of the mainstays of romanticism in nineteenth-century classical music.