Frédéric Chopin was bornnear Warsaw, Poland in 1810.He had one older sister and twoyounger sisters. His father,Nicolas Chopin, moved toPoland from France as a teenag-er. He was a teacher, and thefamily moved to Warsaw whenFrédéric was a baby because hisfather got a job at a schoolthere. He wanted his children tobe well educated and taughtthem to read and write in bothPolish and French. Nicolasplayed the flute and violin, andFrédéric’s mother played piano.Frédéric began formal piano les-sons with a professional teacherwhen he was six years old. Itsoon became clear that Frédéricwas amazingly talented.

At age seven Frédéric wrotehis first published piece,

Polonaise in G Minor. He gavea public recital at age eight andsoon was invited to play in thehomes of wealthy families inWarsaw. Despite all of the pub-lic attention, he remained aquiet, hard-working boy. He wasalso often ill, even as a child.

He worked hard to become agood musician and took theoryand composition lessons inaddition to the piano. At age 16he began studying at theWarsaw Conservatory and bythe time he graduated he hadwritten many beautiful pianocompositions.

During this time, Chopin leftPoland several times to playconcerts in other countries,where he met and heard themusic of many interesting com-posers and pianists.

When was he born?There is some confusion about

what day Chopin was born –February 22 or March 1. The recordsfrom the church where he was bap-tized say February 22, but Chopinand his family said it was March 1.Today the March 1 date is accepted.

Where was he born?Chopin was born in a house that

was part of a large estate nearWarsaw. Although most of the estateburned in a fire in the 1800s, thissmall house survived. Today it is aChopin museum, and every summerthere are recitals of Chopin’s music.

Frédéric Chopin1810-1849

Chopin was Polish/French pianist and composer during theRomantic Era. Most of his works were written for solopiano, and he was one of the finest concert pianists of histime. His talent at the piano influenced his composing – hebetter than most other composers could write emotional,expressive works for the instrument.

Chopin’s ChildhoodA Talented Young Pianist

Chopin made enough money to live well and dress elegantly. He likedcomfort and cared about his appearance. He wore nice clothes andwhite gloves and kept a carriage that took him around Paris. He was anemotional person and would express his feelings through his music.

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Music He LovedChopin loved his native coun-

try of Poland and often used thesounds of Polish folk music in hiscompositions, especially in hisPolonaises and Mazurkas, whichare based on Polish folk dances.

Chopin also like the works ofClassical and Baroque composerssuch as J.S. Bach and Mozart. Hewould often warm up with musicfrom Bach’s The Well TemperedClavier before his concerts.

A Move to ParisLeaving His Beloved Homeland

When Chopin was 21, theRussian army invaded Warsaw.Chopin was traveling in anoth-er country at the time, and thepolitical turmoil made it toodangerous for him to go backhome. He went to Paris andstayed there for the rest of hislife. Chopin missed his homeand family very much anddreamt of seeing his countryagain, but he never returned toPoland. Although he eventuallyreceived French citizenship,and his father was French,Chopin always considered him-self Polish.

He poured his feelings into hiscompositions and often includ-ed some of the sounds and styles

of Polish music in his pieces,especially the Mazurkas andPolonaises, which are piecesbased on Polish dances.

Chopin lived in Paris, whichwas the cultural center of theworld at the time. There he metmany famous writers, artists,and composers such as Liszt,Mendelssohn, and Berlioz. Thetalented people of Paris quicklyaccepted Chopin. Even theimportant music critic RobertSchumann once said “Hats off,the gentleman is a genius.”

Chopin was often in poorhealth and wrote less music inhis final years. He died at onlyage 39 in 1849, probably oftuberculosis.

Chopin was an unusualcomposer in many ways. Forone thing, instead of writingmusic for orchestras, chambergroups, or singers, almosteverything he composed wasfor piano. He invented ways ofplaying the piano that made itsound like it never had before.Chopin gave instructions inhis music so performers couldmake special blended soundswith the pedals. Listening tohis music, people often saythat it sounds like colors orlike water because of thesedelicate, effects.

Chopin did not enjoy largeperformances and only gaveabout 30 public concerts inhis career. He preferred the

quiet atmosphere of smallsalons in private homes,where he played alone or witha few other musicians. Hissoft playing was perfect forsmall rooms, but Chopinsometimes wished he hadmore strength. He enviedstrong pianists like Liszt, whocould get much more soundout of the instrument.

Chopin’s MusicCompositionsChopin died young but still

composed over 230 works.Almost everything he wrotewas for piano, although he didwrite some songs with Polishlyrics and a few chamberworks. He composed two pianoconcertos and is consideredone of the finest composers ofpiano music of all time. Someof his pieces include:

• ballades• scherzos• piano sonatas• preludes• etudes• impromptus• mazurkas• nocturnes• polonaises• waltzes

His poor health continued throughout his life, and he was small andskinny – at one point he weighed only 100 pounds. His ill health mayalso be the reason that he was sometimes fussy or negative althoughhe was said to have a good sense of humor.

Polonaise in G MinorChopin’s first piece was

published when he was 7years old. It is 38 measureslong. A Polonaise is a Polishfolk dance. Chopin wroteover 20 of them.

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Agood hand position is a very importantpart of playing any instrument. It helpsyou play well and prevents possible

injuries. Because everyone’s body is built a lit-tle differently, a good hand position will lookslightly different from hand to hand. The handknuckles, the little bones at the base of eachfinger, are one place that can affect how a goodhand position looks.

When the hand is positioned over the keysin a normal 5-finger position (without anystretching), some people’s knuckles show atthe top of their hand, and some do not – evenwhen the “roof” of their hand is rounded.

Look at the two pictures below. What do younotice about how the knuckles look? How arethey different in each picture?

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Knuckles and Good Hand Position

Q: Does a good hand position mean that hand knuckles are showing?

A: It depends on the size and shape of the pianist’s hand and the musicthey are playing.

Knuckles

When you reach wide distances (6ths, bigchords), the top of your hand will flatten andknuckles won’t show. However, even when thetop of the hand is flat, and the fingers arestretched out, the last joint of the fingers is stillcurved and each finger still plays on the tip.

Remember that your hand position changesas you play various passages. It is always inmotion, so the shape changes all the time. Tohelp your hands move freely through all of thepassages in your music, make sure to keepthem relaxed and free of tension all the time.That way they will be flexible, and they will beable to maneuver the most difficult lines andjump easily around the keyboard.

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Be careful while you are playing that youdo not let your knuckles collapse becauseyou are pushing down on them.

Watch Out for These Problems

It is also not a good idea to bring theknuckles up too high. Notice how thismakes the hand looks like a mountain.

Look at the knuckles in the picture above.Notice how they are flatter here as the pianistreaches for a large distance.

Write Fingerings in Your Music• Some pieces have many fingeringswritten in the music, while others donot. Even if a composer writes fingeringsin the score, pianists often decide tocome up with their own to find ones thatare better for the size of their hands.• Once you and your teacher decide onfingerings, write them in your music soyou don’t forget. Be sure to write in pen-cil in case you later decide to make anychanges. • To get hands used to new fingerings,practice passages slowly and increase thespeed as you get more comfortable andconfident.• Writing in your fingerings also willmake it easier to review the piece in the

future. You will not have to figure outthe fingering again.

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More FingeringsJokes

Q: How did the pianistremember to get a present for everyone?

A: She made a ChopinLiszt! (shopping list)

Q: What composer couldhelp you get around acity?

A: DeBUSsy!

Beginner’s Corner

Practice Changing Fingers on Repeated NotesIn some pieces pianists change fingers on repeated notes. For example,

in the first measure below, the right hand plays G on the third finger andthen changes to the second finger. Look for other repeated notes in theright and left hands and notice the fingerings. Then play the exerciseslowly (each hand separately at first) using these fingerings. (You wouldnot really change fingers this much, but this is good practice.)

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Look at the example below that has manyfingerings written in. In this case, bothhands are playing on one staff and you haveto know which hand the fingerings refer to.The notes with stems up are to be playedwith the right hand, and the notes withstems down are for the left hand. Noticewhere the left hand crosses over the rightto play a high note.

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Are you getting ready foryour first piano recital?Or maybe you have

played in a few recitals, but arenow playing harder music. It isnormal to feel excited or nerv-ous before a performance. Youwant to do your best in front ofyour family and teacher. Even experienced musicians

sometimes worry before a per-formance. The key to having agood experience is lots of thor-ough preparation. Make sureyou practice every day in theweeks leading up to the big day. Play each hand’s part inde-

pendently and slowly, study thepatterns in the music, and takecare of any tough jumps or tran-sitions. If you know the musicinside and out, you will feel con-

fident when you play. Here are afew more tips that will help youget ready.

Practicing Playing For Others

•When you think your piece isready, play it several times foryour family to get used to thefeeling of performing.

•Don’t get upset if you make amistake. Sometimes everythinggoes perfectly when you play byyourself, but there are problemsunder pressure. (You may havenoticed this happening at lessonswhen you play for your teacher atlessons.) This just means thatspot needs a little extra work.

•During this practice perform-ance, treat it like the real thing.

This means you do not stop ifyou make a mistake. Just keepgoing. In a recital, you should dothe same.

• If you will perform frommemory, then practice playing itthat way in front of others.

•Record yourself on video andthink about what you canimprove. When you see yourplaying from a different perspec-tive, you may notice some newthings. Look for good posture,hand position, proper fingering,and listen for dynamics, beautifultone, and nicely shaped phrases.

Winter Recital Time!

Play with confidence no matter what happens and let the audience hear what is great about your piece!

Recital Day Tips• Plan what you will wearin advance and have it readyto go. (You don’twant to be racingaround looking foryour nice shoes atthe last minute.) Make surethat everything still fits andthat you can move easilywhile playing the piano.

• Arrive early – you willfeel less nervous if you arenot rushing in at last minute.

• If you begin to get nerv-ous, don’t look directly atthe audience. Look slightlyover their heads toward theback of the room.

• Before playing, pause tomake sure you are focusedand ready to go.

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8

Older Division

3rd

April Shi, age 13, wrote “Desert Lark.”April lives in North Carolina and studies

piano with Dianne W. Higgins.

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9

“As the brown streaked lark glides across the desert, it sings a song of hope. At first, the sweetmelody gives the desert travelers the will to go on, but as the day gets longer, the desert larkgrows tired as well. The lark leaves the travelers alone, and they become discouraged by thelark’s absence. Finally just when they feel exhausted, the lark returns for a big musical finale.”

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2019 Composition ContestThe theme for the annual composition contest is announced in the January issue and will

also be posted on the website after January 1 – we will not give anyone advance informationabout the theme. All rules for the contest will be explained with the announcement.

2,200 DaysMadelyn Fried, 13, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ

1,700 DaysLauren Edwards, 16, teacher Karin Travitz, PA

1,400 DaysMary Eggers, 9, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ

1,200 DaysDiana Van, 11, teacher Jan Walters, ORSophie Koehler, 15, teacher CynDee Aerts, WA

1,100 DaysHarshil Puvvadi, 9, teacher Jeanne Martin, NHRyan Brown, 8, teacher Grace McFarlane, Wash. DC

1,000 DaysSean Gardina, 14, teacher John Lucania, NJKyle Gardina, 15, teacher John Lucania, NJAnmy Paulino Collado, 11, teacher Julie Wegener, NYEmily Dean, 9, teacher Renée Yerger, PA

900 DaysOlivia Lawson, 14, teacher Suzanne Krauss, VA

800 DaysChloe Holbrook, 11, teacher Jeanne Martin, NHArjun Puninchittaya, 9, teacher Jeanne Martin, NHGrover Nickel, 8, teacher Jan Walters, ORSophia Lawson, 14, teacher Suzanne Krauss, VASimon Gamble, 11, teacher CynDee Aerts, WAAlex Brown, 7, teacher Grace McFarlane, Wash. DCCaroline Bergmann, 9, teacher Barbara Erickson, WI

8th 100 Days (400+300+100)Connor Duggan, 16, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH

700 DaysMichael Etin, 9, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ

600 DaysAlicia Brown, 8, teacher Kathleen Nungesser, SCJoshua Scota, 10, teacher Ruth Greene, SC

6th 100 DaysAmy Liu, 10, teacher Elizabeth Gutierrez, TX

500 DaysRohan Harker, 4, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ

5th 100 DaysJoseph Lee, 10, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXAmelia Lee, 8, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXFiona Lee, 6, teacher Judy Gorrell, TX

400 DaysIrene Lee, 14, teacher Nightingale Ngo, FLAlice Xue, 7, teacher Miri Frenkel-Yacubovich, MD

4th 100 DaysIsabella Wilson, 11, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXWesley Wilson, 9, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXNeerja Bathla, 9, teacher Judy Gorrell, TX

Eshaan Sanka, 9, teacher Judy Gorrell, TX

300 DaysHarper Adams, 6, teacher Ruth Greve, MN

3rd 100 DaysAngelina Santa Cruz, 11, teacher Beth Culligan, CAViana Hajvaziri, 11, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXNidhi Bathla, 9, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXSidney Hamilton, 13, teacher Judy Gorrell, TX

200 DaysMia Walbeck, 12, teacher Beth Culligan, CASaleem Chughtai, 6, teacher Larissa O’Malley, MDMaksim Mindolin, 6, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ

2nd 100 DaysDylan Fong, 7, Menlo Park, teacher Lydia McCool, CAMaria Marinelli, 10, teacher Cindy Null, MAHannah Tan, 10, teacher Debra Sostrin, ORAngela Zhang, 8, teacher Elizabeth Gutierrez, TXKatie Goers, 10, teacher Barbara Erickson, WI

100 DaysAugie Martinez, 9, teacher Freya Wardlaw-Bailey, AKLucia Walbeck, 8, teacher Beth Culligan, CAHannah Boe, 4, teacher Candice Choi, CAAubrey Johnston, 8, teacher Dorane Subjack, COJessica Keller, 16, teacher Loretta Hake, FLLexie Harper, 9, teacher Susan Ottzen, GASandra Neuse, adult, teacher Susan Ottzen, GAClaire Dunkirk, 7, teacher Cathy Hohenstein, ILNathan Chung, 10, teacher Vicky Ostwald, ILCalvin St. Michael, teacher Jason Allen, INElla Leiser, 5, teacher Lori DeBrunn, MNJenna Crim, 13, teacher Cheryl Carter, MOMarshall Lakey, 9, teacher Cheryl Carter, MOJoe Chen, 7, teacher Jeanne Martin, NHJade Nieczkowski, 11, teacher Erika Nickrenz, NJIsabella Bickenbach, 12, teacher Erika Nickrenz, NJLilly Steiner, 9, teacher Sandy Tibor, NDLola Steiner, 7, teacher Sandy Tibor, NDJoanna Reddy, 10, teacher Debra Sostrin, ORCaroline Garner, 11, teacher Debra Hadfield, TXNathanael Garner, 14, teacher Debra Hadfield, TXJosiah Garner, 16, teacher Debra Hadfield, TXOlivia Shih, 17, teacher Debra Hadfield, TXAndrew Liu, 8, teacher Elizabeth Gutierrez, TX Victoria Cardiel, 8, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXMeagan Trip, 7, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXCade Zimmermann, 8, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXValentina Martinez, 12, teacher Judy Gorrell, TXNico Mofidi, 9, teacher Grace McFarlane, Wash. DCSophia Neumann, 9, teacher Sister Mary Carol Kopecky, WIEzekiel McCandless, 10, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WISimon McCandless, 6, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WICaleb Olatunji, 8, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WIGo to pianoexplorer.net/100-day-challenge for full instructions about participating in the challenge!

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100 Day Practice Challenge

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Chopin lived at an excitingtime in music history. TheRomantic Period of musicbegan right around when hewas born. It was a time of greatchange in the world. Musiciansbegan to break the formal rulesof Classical music to writeexpressive, dramatic and oftenmore emotional music. Chopin’scompositions were usually verydifficult and full of chromaticpassages. They are often playedwith rubato to add to theiremotional appeal. Chopin often

went to see operas in Paris andtried to capture the qualities ofthe human voice in his music. Chopin came up with many

ideas by just improvising at thepiano. However, he then spentmany weeks of hard work mak-ing sure that every detail wasright. After he sent completedpieces to the publisher, Chopinsometimes made last-minutechanges. This is the reason whythere are several versions ofsome of his pieces. Unlike other Romantic com-

posers, Chopin did not give hisworks descriptive titles. Hispieces are just called etude orpolonaise.

Rubato – this means tospeed up and slow down attimes while playing to bemore expressive. Chopinoften used rubato in his per-formances and compositions.

His Musical Style

Chopin was a fabulous pianist and a great teacher. He was con-sidered one of the most exclusive piano teachers in Paris andcharged very high fees. His students were often wealthy youngladies, and they came to his apartment because he preferred toteach on his own pianos. He generally gave five lessons a day.He would often demonstrate for students how to play and had

lots of ideas for improving their technique. He hated stiff playing,admired flexible hands, and used unusual new ways of fingeringpassages, such as putting the thumbs on black keys, crossing thethird finger over the fourth, or playing two consecutive keys withthe same finger. He advised piano students to find a good finger-ing for each passage, avoid making their muscles too tired, and lis-ten to many singers to develop beautiful legato playing. He did not like it when students played from memory because

he thought it made their playing too mechanical. Chopin’s play-ing was light and elegant, and he looked for expressive, singingmusic from his students as well. He also felt strongly about practicing with lots of concentra-

tion. He would never allow students to practice somethingmechanically. He was against playing only from the wrist andbelieved that the forearm and upper arm should be used.

“There is something fundamentally personal and at thesame time so very masterly in his playing that he may be

called a really perfect virtuoso.”

Franz Liszt talking about Chopin

“Every difficulty slurred over will be aghost to disturb your repose later on.”

– Frédéric Chopin

Chopin as a Teacher

Old Town in Warsaw

C H O P I N F D A W

A B C E T R O F O R

G N I R E G N I F U

O M A Z U R K A Z B

N T E R A P S O H A

W Z C A M I A D C T

A S L E R A W N A O

S I X A R N Y A B Z

R L P A C O C L E F

A E T U D E D O R A

W H N O T E A P I Z

S E S I A N O L O P

Words to Find

BachChopinclefetude

fingeringforteLiszt

mazurkanoteParispiano Poland

polonaise rubatoWarsaw

WORD SEARCH

Which Composer Am I?1. _____________________________________

a. I was born near Vienna in 1797. b. I wrote over 1000 works in 18 years. c. I wrote over 600 songs called lieder.

2. _____________________________________

a. I lived in Paris for most of my life. b. I was influenced by Impressionist painters. c. I composed Bolero.

3. _____________________________________

a. I was born in Italy in 1685. b. My father was also a musician. c. I was an amazing harpsichord player.

4. _____________________________________

a. I was an American composer. b. I studied with Nadia Boulanger. c. I wrote Rodeo.

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How to Contact Us

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Answers to November PuzzlesListening (page 5): Fanfare for the Common Man: slow and loud Molly on the Shore: mostly soft and fast: Pines of the Appian Way: slow and soft toslow and loudCandide Overture: fast and loud

Crossword Puzzle (page 13):

Quiz (page 15): 1. c 2. a 3. a 4. b 5. a 6. various answers

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Editorial comments or questions:email: editor@pianoexplorer.net100 Days: Teachers please email # of days, student’s name, age, state, and your name toeditor@pianoexplorer.net. (Do not mail sheets.)

Piano Explorer website:www.peforkids.com New material for teachers and studentswill be posted by the start of each month. Note: Music for Young Children (back cover) is anoutside advertiser and cannot assist with PianoExplorer subscription questions.

Chopin in WarsawAlthough Chopin was part French and

lived for many years in Paris, he alwaysconsidered himself Polish. If you ever go toWarsaw in Poland, you will find many con-nections to this famous composer. A bigairport there is called the Warsaw ChopinAirport. There is also a Chopin Museum,and statues of the composer. There areeven benches around the city in placeswith significance in his life.When you pusha button on a bench, it plays his music. Go to www.peforkids.com to see them.

100 Day Practice Challenge IdeaYou can download a practice chart from

www.peforkids.com but another idea is tomake a paper chain to keep track of your prac-tice days. You can do it two ways.

1. Add a link: Every day after you practice, adda paper circle to your chain. You could do adifferent color for each day of the week or per-haps just a different color for the start or endof the week. (Blue for Monday through Saturdayand yellow for Sunday for example.)

2. Subtract a link:Make a chain that is 100 linkslong. Each day after you practice, cut one linkoff. Watch your chain get shorter and shorter.

Make sure that you do not skip a day!

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Ann Rohner Callis, editor; Ryan Callis, assistant editor; Malgorzata Bagley, consulting editor. ©2018 Piano ExplorerCo., all rights reserved. None of the content may be duplicated or reprinted without advance written permission. Telephone: 888-446-6888 or 847-446-5000 or fax 847.446.6263 www.PEforkids.com, e-mail: circulation@pianoexplorer.net or editor@pia-noexplorer.net. Clavier’s Piano Explorer, ISSN-0279-0858, Vol. 39, No. 4, is published monthly except June and August for $6 per student per year for 5 or morecopies, $12 each for less than 5 copies (Canada: groups $12 per student, regular $26; Other Foreign Delivery: groups $17 per student, regular $34) Periodicals postagepaid at Northbrook, Illinois & add’l. mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Clavier’s Piano Explorer, 1838 Techny Court, Northbrook, IL 60062.

Quiz1. Chopin was born in __________. a. Poland b. France c. Canada d. Austria

2. Most of Chopin’s works were for _______. a. violin b. orchestra c. flute d. piano e. voice

3. Chopin loved the music of J.S. Bach andoften warmed up by playing The Well-TemperedClavier. a. true b. false

4. Your knuckles should never stick up whenyou are playing the piano. a. true b. false

5. Name two types of works that Chopin wrotethat were based on dances from his country.

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

6. Rubato means to play louder and softer tomake music more expressive. a. true b. false

Happy BirthdayThese musicians were all born in December.

3 - Niccolo Amati (1596-1684) Italian violin maker

5 - José Carreras (1946- ) Spanish operasinger, one of the three tenors

5 - Krystian Zimerman (1956- ) Polishpianist

6 - Dave Brubeck (1920-2012) American Jazz pianist

6 - Ira Gershwin (1896-1983) Americanlyricist, brother of George Gershwin

8 - Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) Finnish composer

8 - James Galway (1939- ) Irish flutist10 - Cesar Franck (1822-1890) Belgian/

French composer and organist11 - Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) French

composer and critic

13 - Josef Lhévinne (1874-1944) Russian-American pianist and teacher

14 - Rosalyn Tureck (1914-2003) Americanharpsichordist and pianist

16 - Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)German composer

16 - Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) Hungariancomposer

18 - Edward MacDowell (1860-1908)American composer and pianist

19 - Fritz Reiner (1888-1963) Hungarian-American conductor

20 - Mitsuko Uchida (1948- ) Japanese/British pianist and conductor

29 - Pablo Casals (1876-1973) Spanish cellist30 - Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987) Russian

composer

1.800.561.1MYCFollow us on:

Find the right program for your child at www.myc.com/our-program.

It can be di�cult to �nd the right activities for your child. An activity that can have a great impact on their lives. At MYC, we encourage your child to be more creative, inventive, imaginative and expressive through our keyboard-based music education program. We provide children with a unique set of skills that will carry throughout their lives. Whether it’s improving your child’s grades, enhancing coordination skills for your child’s athletic activities, or to learn the rewarding skill of playing the piano; Music for Young Children® is the �rst key to getting your child there.