Table of Contents

Chronology; Myth and reality: a biographical introduction; Part I. The Growth of a Style: 1. Piano music and the public concert, 1800–1850 Janet Ritterman; 2. The nocturne: development of a new style David Rowland; 3. The twenty-seven etudes and their antecedents Simon Finlow; 4. Tonal architecture in the early music John Rink; Part II. Profiles of the Music: 5. Extended forms: the ballades, scherzos and fantasies Jim Samson; 6. Small 'forms': in defence of the prelude Jeffrey Kallberg; 7. Beyond the dance Adrian Thomas; 8. The sonatas Anatole Leikin; Part III. Reception: 9. Chopin in performance James Methuen-Campbell; 10. Chopin reception in nineteenth-century Poland Zofia Chechlinska; 11. Victorian attitudes to Chopin Derek Carew; 12. Chopin's influence on the fin de siècle and beyond Roy Howat; Appendix: a historical survey of Chopin on disc James Methuen-Campbell; Notes; List of Chopin's works; Bibliographical note; Index.

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Twelve essays by leading Chopin scholars provide a uniquely comprehensive guide to the composer and his music.

Reviews

'... strongly recommended to students, teachers, and researchers. Non-specialists will find useful and reliable introductions to various facets of Chopin's life and music while specialists will encounter provocative viewpoints in a number of contributions.' Notes '... highly recommended to anybody seeking an easily digestible yet informative overview of Chopin the man, his music, and his public.' Susan Bradshaw, The Musical Times