Quick Facts
- A series of 12 “studies” written between 1832-36; published in 1837
- Dedicated to the Comtesse d’Agoult
- The Comtesse d’Agoult, Marie de Flavigny, was a French writer and romantic partner of Franz Liszt. Fun fact – Chopin’s first set of Études, Op. 10, was dedicated to Liszt.
- Étude in A-flat Major, ‘Aeolian Harp’
- Étude in f minor, ‘The Bees’
- Étude in F Major, ‘The Horseman’
- Étude in a minor, ‘Paganini’
- Étude in e minor, ‘Wrong Note’
- Étude in g-sharp minor, ‘Thirds’
- Étude in c-sharp minor, ‘Cello’
- Étude in D-flat Major, ‘Sixths’
- Étude in G-flat Major, ‘Butterfly’
- Étude in b minor, ‘Octave’
- Étude in a minor, ‘Winter Wind’
- Étude in c minor, ‘Ocean’1
About the Piece
- One of the unique characteristics of Chopin’s Études is that, while still being a technical piece for practicing specific skills on the piano, they’re also virtuosic and full of musicality and emotion, making them popular works for the concert hall.2
- “They teach and challenge the fingers as much as they enchant the ears.”3
- Fun fact – the nickname for the first etude, “Aeolian Harp,” was coined by Robert Schumann in a music review.4
Sources
- “Études, Op.25 (Chopin, Frédéric),” IMSLP, accessed April 11, 2023, https://imslp.org/wiki/%C3%89tudes%2C_Op.25_(Chopin%2C_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric).
- “Preface,” G. Henle Verlag, accessed April 11, 2023, https://www.henle.de/us/detail/?Title=Etudes_229.
- Grant Hiroshima, “12 Etudes, Op. 25,” Hollywood Bowl, accessed April 11, 2023, https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/109/12-etudes-op-25.
- Mieczysław Tomaszewski, “Etude in A flat major, Op. 25 No. 1” The Fryderyk Chopin Institute, accessed April 11, 2023, https://chopin.nifc.pl/en/chopin/kompozycja/187_etude-in-a-flat-major.
Cut IDs
42151 18004 42152 20595 19394 24995 40032 42150 15176 13635 12468