on Feb 12th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Fantaisie-Impromptu in C# Minor
Frédéric Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Opus posthumous 66, is a solo piano composition and one of his most well-known pieces. It was composed in 1834. Some aspects of this piece are similar to the third movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Two measures after the melody begins, an abrupt run and down has the exact same notes as the cadenza in the presto agitato of the moonlight sonata, movement 3. Also the tempo marking is identical to the famous third movement.Despite Chopin’s request that the piece not be published, Fontana did so anyway.
The piece uses many cross-rhythms (the right hand plays sixteenth-notes against the left hand playing triplets) and a ceaselessly moving note figuration and is in cut time. The opening tempo is marked allegro agitato. The tempo changes to largo and later moderato cantabile when the key changes to D-flat major, the enharmonic equivalent of the more obscure tonic major key of C-sharp major. The piece then changes to presto where it continues in C-sharp minor as before. It ends off in an ambiguous fantasy-like ending, in a quiet and mysterious way, where the left hand repeats the first few notes of the moderato section theme, while the right hand continues playing sixteenth notes (semiquavers).
The 1991 film Impromptu takes its name from the Fantaisie-Impromptu, which is both heard in the soundtrack and performed a number of times by the character Chopin. In the film, a different reason is given for the Fantaisie-Impromptu’s not being published: Chopin (played by Hugh Grant) tells George Sand (played by Judy Davis) that he is not satisfied with it – that a true impromptu should have a feeling of perfect spontaneity.
