Today is an anniversary.
Wow, I almost forgot.
Today is the 156th anniversary of the passage of Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, better known as Frédéric-François Chopin.
Polish pianist and composer who revolutionized the art of piano performance and also wrote some of the brightest musical gems for that instrument, among them my favorite piece, the Sonata in B minor, Op. 58. Born in Poland, he was patriotic to the core, even when he left his homeland in 1831 due to the Russian invasion, never to return in his lifetime. He wrote for the piano in a way that seemed to come from deep within his soul, in a language that speaks to both the soul and the mind in an extraordinarily vivid manner.
The vast majority of his compositions are for the piano. He also wrote for orchestra, cello, violin, flute, and voice, but nearly always in conjunction with piano. His music is often not too challenging merely to play through, but technically very difficult to perfect, especially since almost all of his music draws more from depth of understanding than from bravura.
In today's world, he is commemorated by the Frederick Chopin Piano Competition and the names of the asteroid 3784 Chopin and the Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, among other things.
(Also, here's a link to anniversaries dated 17 Octover, in case you want to celebrate/honor/commemorate/etc. anything else.)
The current music for this post is declared to be the music of the day.
Today is the 156th anniversary of the passage of Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, better known as Frédéric-François Chopin.
Polish pianist and composer who revolutionized the art of piano performance and also wrote some of the brightest musical gems for that instrument, among them my favorite piece, the Sonata in B minor, Op. 58. Born in Poland, he was patriotic to the core, even when he left his homeland in 1831 due to the Russian invasion, never to return in his lifetime. He wrote for the piano in a way that seemed to come from deep within his soul, in a language that speaks to both the soul and the mind in an extraordinarily vivid manner.
The vast majority of his compositions are for the piano. He also wrote for orchestra, cello, violin, flute, and voice, but nearly always in conjunction with piano. His music is often not too challenging merely to play through, but technically very difficult to perfect, especially since almost all of his music draws more from depth of understanding than from bravura.
In today's world, he is commemorated by the Frederick Chopin Piano Competition and the names of the asteroid 3784 Chopin and the Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, among other things.
(Also, here's a link to anniversaries dated 17 Octover, in case you want to celebrate/honor/commemorate/etc. anything else.)
The current music for this post is declared to be the music of the day.