Product Description
Unless your name is Mozart, Mendelssohn or Korngold, the first compositional steps are always the hardest. Chopin was probably no older than 14 when he set to work on a set of variations for piano and flute. Already in love with opera, he decided on the happy- ending aria, "Non più mesta" (No longer sad) from Rossinis opera Cinderella. As the curtain comes down, Cinderella gleefully warbles, "No longer sad beside the fire shall I sit alone, singing; my long years of heartache were but a streak of lightning, a dream, a game." We are unsure what actually prompted Chopin to select this for his unique combination of flute and piano, but it was most likely written for the composers father who was a capable amateur flute player. In the end, the piece was probably dedicated to Józef Cichowski, a close friend of his fathers and an amateur flautist as well. We are indeed fortunate that this early piece of Chopin juvenilia has actually survived, as Jozef Nowakowski, one of the composers friends, kept the single manuscript copy as a memento. For one reason or another, the work did not appear in print until 1953. This charming and fluent set of variations presents the theme and four decorated versions of the original tune. Added triplet figuration enlivens the first variation, while the second relies on a florid bel canto style to embellish the theme. Rapid downward arpeggios propel variation three, and the concluding variant displays rapid staccato figuration. Stylistically, there is nothing in this composition to suggest Chopins hand. You certainly wont hear Chopins fingerprint in the piano part, as all the interesting bits are given to the flute. In addition, its the only Chopin piano part that can comfortably be played by most amateurs. Clearly, the future poet of the piano had a long way to go! Here in a Flute and orchestra version.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.