Also in the Radio Chopin series
Radio Chopin 108: Chopin at the Ballet
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
According to Chopin Project pianist Arthur Greene, there was a dance party almost every night in Chopin’s Warsaw. “The star of these events was usually Chopin. He was both a ...
Radio Chopin 106: Chopin the Piano Professor
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
"Many a beautiful eye left the High Altar of the Cité d’Orleans, Rue St. Lazare bedewed with tears, without bearing the dearly-beloved master the least grudge." – Friedrich ...
Radio Chopin 105: Chopin Tries, Tries Again
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
The crowd enjoyed the concerto, but, as Chopin himself put it: “The pot-pourri of Polish Airs missed its object entirely. There was indeed some applause, but evidently only ...
Radio Chopin 104
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
Chopin cared for only two composers: Bach and Mozart. Chopin cared for only two instruments: The piano and the human voice. It was the human voice that drew Chopin to Mozart.
Radio Chopin 102: Chopin's Hexameron
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
One of the true musical oddities of the 19th century.
Radio Chopin 101: Chopin 101
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
No, I’m not making this up: 101 people out of 101 people found the following review helpful: “These two discs are a bargain and unreservedly recommended. Ashkenazy is indeed ...
Radio Chopin 100: Zelazowa Wola, Chopin's Birthplace
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
Zelazowa Wola. A 16th –century Baronial estate. A serene and peaceful park. A national historic site. A musical museum. A concert destination. And the place where the world ...
Radio Chopin 99: Great Chopinists: Vladimir Horowitz
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
“Yes, I can play like an angel but I am unapologetically of the devil's party.” So said the most famous pianist of the 20th century, who could play Chopin with both angelic ...
Radio Chopin 98: Invitation to the Waltz
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
“They incorporate a range of moods from melancholy to effervescent but retain an air of sophistication suited to aristocratic salons.” There is something irresistible about ...
Radio Chopin 97: Chopin and the Salon
(00:02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
"I am not suited for concert-giving," Chopin once said to Liszt. "I feel timid in the presence of the public; their breath stifles me; their curious gaze paralyses me."
Related Pieces
Piece Description
“I'm a revolutionary, money means nothing to me.” – a famous quote by Chopin.
So, just how much was a franc worth in Chopin’s? Debatable, but estimates range from $2.50 to $4.80. That would put the price tag on a piano lesson with Chopin between $50 and $96. Sound reasonable for a piano lesson with the man about whom Robert Schumann shouted, “Hats off, gentlemen — a genius!”? Hats off is right. Dinner’s off, too, considering the average daily wage for an unskilled laborer in Paris was one franc. That’s three weeks’ wages to pay for one lesson if you don’t eat.
In 1982 Chopin and the first two bars of this Polonaise in F Minor appeared on the Polish 5000 z?oty bill. This year, The National Bank of Poland is adding their two cents’ worth with a release of special, collectible Chopin banknote valued at 20 z?oty - about $6.77. Fourteen of the new notes if you want a lesson from the old poet of the piano!
Broadcast History
89.9 WDAV Classical Public Radio; www.wdav.org
Transcript
TEASE: How much would you pay for a piano lesson with Chopin? His fee in 1832 was 20 francs – highway robbery if you’re an ordinary piano teacher - but the instructor in question was The Genius in Vogue, and the price was considered a bargain.
START MUSIC: I’m Jennifer Foster with another edition of “RadioChopin: 200 stories to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Find us on the web at radio-chopin-dot-org. Today, Chopinomics.
[MUSIC:
Money makes the world go around
…the world go around
…the world go around. (fade)
Money makes the world go around
Of that we both are sure…
*raspberry sound* on being poor! ]
“I'm a revolutionary, money means nothing to me.” – a famous quote by Chopin.
So, just how much was a franc worth in Chopin’s day? Debatable, but estimates range from $2.50 to $4.80. That would put the price tag on a piano lesson with Chopin between $50 and $9...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
2'00
In: "How much would you pay..."
Out: "...that's radiochopin.org."
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrick Ohlsson, piano | Polonaise in F Minor, Op. 71, No. 3 | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
Benita Eisler, author of Chopin's Funeral.
Related Website
