Radio Chopin 97: Chopin and the Salon
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
Series: Radio Chopin
Length: 02:00
"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."
Fryderyk Chopin had a life-long aversion to performing in large concert halls: "It is a dreadful time for me; I do not like public life, but it is part of my profession,” he conceded.
His touch was delicate: George Sand’s pet name for him was “Velvet Fingers.” His physical being was delicate: five foot seven and chronically ill, Chopin’s adult weight averaged around 90 pounds. His sensibilities were delicate: He was more at ease with hand-picked company who could appreciate what Liszt called his "portraits in miniature." In short, the intimate salon was where Chopin could stand to perform.
It didn’t hurt that Chopin adored and perhaps required female attention. Salons were not just crucibles for artistic and intellectual energies; they provided outlets for socially acceptable flirtations. By all accounts Chopin could fall in and out of love several times in a single evening. George Sand noted: “The delicacy of his constitution rendered him interesting in the eyes of women.” These romantic flashes in the pan of Chopin’s heart were invariably converted into new compositions. The salon provided both stage and muse.
Daniel Levitin, author of This is Your Brain on Music writes, “As a tool for activation of specific thoughts, music is not as good as language…but as a tool for arousing feelings and emotions, music is better than language. If you want your potential mate to remember you, you serenade her, or at least get Peter Gabriel to do it.”
Or Fryderyk Chopin.
Also in the Radio Chopin series
Radio Chopin 108: Chopin at the Ballet
(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
(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
(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
(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
(02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
One of the true musical oddities of the 19th century.
Radio Chopin 101: Chopin 101
(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
(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
(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
(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 96: Chopin's Got the Blues
(02:00)
From: WDAV Classical Public Radio
In Polish, it’s called “Zal.” A special kind of melancholy that pervades Chopin’s music. We recognize it as the Blues. Which might explain why, from Art Tatum to Joe Zawinul, ...
Related Pieces
Piece Description
"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."
Fryderyk Chopin had a life-long aversion to performing in large concert halls: "It is a dreadful time for me; I do not like public life, but it is part of my profession,” he conceded.
His touch was delicate: George Sand’s pet name for him was “Velvet Fingers.” His physical being was delicate: five foot seven and chronically ill, Chopin’s adult weight averaged around 90 pounds. His sensibilities were delicate: He was more at ease with hand-picked company who could appreciate what Liszt called his "portraits in miniature." In short, the intimate salon was where Chopin could stand to perform.
It didn’t hurt that Chopin adored and perhaps required female attention. Salons were not just crucibles for artistic and intellectual energies; they provided outlets for socially acceptable flirtations. By all accounts Chopin could fall in and out of love several times in a single evening. George Sand noted: “The delicacy of his constitution rendered him interesting in the eyes of women.” These romantic flashes in the pan of Chopin’s heart were invariably converted into new compositions. The salon provided both stage and muse.
Daniel Levitin, author of This is Your Brain on Music writes, “As a tool for activation of specific thoughts, music is not as good as language…but as a tool for arousing feelings and emotions, music is better than language. If you want your potential mate to remember you, you serenade her, or at least get Peter Gabriel to do it.”
Or Fryderyk Chopin.
Related Website
