This Polish composer’s beautiful piano music plays to the heart by Lisa Holl Chang.
On a winter night in 1810, a boy with exceptional talent was born in a village in Poland. Son of a French father and Polish mother, Frederic Francois Chopin (1810-1949) would end up writing expressive piano music that still moves audiences today.
The youth in Poland
Chopin began studying the piano at home when he was 5. His prodigious talent quickly became obvious. Before he was 10, Chopin was composing music and performing in public. He published his first composition at the age of 7. At 11, he performed his own music for Alexander I, the tsar of Russia. The pleased tsar gave Chopin a diamond ring. Chopin benefited from studying under teachers that encouraged his orginal style and didn't push him to follow traditional conventions.
Chopin's teachers emphasized classicl composers such as Beethoven and Mozart without neglecting to introduce Chopin to contemporary romantic composers. By age 20, Chopin had already composed many piano pieces, including Polish folk dances called polonaises and mazurkas. In 1830, Chopin embarked on a music tour that eventually took him to Paris.
The composer in Paris
In 1831, Chopin settled down in Paris, making a living as a composer and highly paid piano teacher. Shy by nature, Chopin avoided playing in public, preferring to perform for small groups instead. His health also began declining during this time.
In 1838, he spent the winter in Majorca, an island south of Spain. Chopin was forced out of an apartment there because the landlord feared he had tuberculosis. Though the move was a hardship, Chopin managed to compose 24 pieces of music, called preludes, that winter. Despite his poor health. Chopin was dedicated to composing. An observer once described his creative process. "(The music) came to his piano suddenly... or it sang in his head during a walk... But then would begin the most heartbreaking labor I have ever witnessed....He would shut himself up in his room for days at a time, weeping, pacing, breaking his pens, repeating and changing a single measure a hundred times."
In 1849, Chopin's ill health finally took his life. However, through Chopin's more than 200 compositions, his passion can still be heard from the piano.
Information:
A few musical terms to help us understand Chopin's music include
Etude: a piece of music made to help students practice a specific skill.
Mazurka: a type of Polish dance that is written in triple meter and has a lively tempo.
Noctume: a style of music that is inspired by the night and played for an evening party.
Polonaise: a slow dance Polish origin that is written in triple meter.
Grammar Tips:
Shy by nature, Chopin avoided playing in public, preferring to perform for samll groups instead.
"shy by nature" - shy personality came from human charectors.
"adjective + by nature"- use this pattern on people.
Suspicious by nature, Henry has a hard time trusting people.
Jonathan is fun-loving by nature.
"adjective + by nature" - is also can use on animals.
Sheep are nervous by nature.
Curious by nature, cats like to explore.
Vocabulary Tips:
prodigious-非凡，驚人的
*The little boy has a prodigious memory of numbers.
*The editor's prodigious taste in fashion always comes through on the pages of his magazine.
compositions-作曲，作文
*This serenade is one of his earliest compositions.
*She went to Austria to study music composition.
convention-傳統的，
*The architect broke with convention and designed a one-of-a-kind building.
*In Chinese culture, convention states that during meals the host sits facing the door.
settle down-定居，安定下來，
*the couple decided to settle down in New Jersey to raise their children.養育兒女．
*The kids-finally settled down in front of the TV set after running around for almost half-an-hour.
heartbreaking-令人心碎的，悲痛的．
*The family's heartbreaking story touched many people, so dontations poured in.
*The heartbreaking scene of the earthquake victims lingers in my head. 在腦海揮之不去．
pace-來回度步，或走來走去．walk back and forth, back and forth at same place.
*The husband was pacing outside the labor room waiting for the birth of his child.
*He paced back and forth while waiting for the test results.
pace-(n) 步調，速度．
*The pace of the course needs to be adjusted according to the students' ability.
preludes-前奏曲，一件事的開頭
tuberculosis (n)-肺炎
contemporary-at the same time live or exist.
Chat Room:
talent-才華，天才
have talent as-有某方面（某領域的）的才華
Ashley has talent as a singer-
He has talent as a writer.
He has a talent for writing. 有在某方面的才華．
a wealth of talents-豐富的才華．wealth-豐富
He has a wealth of talents-
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preludes-前奏曲，一件事的開頭
icebreaker-破冰，
break the ice-
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