For a long time, many biographies of Chopin have been published at home and abroad, mostly focusing on his romantic relationship with george sand. Most of the propaganda in our country is that before he went to China, he took a silver cup filled with the soil of the motherland and entrusted him to transport his heart back to the motherland when he died. Chopin is taken away, dismembered and separated ... just like a deck of playing cards. After being shuffled at will, you can take out a red heart and say it's Chopin, or you can take out a Zhang Meihua A and say it's Chopin.
Indeed, Chopin not only has a sweet waltz in C minor (Op.64-2) and a quiet serenade in B minor (Op.9- 1), but also an impassioned Polish dance of "Army" in A major (Op.40- 1) and a heroic Polonaise in A major (op. Just like a nickel coin has two different sides, we can certainly highlight one side at a certain moment. We especially like to do this. Just like buying meat, I want to cut a piece of pork belly in braised pork today and a piece of lean meat in cooking tomorrow. A sensitive artist like Chopin is actually more than two sides of a nickel coin. He is much more complicated. The implication of his works is much more complicated than himself. Music, as an extension of art, is so charming that it can't be understood, only understood, but unable to express.
At the beginning of this lecture, we quoted Schumann's sentence "Chopin's works are like a cannon hidden in flowers", which almost became many instructions to explain Chopin. Comparing a work of art to a weapon is something we particularly like to say for a while, so Schumann's words are particularly attractive to some of us. It has become a popular word handed down from generation to generation. In fact, the tsar has been admiring and wooing Chopin, giving him a diamond ring in his childhood, and later awarding him the position and title of "Chief Pianist of His Majesty the Russian Emperor". Chopin's works can't be cannons. Schumann and we both exaggerated Chopin and music itself.
It's ridiculous to say the color of flowers, because flowers are definitely not colors. You can't tell the color of a flower, because no flower is solid. Even if it is a kind of white, it can be divided into moonlight white, milky white, bluish white, yellow white and tooth white ... only its main color can be said. So, what is Chopin's main color? Revolution? Passion? Touching? Gentle? Melancholy like water? Beautiful as a picture? Warm as a dream? In my opinion, Chopin's main feature is that his beauty has two colors of meditation, sadness and fantasy. Beauty and Mendelssohn walk on the same concentric circle, which is obviously different from Mendelssohn's sentimentality, which makes his circle radius virtually larger than Mendelssohn's, which is precisely one of the characteristics of romanticism.
Chopin's beauty is not a gorgeous day, nor is it a sweet endless whisper; He is neither the luxurious beauty of Hua Tuo's style nor the gorgeous beauty of Wagner. He is the idyllic beauty shrouded in mist or dawn, and the beauty of moonlight or drizzling night. This is different from Mendelssohn's beauty. He is not as clear and noble as Mendelssohn's beauty. After the storm, his beauty was hazy and gloomy.
Chopin's meditation is not profound, not only because he only loves to read Voltaire, but also does not read other works. This is his nature. He is not destined to be the kind of warrior who sings high, whose blood is blue, whose wind is rustling and whose water is cold. He couldn't get Byron and petofi to raise the flag in the sword. He can only use his own way. He said: all he can do in such a battle is to be a drummer. He also lacks Beethoven's unforgettable thinking about fate. He doesn't have Beethoven's wide forehead. However, he has more thoughts and concerns about the motherland and his feelings than Mendelssohn, which Mendelssohn does not have.
Chopin's sadness and dreams are intertwined, which Mendelssohn did not have. In some works, he integrated his feelings for his motherland and his lover into the melody, but in many works, he just muttered to his lover, with a folk-like sense of self-singing and pouring out. He didn't vent too much personal pain, but turned into a bitter olive, with a little sadness, tasted it gently, drifted away slowly and spread faintly. Moreover, he melted it into his dream, making it not so light, like sprinkling blue forget-me-not and golden cornflower on the grass full of absinthe.
Mr. Feng Zikai said this more than 60 years ago: "Chopin's pronunciation itself seems to have a sense of beauty, and it doesn't sound as dignified and terrible as Beethoven." This is very interesting. Maybe a person's name really has a certain personality color and the shadow of fate? In any case, Mr. Feng's words sound novel, sympathetic and worth pondering.
Chopin came to Paris in 183 1. That year, he was less than 2 1 year old. Except for a short trip, he lived in Paris most of the time and finally died in Paris. He lived in Paris for 19 years, nearly half his life. An exile whose motherland is caught in the storm, such a sensitive artist, has been asking questions in Paris for such a long time, and his life is not easy and his mood is not relaxed. This is not his home. Why did he stay until he died so long? By what power did he support himself in a foreign country and float like duckweed all his life?
Music? Love? Firm loyalty to the motherland?
Chopin's short life is not complicated, but what he left us is not a string of simple notes.
Of course, we can say that in 1837, Chopin flatly rejected the position and title of "Chief Pianist of His Majesty the Tsar" awarded to him by the Russian Ambassador to France on behalf of the Tsar. When the ambassador said that he won this honor because he didn't take part in the Warsaw Uprising in 1830, he even solemnly said, "I didn't take part in the Warsaw Uprising because I was too young, but my heart was with the insurgents!" And his relationship with Pinski also shows this patriotism. Pinski is a Polish violinist, known as "Paganini of Poland". When he went to Paris, he refused to perform for Polish expatriates for fear of offending the Tsar. Chopin broke off his friendship with him angrily. Chopin's bones are hard enough to resemble Beethoven's.
Similarly, we can also say that Chopin showed his weakness in order to enter the upper class, set foot in the salon and take root in Paris. He must dress himself up and play for the nobles, especially the ladies. He soon learned to dress like the upper class. He never forgot to put on spotless white gloves when he went out. He never even ignored the tie he wore and the cane he took. Even if he bought jewelry in the store, he should consider the color and style of the clothes and choose them carefully, just like choosing the most beautiful decorative note. Chopin has simply become a dude again, much like Julian who is eager to enter the upper class.
In fact, we can also say that Chopin himself began to hate Paris, which was full of filth and blood. All this, he is reluctant to part with, also have to do. Because he himself said: "Paris has the most splendid luxury, the lowest meanness, the greatest compassion and the greatest sin;" Every action and speech is related to the flower willow; Shouts, shouts, rumbles and filth are unimaginable, which makes you feel at a loss in this paradise ... "However, the loss is only temporary, and Chopin will soon enter the upper class. Because he needs the upper level, and the upper level needs him. Paul long Dormi said of Chopin in his History of Western Music: "Since he entered the salon and joined the upper class, he has been reluctant to leave the city. People in the upper class welcomed him with great enthusiasm and interest. He is not only an outstanding performer, but also an elegant composer and charming Polish. He was born with all the elegant manners, brilliant talents and gentle manners cultivated by the most civilized society. In this society, he achieved success without blowing off dust. Chopin soon became one of the most fashionable figures in Paris. "People want to transform the environment, the environment also want to transform people. In order to survive in the desert, flowers have no choice but to turn leaves into thorns first. After all, Chopin is not a revolutionary, he is just a musician.
It is obviously derogatory and disrespectful to say that Chopin soon fell into the upper class and achieved success without blowing off dust, just as Turgenev said when Chopin was dying: "There are more than 50 countess in Europe willing to hold Chopin in her arms", which is also ironic. An exile, his motherland was occupied by Russia the year he first arrived in Paris, and Paris just overthrew the autocratic monarch at that time. The atmosphere of democracy and freedom is just suitable for the development of his music and art. The obvious contrast between these two environments and the distance between them cannot but tear his already sensitive and neurotic heart. Longing for success, missing the motherland, falling in love with art, infatuating with love, admiring vanity, and hating degeneration ... Chopin's inner world is a contradictory texture. He was only 2 1 year old when he arrived in Paris. He is just the son of a poor teacher. Contradiction, hesitation and temporary weakness are all normal. What is abnormal is that we love to paint Chopin's weak face, which is troubled by illness and blood loss, as Guan Gong with a red face.
The relationship between Chopin and women has been an eternal topic for Chopin researchers for more than a century. Undoubtedly, Chopin's relationship with women not only influenced his music, but also influenced his life.
According to the information I consulted, Chopin had sex with four women in his short career of 39 years. Every woman, in his life, has left a trace that is not too shallow. Besides, he left the music to all the women. Studying the relationship between Chopin and these four women is really not curious, but a key to open Chopin's music world.
The first woman Chopin fell in love with was constance. 1in the summer of 829, both of them were students of Warsaw Conservatory of Music, both aged 19, and fell in love. Chopin left Poland the following year. Separation is always a test for lovers, not to mention separation in turbulent times. The result of this test is nothing more than carving distance and yearning deeper into the annual ring of love, or that love is gradually alienated, diluted and forgotten because of the elongation of time and distance. First love is often such a figure, and Chopin is doomed. Although, before they left, they swore that Chopin even said that if I died, my ashes would be scattered at your feet ... But in fact, they parted ways soon after separation. Don't just blame constance's unrequited love. Artists' love is often romantic, and most of it is one-off. I don't want to blame anyone too much for being right or wrong. This short love didn't do much harm to Chopin, but made him create two piano concertos that are unique in his life. Both concerto No.1 in E minor and concerto No.2 in F minor are so sweet and charming. As clear as water, the piano sound of crystal pearls reminds you of feelings under the moon, sincere talk and hazy dreams. Without impurities, it is pure and transparent, and it is a heart sound that only first love can make. This is a melody that Chopin's mature works will never have again.
The second woman Chopin fell in love with was Panait Mariana. This happened in June of 1835. Panait Mariana is nine years younger than Chopin. When Chopin met her as a child, she was still an ugly little girl, and now she has become a slim beauty. It's just that this love is too much like a pop soap opera. The woman's family background is noble, and the door is not right. Without a round, the soap bubble of love will burst. Although Chopin dedicated a waltz in A major, in my opinion, this piece is not as good as the two concertos dedicated to constance. Come to think of it, this is a matter of course, because both Chopin and Panait Mariana are just a love born of meeting, and neither of them has paid so much, so much. Art is only an extension of the soul; Music is only the echo of the soul; Wading across a shallow river like love, the splash will naturally not be stormy waves, but just a few ripples.
The love between Chopin and george sand was a marathon love, which lasted 10 years. How to evaluate this love? George sand is six years older than Chopin. She played the role of "kind big sister" from the beginning, and the role of love changed, so it was destined that this love could be colorful and in full swing, but it could not last long? Or is it because george sand's children play tricks on you, which leads to the breakdown of love? Or is it true that George Thornton is a doffer, as people say, and he inspired Chopin? Or is it because their personalities are very different, Chopin is a woman and George Sang is a man? If nothing else, they just smoke, Chopin doesn't, and george sand not only smokes, but also smokes fiercely, making them more and more unbearable to each other? ..................................................................................................................................................................................
It is said that Chopin's last concert at 1848 and George Thornton's visit to Chopin before 1849 died were blocked. This is just a legend, too dramatic and legendary. No matter what happened at that time and later, it was their own business. Even if they meet twice, what will happen? As long as it is a thing of the past, no matter how big it is to a country or how small it is to an individual, it is history, and it is a book that has turned a page. It is difficult to turn it over, change it, modify it and lubricate it. One-off life will inevitably lead to running water under the bridge of love. 10 years, people's life is not as good as 10 years, and it is easy to break the love established in 10 years, which is of course a fatal blow to Chopin. It is not so accurate to say that Chopin died of lung disease. This blow was also one of the causes of his death, or accelerated his death. This is the power of love, or for those who are too immersed and value love too much. From 1837 to 1847, the love between Chopin and george sand died less than two years after 10 ended.
In fact, love as sweet as honey does not exist in this world. It is an illusion of people and a dream brought by art. If love really exists in this world, it will always stick to pain. If you want to peel off the pain as easily as a piece of candy paper, love will cease to exist. Otherwise, we can't explain why Chopin created so many works during his 10 years with George Thornton. It includes three ballads, three scherzos, two sonatas, and a large number of nocturnes, Mazuka, Polonaise and Dreams. It is full of beautiful music, including serenade in G minor, impromptu in F major, Polonaise in C minor, blue sky and blue sea in the south, and waltz "Puppy" created by george sand Manor at noon. Just from the last two songs is enough to see what a wonderful time they had! How much reverie those two songs have brought us, and how happy and carefree the puppy is around them; At the beginning of the drizzle, it was so refreshing to combine the raindrops dripping from the eaves, the sound of the piano and the mood of waiting ... It should be said that Chopin wrote the most and best music in his life during this period.
1848 In the spring, due to financial difficulties, Chopin traveled across the sea to perform in England, and used up all the money he had saved in London to pay for medical treatment, so he had to stay at the home of the fourth woman he met, starling, a Scottish schoolgirl. Stalin fell in love with him and gave him 25,000 francs as living expenses. He gave Stalin two serenades in F minor and E flat major (Op. 55- 1 and 2). I wonder if there is love in return? I doubt this statement very much, because I checked Chopin's chronicle and found that these two nocturnes were not written by 1848, but by 1843. Even if presented to Miss Stalin, these two serenades are not as good as those mentioned above. In Chopin's 2 1 first nocturne, it is not the best. Maybe Chopin has reached the end of his life, and love can't save him, or love comes too late? Or is he still obsessed with past dreams and nightmares and can't jump out again? ......
I can't imagine. I can't guess whether Chopin really got love in his short life. Is his love with four women the love he pursues? However, I can say that all this, whether love or not, can't compare with his beautiful and moving music. Love is always in Chopin's music, and it will live longer than Chopin and any of us.
I personally like all Chopin's nocturnes, some waltzes and his only two concertos.
Among them, I prefer his serenade I never get tired of listening to B flat minor, E flat major (Op. 9- 1 and 2), G minor (Op. 37- 1) and C minor (Op. 48- 1). The former's simple and clear poetry, quiet as a clear spring, seems to hear the beautiful song of the nightingale on a sunny and windy night; The excitement of the latter is like the meditation of surging tide, and the sadness and loneliness are like the meditation of rustling leaves, which makes people feel that in the middle of the spring rain, swallows that have not returned home are flying on the branches, breaking the crystal beads on the leaves and rolling down a string of cool and crisp arpeggios. In his G minor (Op. 37- 1), you can even hear solemn and melodious sacred music coming from a deep and lofty temple in silence, echoing in the air and in the dead of night.
Bing Xin is like a jade pot, which makes people immersed in the realm of jade and ice, and the whole body and mind are filtered to be quiet and transparent.
In Chopin's serenade, it gives people such peace. Even if there was a brief anxiety and commotion, it was only a flash, and then it was immediately attributed to the gentle blending of the stars and the moon with jathyapple. He always melts melancholy meditation, depressed sadness and lingering deep homesickness into his gentle and clear melody. Even the fire-like emotion was treated gently by him and deeply hidden in his unique blue lake. Even if it was a storm, it was unified by his two small umbrellas, dripping out a fairy tale of a bead necklace. If it is really a realm, it is "I will walk until the water stops me, and then sit and watch the clouds rising in Ran Ran"; If it is really a painting, it is "moonlight in the pine forest and crystal stone in the stream".
As a romantic musician, Chopin opened a clear distance from others with such a batch of works. Chopin explicitly opposed Berlioz and criticized the so-called "unrestrained" in Berlioz's music as "confusing"; Chopin doesn't like Schubert either, saying that his music is rough and miscellaneous; Chopin thinks that Weber's piano music is similar to opera and is not worth taking; Even for Beethoven, whom people admire most, he said that his other works "are ambiguous and inconsistent, not because of his extraordinary originality, but because he violated the eternal principle". Even Schumann and Liszt, who gave him the greatest support, were equally merciless. He was openly critical of Liszt's piano performance, which showed off his skills, and laughed at Liszt's performance as a "head-on blow" to the audience. As for Schumann, it is even more unkind, and he almost completely denied it. He even said that Schumann's masterpiece Carnival was not music at all. Such a weak person, who dares to show his attitude clearly to so many people, just shows Chopin's clarity and firmness in artistic pursuit. His art is a tree with roots, not a flag fluttering in the wind, depending on the wind direction of the market and officialdom.
1840, Liszt returned from Europe and gave a concert in Paris. One of Chopin's students told Chopin that the biggest difficulty Liszt faced now was how to behave calmly. Chopin said to his students, "So, I am right. Finally, it reached the realm of simplicity. Simplicity has exerted all its charm, and it is a sign that art has reached the highest level. " Chopin's pursuit in music all his life is such a quiet and simple realm. If the word "beautiful" is used to represent Mendelssohn's musical style, then the word "simple" is Chopin's musical style. Their teachers were Bach and Mozart, and at this point, they came together. The most outstanding thing in Chopin's music is his unique singing. This kind of singing method comes from his sensitivity and innate absorption of Slavic folk music, which makes his melody very sincere, like a song. It also lies in his excavation of the piano itself, which makes the piano grow into a song in his hands and generates all the songs in his heart on the black and white keyboard. If we say that the former is a trait that many national musicians can have, the latter belongs to Chopin's own unique charm. In the sense of tapping the potential of piano instruments, Chopin and Liszt have made two dazzling flowers: one is to transform the piano into an orchestral sound, and the other is to interpret the piano into a singing effect. It is said that Chopin's hands are so strange that he plays the piano so well. Some people say that his fingers are slender and flexible, as if he had no bones and his hands were wide. His open hand can cover one-third of the keyboard on the piano, and it is effortless to play the unique major chords and arpeggios. This unusual hand reminds me of Liszt's big hand on the commemorative stamp (Chopin's hand was also photographed. Compared with Liszt's thin hands, Liszt's hands are generous, such as a loyal and long-lived elder; Chopin has slender hands and looks like a slim woman, so he is "Chopin of women". Of all the musicians and pianists, besides Chopin and Liszt, can any third party have such strange big hands? A pianist who plays Chopin's music does not necessarily need his magic big hands, but he must have the same temperament and heart. It should be said that Chopin played best by Russian pianists, Rubinstein, Rachmaninov, Balakirev (Russian musicians also admire Chopin the most, and it was Balakirev's advice and efforts that set up a monument to Chopin's hometown), Igmnov, an outstanding pianist of the older generation in the former Soviet Union, and milstein, his student, all played Chopin brilliantly and were Chopin's bosom friends. If you listen to Chopin, it is the best choice to record Chopin's piano works.
Igmnov, an old Russian professor who is familiar with Chopin, once explained Chopin in this way, which is an important lesson when he taught students to play Chopin's works: "Chopin hates all things that are insincere and pretentious. Dignified and simple, not bluffing, very frank, this is the biggest feature of his creation. " He said that when playing Chopin's works, we must "speak fluently like people" and avoid "exaggerating to slow down or speed up". He said Chopin "always opposed it too quickly. He hates too heavy a voice, but his voice is dry, weak and monotonous, which is as uncomfortable as emotional exaggeration. " Igmnov's words 1 1 When we listen to Chopin's works or choose a turntable about Chopin's piano music, we can use it as a compass to distinguish what is a good performance and what is a bad performance.
Finally, I want to talk about why there are no great works in Chopin's life. Chopin never wrote a symphony or an opera in his life, but his greatest works are those two piano concertos, which are incomparable to other musicians. In Chopin's life, all his works were piano music. He devoted his whole life to his favorite piano music, which is unmatched by other musicians.
I wonder if this is a unique example in the history of music. A musician usually wants to try symphonies and operas when his art is mature, just as a writer wants to get his hands on novels after writing some short stories and novellas. In the evaluation and consciousness of ordinary people, brilliant symphonies, operas and novels are symbols of a master and milestones of art.
Chopin just doesn't think so.
Why? Is it his preference? Does he pin his life on the piano? Is it his body? His sick body and his short life (Mendelssohn lived a year less than him, didn't he also write symphonies) didn't allow him to write large works? Is it his character? He naturally only likes to play the piano for two or three intimate friends in a dark room, instead of being exposed in broad daylight like symphonies and operas? Or is he just a winding stream that can only flow in the mountains and it is difficult to flow down the mountain, let alone the sea? His love can be changed four times, and his life with george sand in 10 can be parted once and parted ways. Only in this way, he will not die. He only wrote for the piano, and most of them are essays on piano music that people think. Why?
I wonder if anyone has given a convincing explanation for this. Anyway, I haven't seen anything about Chopin in the materials I have read. Maybe I read too few books and have too little knowledge.
Almost all Chopin's friends advised him to write symphonies and operas, including his teacher, Professor eisner, the most famous Polish poet Miertz kovich, and george sand. They all think that Chopin's highest peak and greatest achievement is not only piano music, but also symphony and opera.
It is said that many kind people always ask him this question: "Why don't you write symphonies and operas?" Tired of asking, he pointed to the ceiling and asked, "Sir, why don't you fly?" People have to say, "I can't fly …" He won't let others finish, saying, "I can't fly, I can't write symphonies and operas!"
Liszt once explained this for Chopin: "Chopin's most beautiful and outstanding works can be easily adapted into orchestral music." If he never uses symphonies to express his ideas, it's just that he doesn't want to. "
Liszt's explanation didn't convince me. Liszt is obviously defending Chopin and is suspected of holding Chopin high. Of course, the size and capacity of a work cannot explain a musician's achievements and attainments. Chekhov never wrote a novel in his life, but he was still a great writer. Chopin never wrote symphonies and operas in his life, but he was still a great musician. Art is not buying gold. The heavier the weight, the more valuable it is. I just can't figure out why Chopin struggled with himself; Stay away from symphonies and operas for life?
Chopin opposed grandiose artistic effects and numerous musical instruments to drown his beloved piano all his life. It is obvious from his two concertos that the band will always be a supporting role. His good friend, the famous French painter Della Crua, once said that Chopin explained his thoughts to him like this: "We use the trumpet for a while and the flute for a while. Why? ..... If the sound tries to replace the idea of the work, it should be condemned. " 12 When there are many lively and dazzling colors and lines in De La Crua's painting style, Chopin is especially wary of it and criticizes it. Simplicity has always been Chopin's creed. He will not betray his creed, and at the same time give way to symphony and opera for the piano that he thinks is most suitable for this symbol.
In fact, Chopin and Mendelssohn are very similar in one point. Mendelssohn wrote masterpieces such as the Scottish Symphony and the Italian Symphony, but they are only long scrolls of landscape paintings. It should be said that they have never had any works with major social themes and huge music materials in their lives. However, the application of concrete and life-oriented titles in music, with the secularization narrative mode of direct personal life, has found a new outlet in the framework of classical customary religion and abstract music, and they still come together, which is the result of individuality. Even if there are such differences between them, they are the same at this point. From this perspective, they pay attention to the expression of personal feelings all their lives, and so do they.
Let's summarize. As for Mendelssohn and Chopin, if lyricism is the same feature of their music. The difference is that Mendelssohn's music style is mainly beautiful, which is a quiet and elegant salon, while Chopin is full of melancholy.
The lyricism of Mendelssohn's music is descriptive, and it is bright and sunny with the help of beautiful scenery, such as landscape painting.
The lyricism of Chopin's music is full of singing and personal feelings, such as tree rings, which are obscure and blurred in the night.
If their music is poetry, Mendelssohn has a little taste, and Chopin is like Li Yu who was displaced in the national subjugation.