Chopin Etude 25/9: "Lame Butterfly"

Probably the easiest chopin etude, and i play it way too slowly! i forgot to check the tempo and didn't listen to a recording before finishing the piece, actually it should be around a minute long. but on the other hand, it shows that it's quite effective even at this tempo, so the ideal chopin etude to begin with! beside 10/3 of course, but then you should do the whole thing, and the later parts are difficult.

i'll definitely record this again soon in proper tempo!

this is probably my last video before christmas, so... merry christmas! ^^

Category:

Music

Tags:

• piano
• chopin
• etude
• op.
• 25
• butterfly

[lajeunecaptive1]

The only Chopin piece that is supposed to be a minute long is The Minute Watlz!

[Sorcerer88]

@lajeunecaptive1 actually that's a common misconception, it would be insane to try to play the minute waltz in a minute. there's a funny short version of it though called the minimum waltz (for busy persons), search for it on here!

[lajeunecaptive1]

Are you sure young man that this is not the right tempo?

After all,that great poet of the piano (his music is so descriptive) called it The Butterfly because when you play it the right hand movements should look like a butterfly flying (flitting?) around.

Too many of the so called virtuosos don´t know about this and so they totally blow this piece by playing it like if it were some horses galloping!!

You just need to work your right hand so that it looks more like a butterfly moving...

[Sorcerer88]

@lajeunecaptive1 yes, i'm pretty sure. I checked 2 edition which had 112 and 114 bpm (quarter notes). There are 51 bars in 2/4, so 102 bars in total, less than the bpm, ergo under a minute, or about a minute with slight retardations. I'm not sure if Chopin wrote those, but they should be quite accurate. I appreciate your sentiment though, speed is not always key and virtuosos like to exaggerate, and i like this piece in slow tempo as well.

[VeMaya]

Mal wieder wirklich sehr schön Simon :) wünsche dir frohe Weihnachten und nen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!:)

[Sorcerer88]

@VeMaya hehe, danke, wünsch ich dir auch! :) kannst dIr ja schonmal gute vorsätze für die musik ausdenken ;)

[SirSardonic]

I wasn't expecting to, but I actually kinda liked it at this tempo! You play beautifully!

P.S.

Thanks for your comment on my video :)

[lajeunecaptive1]

@OrangeSodaKing Sorcerer88 is right-it is one of the easiest!

[lajeunecaptive1]

@Sorcerer88 I told you in my recent comment above about Monsieur Brinicky-he would come to my concerts (late 50´s to late 60´s)

By then he was a very old man but I treasured his presence and his judgement! He always told me I was playing it not like I was taught. Trop vite Mademoiselle! Trop vite! (too fast) Maybe Chopin wrote otherwise.

And what about Robert Schumann changing the name of Etude no.1 opus 25 which Chopin called "La Mer" (The Sea) in his own handwriting?

[lajeunecaptive1]

With all respect Sorcerer88 I have to disagree! The Minute Waltz a.k.a Chopin´s little dog trying to bite his tail can be played in a minute. My late piano teacher who was the star student of Erwin Brinicky (a Polish refugee, whose teacher was one of Chopin´s students)could and did play it in a minute. Erwin Brinicky escaped from Europe while still young and settled in my South American country. What a privilege!

[OrangeSodaKing]

I don't think this is the easiest Chopin Etude, and even if it were, it's still very difficult, because it is a Chopin Etude! His etudes are ridiculous... Supposedly, Ronald Smith commented on their staggering difficulties, even after conquering the difficult pieces of Alkan! But keep up the great work, and you'll speed it up with time. (By the way, I may post my 25/10 and 25/12 fails this summer, haha!)

[Arrow9100kj]

Love the lighting and your body language at the end >.<! It says, "Hear ye, hear ye!!! I am going to cadence this piece with a splendour matched only by mystery of my silhouette!" xD!