Chopin's creation can be divided into four periods, namely the Warsaw period, the Warsaw Uprising period, the heyday in Paris, and the late period.

Warsaw period (early years ~ 1830) Except for a few works, the creations of this period do not occupy a very important position in Chopin's entire creation. However, it is the starting point of Chopin's life creation, which already shines with the brilliance of national feelings and national style, which can be seen in his "Polonaise in D minor" (1827) for piano and orchestra, "Polot major in E flat major" "Mazurka in C major" (1831), "Mazurka in C major" (1829), "Mazurka in F major" (1829), "Fantasia on a Polish theme" for piano and orchestra (1828) and "Cracowia" It is clearly reflected in the Rondo in the Dance Style (1828). The most important works of this period are the two piano concertos composed in 1830. These two works are full of romanticism, the experience of love life, the passionate yearning for happiness, and the resulting bright and cheerful emotions run through the whole song. The music is rich in national and folk colors. The theme of the last movement of "Piano Concerto No. 2" has a simple and beautiful mazurka style, while the theme of the last movement of "Piano Concerto No. 1" is a strong Krakovian dance music. style of strong, rugged melody.

Warsaw Uprising Period (late 1830 to 1831) In this short period of time, Chopin's creation took a leap. "Scherzo in B minor" (1831) was written during his stay in Vienna. The patriotic enthusiasm aroused by the uprising is intertwined with the longing for relatives in the motherland, forming a poem that is both severe and tender. "Etude in C minor" (also known as "Revolutionary Etude", 1831) and "Prelude in D minor" (1831) were written after learning about the fall of Warsaw. They achieved a high degree of perfection between the anger and grief and the rigorous and refined art form. Unified, it became a masterpiece of Chopin's early music creation. The "Prelude in A minor" composed at the same time is full of confusion and confusion, and the music concept is strange and novel.

In the heyday of Paris (1832 ~ 1845) In Chopin's creation during this period, the profound national content, original artistic form and skillful musical style enabled his art to reach perfection. the point. His creations involve various genres of piano music, from etudes, preludes, mazurkas, polonaises, nocturnes, waltzes, impromptu, to ballads, scherzos, and sonatas with more complex structures. All have achieved fruitful artistic results. Most of Chopin's etudes were created during this period, among which "Etude in E major" (1832), "Etude in B minor" (1834), and "Etude in A minor" (1834) are the most prominent. "Etude in E major" is a tender and profound lament. Its melody is one of the most beautiful tunes created by Chopin, and it pours out his infinite love for the motherland. "Etudes in B Minor" is a work full of gloomy and angry emotions. Its theme is intense and dramatic, while its middle part permeates a melancholy and tranquil atmosphere. In the etude genre, which is suitable for mainly expressing a single image, the principle of such a strong contrast between two themes is used to create a sharp dramatic conflict. This is also rare in Chopin's etudes. "Etude in A minor" is emotionally severe and majestic. The whole piece develops from a simple horn-like musical motive into a magnificent flow, pushing the music to a dramatic and tragic climax, which has the power to shock people's hearts. Among Chopin's three sonatas, the most outstanding in terms of profound content and artistic originality is the "Piano Sonata in B flat minor" (1839), the third movement of which, "Funeral March", is a tribute to the people who fought for the Warsaw Uprising. The mourning of the martyrs who gave their lives for national liberation is one of the most popular chapters in Chopin's music. Nocturne is the most romantic genre among Chopin's creations. The nocturnes he composed in his early years were deeply influenced by the nocturnes of the British composer J. Field. He pursued the delicacy, beauty, elegance and beauty of the musical style, and had a relatively strong romantic sentiment. The nocturnes he created after his exile in Paris became more profound in content and more personalized in musical style. His "Nocturne in C minor" (1841) completely got rid of Field's influence. The theme is simple, serious and sad, and the development of the music becomes more and more dramatic.

It marks that Chopin has raised the creation of nocturnes to an unprecedented level, greatly explored the performance potential of nocturnes, and made it a music genre that can accommodate profound social content. Chopin's four ballades were all created during this period, and some of them are directly related to Polish national epics and folklore. For example, the creation of "Ballade in G minor" (1835) was directly inspired by the Polish national poet Mickiewicz's long poem "Conrad Wallenlod". Chopin grasped the deep, serious and fearless character of Warren Lord, the hero who sacrificed his life for the nation, as well as the tense tragic atmosphere throughout the entire poem, and embodied them in the form of the strict Sonata Allegro movement. "Ballade in F major" (1839) is based on the same poet's folk fantasy story poem "Shivideshyanka". The original poem describes a heartless young hunter who was finally punished for betraying his love vow and was dragged to the bottom of the lake by the fairy Shivideshyanka. In this ballad, Chopin did not attempt to describe or hint at the storyline of the original poem. Instead, he used a highly summarized method to present two mutually opposing situations, and through the development of the contradictions and conflicts between them, he revealed the artistic conception and meaning of the original poem. Emotional atmosphere. Polonaise is the genre that most strongly embodies the national spirit in Chopin's creations during this period. The tendency to focus on external gorgeous effects in the Polonaise dances he created in his early years was replaced by a deep and strong national spirit and an unpretentious, resolute and bold artistic style. Chopin either drew spiritual strength from heroic figures in the history of the Polish nation, or inspired his own national sentiments by remembering the glorious past of his motherland and lamenting the suffering of today's fall, in order to express his inner anger and inspire the national spirit. "Polonaise in A major" (1838) is an ode to victory and triumph, with rich and powerful orchestra-like sound throughout, showing the glorious scene of ancient Poland celebrating its national victory. "Polonaise in C minor" (1839) is a sad tone poem lamenting the fall of the motherland. The emotional tone of the theme is sad and depressing, but it is not sentimental at all. "Polonaise in F sharp minor" (1841) is grand in scale and dramatic, and it is related to the imagination of the national war scenes in Polish history. The tragic and solemn first and last parts contrast with the dark and melancholy middle part, which is unique in the Polonaise genre. "Bolonaise in A flat major" (1842) is one of the most resolute, heroic, magnificent and majestic pieces of its kind. Its theme has decisive and vigorous rhythm, passionate and heroic melody and bright major-key harmony, which embodies the image of an indomitable national hero. The middle part of the music is rich in distinctive modeling. The sound of horse hooves and the sound of horns are intertwined, forming a scene of an ancient battlefield with galloping horses and the shadow of moonlight swords. The composer's nostalgia for ancient times merged with realistic feelings, forming a surging national emotion that cannot be suppressed.

Late period (1846～1849) During this period, Chopin's creation showed an obvious trend of decline. "Fantasy Polonaise" (1846) is an important work of this period. Although the high and heroic sound of "Polonaise in A flat major" can no longer be heard here, its music is due to its emphasis on The impassioned and impassioned passages sung out of some longing for the future of the motherland and the nation are still extremely contagious. "Mazurka in G minor" (1849) and "Mazurka in F minor" (1849) are Chopin's last two works. The former is a kind and tender song, expressing the last attachment to life; the latter expresses the last longing for the motherland and relatives in a touch of sadness.

Legendary masterpieces

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1. "Nocturne"

"Nocturne" was written by the British composer Field (1782-1837) first created. He uses the form of beautiful melody accompanied by calm chords to express the tranquility of the night and the dreamy mood. Chopin inherited this form and greatly developed and innovated it. Chopin's "Nocturne" contains quite a variety of artistic conceptions, even passionate dramatic images. What is surprising is that no matter how complex and exciting the music is, it still retains the overall feeling of "night". Because Chopin gave "Nocturne" a new look, later generations regard "Nocturne" as one of the unique symbols of Chopin's creation.

Almost every one of Chopin's 21 nocturnes is so charming.

Among them, the most familiar one may be No. 2, "Nocturne in bE major". Its main theme has already been deeply rooted in people's hearts: the middle section begins with a chant-like chord progression, which is calm and majestic, and contains inner power. This power started out as fragments, gradually accumulated, and the fragments became larger. Finally, it turned into an overwhelming explosion of octaves played by both hands from top to bottom. At this time, I was really in the "dark night" and my heart was in the "day". . After the explosion in the middle section, "Night" could no longer calm down. When the first section reappeared, the same melody used a completely different accompaniment with a completely different texture. The original strict rhythm now turned into an uneasy triplet, and the music became The sorrow and sorrow cannot be subsided for a long time. After adding an extended ending, it reluctantly quieted down, and finally disappeared into the extended sound, but the heavy heart left behind never disappeared.

2. "Preludes"

Chopin wrote 24 "Preludes" in 24 major and minor keys. There have been various comments about these pieces of music. Some think it is the prototype of "Etude", or even a draft, some think it is a musical motto, and some think it is an improvised musical idea, similar to a "musical moment". Some pianists treat the 24 pieces as a suite and play them continuously from beginning to end, and some recombine them according to their own understanding. Indeed, these works are long and short, with different tastes and techniques, and are colorful from any angle.

We know that Chopin refused to publish some of his works during his lifetime, but later generations recognized them as musical treasures after they were published. Judging from this, Chopin was very serious about officially publishing his works. Since Chopin published these "Preludes" in 1839, I'm afraid they were not drafts. In fact, as time goes by, people cherish these "Preludes" more and more. Here are two of them that are often played.

No. 15 "Prelude in bD major", also known as "Raindrop Prelude". Here again I encountered someone else naming the music. It is intriguing to say that title music is one of the characteristics of Romantic music, but Chopin, the great Romantic composer, never added a title to his works to explain the music content. He also resented others naming his music. It can be seen that romantic music fundamentally lies in the temperament of the music itself, not in its reputation. Chopin's objection to a specific name illustrates the broad generality of his music. Therefore, when we appreciate those named pieces of music, we can only use the name as a medium for understanding and a way to get started. There is absolutely no need to limit our freedom of association and experience. For example, the name of the song "Raindrops" is obviously a bA (#G) sound in the accompaniment part. It keeps on the steady rhythm of eighth notes almost from beginning to end, just like raindrops dripping from the eaves. The ticking sounds are endless, andante:

The sound of raindrops brings out the tranquility, and a noble and beautiful song rises in the heart. With the sound of raindrops, my thoughts slowly turned heavy, and a minor tune appeared in the bass area. The sound of raindrops turned into a loud bell, and my mood became excited. Finally, it returned to the silence at the beginning, and ended with the sound of raindrops.

No. 24 "Prelude in D minor", some people call it "Prayer during Thunderstorm". There is indeed an atmosphere of thunder, rain and lightning here, but "praying" does not mean this. This work was written at the same time as the "Revolutionary Etudes", and it was also the stormy waves aroused in Chopin's heart by the Tsarist Russian army's capture of Warsaw. Therefore, the nature of the music is similar to the "Revolutionary Etude". The difference is that here there is only anger, and it is "too late" to linger in sorrow; here there is impassioned and unyielding, and there are no tears. The left-hand bass roars like this from beginning to end, like thunder, like a war drum:

The tone of the theme is firm, bold, and heroic: the impact reaches the end, and the last three times slam the tonic D in the lowest range of the piano to express the composition. His unyielding, steel-like will.

3. "Mazurka"

"Mazurka" is another unique creative field of Chopin. In the entire piano music literature, when mentioning "Mazurka", the first thing that comes to mind is Chopin. Other composers also have "Mazurkas". But only Chopin wrote a large number of "Mazurkas" that shine with special brilliance. Among Chopin's own works, "Mazurka" is also very special. First, this batch of works has the most fragrant Polish soil. In addition, this is one of his less dramatic and tragic areas of creation.

Mazurka is a folk dance from Mazuvia, Poland.

Its music is all in three beats, and the typical rhythm is:

In addition, Kuyawiak dances and Obelek dances are also in three beats. Chopin's "Mazurka" was created by combining the characteristics of the above three dances. The typical rhythm of the mazurka is often revealed in Chopin's "Mazurka", but Chopin uses it superbly, far from rigidly repeating folk rhythms. Melody, Chopin was a genius who absorbed the essence of folk music and created it according to highly professional artistic standards. Harmony, mode and more are Chopin's unique creations. Despite this, the Polish folk style of "Mazurka" has not weakened; on the contrary, with a more elegant and poetic style, Tingting stands in the garden of piano music. Critics say that "Mazurka" is Chopin's vivid feeling for his hometown, land, people and the glorious spirit of the people, and is the "whole soul" of the Polish people.

Because "Mazurka" is such Polish music, a Polish pianist said that only Poles can play it well. However, one thing that the Chinese are proud of is that the 5th Chopin International Piano Competition was held in Warsaw in 1955. Chinese pianist Fu Cong not only won third place, but also won the best performance of "Mazurka" award.