Chopin and Piano Are One

Chopin’s professional guidance in playing the piano was minimal. It was Fryderyk’s elder sister Ludwika who gave him the first lessons. 

When he was 6 years old, he began taking classes with Wojciech Żywny, who was primarily a violinist. After 6 years, his formal piano education came to an end.  

Chopin developed his pianistic skills guided by intuition and piano scores that he would read in large amounts being a frequent guest at A. Brzezina’s music shop. 

It was also Brzezina who published his first compositions including the Rondo in C minor, Op. 1. 

When Chopin came to Paris, one of the leading pianists of the time, Friedrich Kalkbrenner proposed to become his teacher. 

After taking advice from his former teacher in composition Józef Elsner, Chopin refused. He wanted to develop his individual style.

Chopin composed works exclusively for the piano – either alone or accompanied by other instruments, including the human voice. His close friends, including his teacher Elsner and poet Stefan Witwicki, were trying to persuade him to compose an opera. 

Despite their authority, Chopin refused to betray his instrument and the pianistic path he had chosen for himself.  

Chopin was planning to write a piano playing method describing his insights as a teacher and largely self-educated pianist. Unfortunately he did not fulfill this aim. 

The sketches he left give us a unique opportunity to glimpse at his intentions. On this page of paper he wrote 'Wrist [=] breathing in the voice'. We can imagine that he wanted the pianist to move his wrist in a way comparable to the breathing of a singer. 

Chopin did not tell us much about the way he played the piano. His piano playing method was left in sketches. However, many things can be learned from the instruments he played.