Fantaisie in F minor (Chopin)

Fantaisie in F minor
Fantaisie in F minor
by Frédéric Chopin
	Frederic Chopin in 1841,; pencil drawing by George Sand
Opus	49
Genre	Romantic
Form	Fantasy
Composed	1841
Movements	1

The Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49, by Frédéric Chopin is a single-movement work for the piano, composed in 1841, when he was 31 years old.^[1] From Chopin's letters it is known that he used the name "fantasy" to show some sort of freedom from rules and give a Romantic expression.^[1] Frédéric Chopin continued the tradition of a self-contained movement in his Fantaisie.^[2] This Fantaisie is one of Chopin's longest pieces, and is considered one of his greatest works.^[3]

The autograph manuscript of the work is preserved in the National Library of Poland.

Form

This work belongs to the Fantasy form, a composition free in form and inspiration.^[2] It begins with a solemn marching theme that eventually plunges into a passionate and virtuosic section, the transition marked poco a poco … doppio movimento, still with elements of marching, but more triumphant and positive in mood. About halfway through the piece occurs a slow and sombre chorale-like section in B major, before the previous section is restated. After a short, quiet and sweet statement followed by a final flourish the work ends in a plagal cadence in A-flat major, the relative key. This piece is 11–14 minutes long.

References

^ ^a ^b "Fryderyk Chopin - Information Centre - Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49 - Genres". en.chopin.nifc.pl. 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b "fantasia (music) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". britannica.com. 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012. composition free in form and inspiration, usually for an instrumental soloist
^ Samson, Jim (1992). "Extended forms: the ballades, scherzos and fantasies". In Samson, Jim (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Chopin. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101–123. ISBN 9780521477529.