I actually don't know too much about copyright, but wouldn't that not be an issue with someone who's almost 200 years old? I mean if other sites can use sheet music why not this one? Sorry if this sounds kind of naive.

Scores published in the US before 1920s do not have copyright. The IMSLP has pretty good scores and I can put them here, but what we really need is the rare scores, which are all published recently.

I did a little search and found this library.

www.lebrecht.co.uk/lebrecht/bin/lmc.dll/go?a=disp&pt=1&t=us\sr-loader-m.html&si=&lg=0&ls=0&so=0&rewrite=1&search=Chopin

You can find there a lot of Chopin portraits throughout his life. I don't particularly like the one by Delacroix though.

Hope this helps.

I know this site is perfect in almost every way, but I think that there is one more thing that would make it the ultimate Chopin website. If this is at all possible, I think that there should be a sheet music section, where the music to all of Chopin's works would be (they're all in the public domain, right?). The links to the PDF files could even be directly next to the piece names in the "Complete Music" section.

So what does everyone think of this idea? Considering sites like IMSLP and http://www.piano.ru/library-e.html have pretty much every Chopin work known, I don't think it would be that hard to find the music. The addition of sheet music would certainly make this site even better than it already is.[/b]

What about the copyright issue? I'd be happy to post sheet music which is out of copyright. I had to move all mp3 out of this domain.

I put a link to to piano.ru months ago so that folks can go there and download.

Do you have any suggestion about the copyright issue for sheet music?

How many performances did Chopin perform in his whole life? I think not many, around 50 if we assume 1 or 2 each year during his great years.

I think less than 50.

Because his piece titles all followed the structure _____ in ___ Major/Minor. This is contrary to composers who did "paint pictures" like Debussy, who wrote works like The Joyous Isle, Reflections in the Water, and Gardens in the Rain.

Chopin was against all attempts to put titles into his music. For example he was not happy when the English publishing house put the title "Les murmures de la Sein" into his nocturnes op.9. Our music appreciators put more titles to make it easier for listeners to remember the work, and perhaps suggest some interpretation.

Well Chopin was usually a sad person, so that would make sense...
However, I think Chopin also liked the use of "sad major keys." For example, the L'adieu waltz in A-flat Major is in a major key, but has a sad and melancholy tone about it. Does anyone know what I mean?

Yes, Chopin is famous for tone and harmony. Even if the main tone is in a major key, his modulation back and forth through major and minor ones is wonderful. Another example is Nocturne Op.55-2.

Right. They don't need all the money. They want to use it for something, so they took lessons from him. Chopin himself also preferred aristocrats as students, rather than normal class people.

Chopin knew the influential Rothschilds through his aristocratic Polish friends, and set up a performance among the Parisian aristocrats who appreciated his talent and invited him to teach. He did not want to teach so many students; so the aristocrats were willing to pay more to have some of his hours.

Oh and also even though I said that I hadn't tried to play Grande Valse Brillante in A-flat Major in the first post, saying that actually motivated me to work on it. I've never worked on a piece so slowly in my life!

Among the "Grande valses brillantes", I played only Op.18. I love Op.42 but still haven't attempted to read the notes.

We musn't forget the Polonaises. Now, others wrote them (Bach, Mozart and Beethoven wrote some) but Chopin restored them to the Polish harmonies and rythms. He kind of re-invented the genre, like the Nocturnes.

Interesting! I didn't know that Bach/Mozart/Beethoven also wrote polonaises. Could you give me more details so that I can start looking for them? Thanks.

Zimerman studied piano construction or so. Therefore he's able to "manipulate" something in his piano to make the sound more beautiful.

Maybe. I'm thinking of 3 nocturnes op.9. Why did the publisher name them "Les murmures de la Seine"?

I don't know. I think of C# minor / Db major.

It seems like he's the only professional recording artist who actually thinks that the piece is by Chopin. Have you found any other info regarding the other waltzes I mentioned?

Sorry. Nobody actually has ever recorded those waltzes. I couldn't find any further information.

I agree. Chopin's hands are not as big as Liszt's. This may explain why Chopin found Liszt to be the ideal interpreter of his etudes.

The waltz Br. 166 in B major is privately owned. It bears the name Katherine Erskine. I don't know whether that name is the onwer or the dedicatee.