Piano — Practical study pieces
Romantic · 1831

Étude in C minor 'Revolutionary', Op. 10 No. 12

F. ChopinOp. 10 No. 12

Key
Cm
Time
C
Tempo
♩=160
AO focus
AO2

Incipit

Form

Allegro con fuoco — étude in left-hand passagework. Written upon hearing news of the failed November Uprising in Warsaw. RH outlines fortissimo octave melody over relentless LH semiquaver runs.

Teaching points

  • LH technical study — continuous semiquavers across the keyboard. Stamina and evenness
  • RH octave melody — bold, declamatory; voiced over the rumbling LH
  • AO3: programmatic title (added by publisher) — discuss how political context shapes reception
Full score ↓Public domain

Score: IMSLP (Paderewski + Henle urtext, public domain).

Topic T11