Off the Cuff with Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu
The Best Moments
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66
I'm Chopin, and these are the best moments of my Fantaisie-Impromptu. Here you'll meet the passages that made this piece one of my most loved, even though I never published it and my friend Julian Fontana only brought it out in 1855. Whenever you like, give the Trainer a go on this site, where my fellow composers and I teach you to recognize our pieces as soon as they begin.
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Two Hands, Two Opinions
I open the Fantaisie-Impromptu with a left hand that counts in threes while my right hand scurries along in a faster, busier pattern, and the two never quite agree. If you try to tap it out on a table, you'll probably give up and make yourself a cup of tea.
The Storm Takes a Break
Then I let the storm die down, slow everything to a Largo, and settle into D-flat major for a long, singing melody. Many years after my death that tune was borrowed for a song called "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", which is a rather charming way to be remembered.
The Great Escape
I bring the racing hands back for a Presto finish, and then I let it all fade into a gently rolled C-sharp major chord, like a long sigh after a sprint. I never published the piece myself, so my friend Julian Fontana had to release it in 1855, and I suppose I owe him a thank-you note.
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I hope you enjoyed learning about the best moments of the Fantaisie-Impromptu as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you. Looking back, it still amuses me that I never published this piece in my lifetime. It was my friend Julian Fontana who brought it out in 1855, years after I was gone, and nobody really knows why I held it back. Perhaps it sounded too close to Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata, which is also in C-sharp minor, or perhaps it was written for someone else and never felt entirely mine to share. I like leaving that question open, because a good piece of music can keep a little mystery after the last chord has faded. There is still a great deal more to explore in the Fantaisie-Impromptu. You can discover how it is built, who played it and loved it after me, and how other composers later quoted it in their own works. If you'd like to keep going, please click on the links provided and follow whatever catches your curiosity. I'd be glad to have you listen once more, now that you know where the storm breaks and where the song begins.
Recording: Frank Levy, Public domain