The exact reason behind this is still the subject of much debate amongst Chopin nuts, but it's probably safe to say that, well… Liszt was away a lot of the time.
His second set, slightly more enigmatically, were dedicated to Marie d'Agoult, who was at the time Franz Liszt's mistress. Chopin's eagerness to create something not only functional but loveable as well comes across in the deep lyricism of the first set of Études, but it didn't stop there. They're even dedicated to Franz Liszt, who Chopin met in a Paris salon in his early performing days: 'To my friend, Franz Liszt'. His first set of Études is a sparkling affair, and reflective of the composer's enthusiasm. His Études should hold an especially sacred place for everyone, though, since they completely changed everything a technical exercise should be.īut how? And if they're supposed to be technical exercises, why do they need to be beautiful as well? Well, the young Chopin began composing his first set of Études (there are three sets in total) when he was still a teenager, so he was perhaps at a creative stage at which he keenly wanted to make an impression.
How did Chopin's three sets of Études become one of the piano repertoire's most enduring and defining works? Find out with our handy guide…Ĭhopin's reputation for piano composition is pretty inscrutable, thanks to a vast catalogue of works for the instrument that have inspired an almost religious devotion amongst pianists and students of his work.