November: A month of Chopin

A two-part class on Chopin's nocturnes
in the instructor's home studio

Instructor: Trevor Stephenson
Artistic Director of Madison Bach Musicians

Instrument: 1850 English Parlor Grand Piano

Register at trevor@trevorstephenson

Virtual attendance: Cost $40
Hi-def recording posted within 24 hours of the event
Available for 30 days, Zoom wrap-up q/a session included

In person attendance: Cost $50
Masks & vaccination required
Location: 5729 Forsythia Ln., Madison, WI 53705
 attendees will also receive the link to the videos valid for 30 day

Reading knowledge of music suggested

TOPICS COVERED

We'll look at eight of the Nocturnes spanning Chopin's career as a composer.

• Chopin's personality as a performer and teacher
• His approach to composition
• Chopin's cultivation of the da capo aria form (A-B-A) in the Nocturnes
• How the pianos and the temperaments (tunings) of Chopin's era help the player cultivate the phrasing, voicing, and pacing that is helpful in the Nocturnes
• How the Nocturne emerged as a genre in the early 19th century, and why was it emblematic of the Romantic sensibility Chopin's compositional models: Bach, Mozart, Bellini and early 19th-c. operatic style
• Tempo flexibility and inflexibility--and the zones in between— in performing Chopin
• Chopin's pedal markings and his general approach to pedaling