Fantaisie-Impromptu

At a glance

• What it isChopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor for piano. The opus number 66 was assigned after his death.
• Who, when, whywritten around 1834, it was never published by Chopin. His friend Julian Fontana issued it in 1855 with other posthumous works.
• What to listen forthe crossing rhythms of the two hands, the slow, lyrical melody of the middle, and the quiet recollection at the end.

Listen for

• The first sectionthe left hand spreads wide chords while the right pours out rapid notes. In the same span of time, the two hands play different numbers of notes.
• The middlethe pace slows sharply, the music turns major, and a beautiful, singing melody flows.
• The endingthe fast waves return, and at the very end the left hand quietly recalls the middle melody, low down.

When it was written

Around 1834 Chopin was in his mid-twenties, a few years after arriving in Paris. Why he never published this piece is unknown. Before his death, Chopin is said to have asked that his unpublished manuscripts be destroyed.

His friend Fontana, however, after consulting Chopin's family, selected several pieces from the remaining manuscripts and published them in 1855, this one among them. Today it is among Chopin's most loved piano pieces.