More On Chopin

In a course description that I once offered at the New School I wrote that Chopin is popularly known for his lovely melodies.   And they are and he is.

But then I go on to say that he offers much much more than that.   I say that he offers the finest in  the craftsmanship of his music.   He is occasionally as profound and challenging as any of the composers of the first rand in his ability to create and develop themes, variations, creating forms that are sublimely beautiful.  His style of writing for the piano is perfect, and no one has exploited the potential of the instrument like he did. 

But what about those melodies.  My God, they are really beautiful.   I am listening to the Nocturnes right now, one after the other, all of them.    And I am intoxicated.   There is nothing like a beautiful melody by Chopin.  It connects the human ability to sing with the mechanism of the piano, the most extraordinary instrument ever created, let's face it.  Such melodies render a kind of out-of-body experience if you let it.  If you listen intently to such a passage as contains one of Chopin's finest melodies, you become the melody; it lives inside you;  it is as if you are singing it, creating it, along with Chopin, along with the pianist, along with the piano.   You become one with all of them, you transcend time and space, and are in the presence of Chopin himself, in reality, he is there, and God, however you think of a Deity, is there too.   It is the language of the Universe embodied in sound, mystical sound, perfected sound, sound that comes from. . . where?   

There is no experience like this.