7 Pieces by Frédéric Chopin YOU should listen to this Week

Hello everyone! Happy March! and Happy Birthday to Chopin! In honor of his birthday, I am making another weekly7 post with 7 pieces by him that I would recommend listening to. If you would like to read my post from last year, it is linked here. Let's get into the list:

7. Military Polynaise

This piece really captivates what one could imagine to be a confident military marching off to their next assignment. I feel like the piece gives off a lot of the confidence/excitement that younger men tend to radiate. I included this in last year's post, and I've decided to include it again. Here is Chopin's Military Polynaise performed by Maurizio Pollini:

6. Nocturne in D-flat Major

I recently was introduced to this piece by my music theory teacher. I was given the assignment to read through the left and and write how each of the 5 Voices progresses. It is really amazing to think that Chopin figured out logically to make a left hand part with 5 voices that all move in a way that makes sense, and keep it playable. The melody to this piece is quite beautiful, and really captivates Chopin's most tender feelings. Here is Chopin's Nocturne in D-flat Major, performed by Arthur Rubinstein:

5. Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor

The beginning of this piece makes me think of the beginning of Beethoven's pathetique Sonata. I half wonder if Chopin was trying to copy that idea of really slow introduction to fast music, or if he just coincidentally thought of it on his own. The third movement of this piece is probably Chopin's most famous theme, which is the "Funeral March." I am sure you have heard it. Here Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor performed by Ivo Pogorelich:

4. Prelude in E minor

This piece is quite obviously sad. While listening to it now, I think about how Chopin's life was cut off so short (at the age of 39). So many composers died in their thirties. Chopin's life was not perfect, and I am sure that he wrote this piece because of one of those imperfections. This piece was played at Chopin's funeral along with the Mozart Requiem at the request of the composer himself. Here is Chopin's Prelude in E minor performed by Aldona Dvarionaite:

3. Mazurka no. 37 in A-flat Major

This is by far one of my favorite Chopin pieces. I remember that I first learned of it from my music theory teacher who used it as an example for something. Ever since then, it has been in my classical music playlist. When I hear this piece, I think of walking on through life, through stress, and through problems. This piece makes me think of perseverance. Here is Chopin's 37th Mazurka in A-flat Major performed by Arthur Rubinstein:

2. Fantasie Impromptu

This piece is one of Chopin's most famous. I have included it in many lists. It is a very fast piece, I first included it in one of my early weekly7's called 7 Exhilarating Classical Pieces You Should Listen to This Week. But as I have come to realize, this piece does not just consist of fast piano music, it also has a slow and tender side. Here is Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu performed by Arthur Rubinstein:

1. Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor

I remember that last year I talked about how the 2nd piano concerto was actually published first. I also mentioned that it's like the Star Wars series (Episode 4,5,6,1,2,3,7,8). This is my first time actually listening to this, and it sounds much like a Beethoven or Brahms piano concerto, that is, until the piano comes in. At that point, it is distinctively Chopin. Here is Chopin's first piano concerto performed by Martha Argerich:

Sources
No. 4, Prelude in E minor, Wikipedia

All Previous Weekly7s

• 7 Relaxing Classical Pieces You Should Try to Listen to This Week
• 7 Songs from Broadway Musicals You Should Try to Listen to This Week
• 7 Songs By Billy Joel That Should Have Been Hits
• 7 Exhilarating Classical Pieces You Should Listen to This Week
• 7 Classical Composers That Wrote Extremely Famous Christmas Music
• 7 Love Ballads You Should Listen to This Week
• 7 Pieces of Classical Music Used in Popular Movies
• 7 Piano Sonatas YOU Should Listen to This Week
• 7 Movies About Artists You Should Watch (This Week)
• Revisiting 7 of My Own Compositions to Wind Down the Year
• 7 Pieces by Gabriel Fauré YOU Should listen to This Week
• 7 Fantastic Sports Related Movies YOU Should Watch This Week
• 7 Songs I've Been Listening to this Week in Remembrance of My Great Grandmother
• 7 One-Hit-Wonders You probably Forgot About but Will Recognize Right Away
• 7 Magic Tricks That Will Probably Amaze You
• 7 Disney Songs You Should Listen to This Week
• 7 Piano Concertos You Should Listen to This Week
• 7 (+3) Of Vivaldi's Compositions in Honor of His Birthday
• 7 Of The Funniest Musical Comedic Skits
• 7 Great (Classical) Songs YOU Should Listen to this Week
• 7 Fantasias You Should Listen to this Week
• 7 (More) Relaxing Classical Pieces You Should Try to Listen to This Week-
• 7 Symphonies You Should Listen to this Week
• 7 Classical Pieces That Will Make Your Blood Boil
• 7 Pieces of Miltary Tech that Will Blow Your Mind
• 7 Oboe Concertos YOU Should Listen to this Week
• 7 Bassoon Concertos YOU Should Listen to this Week
• 7 French horn Concertos YOU Should Listen to this Week
• 7 Scenes from The Big Bang Theory YOU should Watch this Week
• 7 Violin Concertos YOU Should Listen to this Week
• 7 of My Own Compositions to Kick Off the New Year
• 7 Tragic Songs by Franz Schubert
• 7 reasons why Steemit, the Steem blockchain, and Crypto currencies are NOT illegal
• 7 Pieces by Felix Mendelssohn YOU should listen to this Week
• 7 Pieces by Gioacchino Rossini YOU should listen to this Week

Thanks for reading this! I am not sure if I will post a Weekly7 this weekend or not. I am really busy, and considering that I posted 3 this week, I don't think there is any shame in taking a break. So, if I don't see you on Saturday, I will see you on Monday. See you then!

Also remember to check for: My weekly 7 post, As well as my composer birthday posts (Note) In order to encourage meaningful feedback on the platform, I will check comment trails of users who leave superficial comments (ie "Awesome post," or "Upvoted.") and will mute any users who exhibit a pattern of leaving "spammy" comments.