Chopin for Trumpeters

Chopin for Trumpeters Frederic Chopin wrote primarily for the keyboard. Although his composi- tions are an integral part of most advanced pianists’ repertoire in terms of technique and style, many of them also represent his love for vocal music. As pointed out by Maurice Hinson and others,1 the sopranobel canto lines of 19th Century Italian Operas—with all their appoggiaturas, graceful runs, and turns—often inspired Chopin’s writing for the right hand. It is possible, indeed, to transcribe the right hand of one of Cho- pin’s compositions—for example, the Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9/2—for a solo soprano to sing in concert. Throughout this book, players will find transcriptions—modified by the author to fit the trumpet’sregister and technique—of, among others, Chopin’s Polish Songs, Op. 74; Ècossaises; Mazurkas; Waltzes; and Etudes. In some cases, the author transposed the pieces—for example, the Mazurka in B-flat Major, Op. 17/1 was transposed a minor third lower to the key of G Major—to better fit the trumpet register. To facilitate the interpretation and understanding of Chopin’s music, the author provides perfor- mance notes for each composition. These notes serve as a guide to Chopin’s expressive intentions as well as giving technical guidance to the performer. The performer is encouraged to listen to the artistic interpreta- tion of other musicians—especially pianists, but also other instrumentalists playing Chopin transcriptions—to gain further interpretative insights into each piece.