Introduction to Listening:

Thomas Ogloza

Chopin's Etude no. 3 in E major., Op. 10 no. 3, Tristesse October 15, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmQBFLJAIcY

This composition by Chopin, Etude no. 3 in E major, is the one Chopin himself
considered his most beautiful melody. It is often called Tristesse, which means sadness, or
L'Adieu, which means farewell. Neither one of these names were given to it by its composer,
nor do they accurately describe the composition in its entirety. In order to truly understand this
composition, one must look at Chopin's reason for writing it, and what events took place just
before its conception which sparked his brilliance.
Chopin published his Etude no. 3 in E major in France in the year 1833. Originally from
Poland, Chopin left from his homeland in order to further his career. In the midst of his travels, a
building conflict between the Polish and the Russians resulted in a rebellion. This conflict built
into what is now called the November Uprising of 1830. Prior to 1830, Tsar Alexander had been
the constitutional monarch of the Kingdom of Poland under Russian rule, and during his reign,
Poland was fairly peaceful. After the death of Tsar Alexander, the Polish revolted against Russian
rule which resulted in an armed conflict between the colony and its mother country (Snyder).
The uprising occurred soon after Chopin left Poland for France, whether he knew of the
impending conflict or not is unknown. Regardless, this was the last time Chopin was to be in
Poland due to his poor health and untimely death. Chopin did not make the decision to leave
Poland easily: He was nationalistic which can be seen in his letters and music, and wished to
return to Poland to take part in the Uprising. Chopin decided not to return to Poland because he

knew that he could make a larger contribution to the Polish cause through his art (Komel). After
leaving Poland and the November Uprising behind him, Chopin decided write this composition
as a type of dedication to those he left behind so they would know they would always remain in
his heart.
Chopin's Etude no. 3 in E major can best be described in relation to the November
Uprising because the composition is divided into several sections intended to mirror the
emotional journey of the composer's during this event. Chopin wrote this piece in 2/4 time: A
slower tempo than his typical pieces and makes the composition more emotionally charged. The
composition begins with a simple melody consisting of mostly single notes played stepwise with
an accompanying harmony consisting of four notes played on the left hand. Only major chords
are played in this section of the composition which gives the music a joyful, light feeling. While
the left hand plays within half and octave, the right hand ranges between an octave and a half.
After a few playful trills, consistent with the emotional setting Chopin established in the at the
start of the piece, around 45 seconds into the composition, the song begins its first crescendo.
While this adds a dynamic which differs from the melody, it ends with a major tonic to bring
back the light, airy feeling of the composition. This part of the song can be historically described
as Chopin's memories of Poland before leaving. Chopin was very patriotic, and this intro should
be viewed as an allusion to his early childhood. Chopin was born into a fairly peaceful time in
Poland: He was only a baby during the defeat of Napoleon in 1812, and between 1812 and 1830
Poland was under Tsar Alexander's peaceful rule. The first section ends at 1:40, but the time
between the crescendo and this culmination takes on a darker tone. The tempo starts to quicken
in an accelerando during the first build up, and while the right hand still mainly plays stepwise
notes, the left hand starts to sound slightly dissonant. The major chords played on the right hand

are muted and the left hand appears more dominant in this sub-section. The quickness of tempo
can be attributed to Chopin's indecision in leaving Poland, while the darkness of the section can
be attributed to the sadness he felt while leaving his homeland.
The second section of Chopin's composition is quite complex technically and analytically.
This section is louder, faster, and more dissonant than any other part of the piece. In order to
understand this section, one must first understand the two major components of the segment. The
first can best be heard between 1:52 - 1:57 of the piece, and the second at 1:58 2:00. The first
melody is fast and requires both hands to move up and down the keyboard quickly in a series of
arpeggios. While the higher notes seem dominant in this part, the bass notes can be heard in the
background, sounding almost like a drone. This component is used in the piece to represent the
idea of running away or escaping. The second melody is stationary chords played simultaneously
while employing ritardando. Contrasting the large horizontal movement of the first melody, this
component sounds commanding and militaristic. If the first component signifies running away,
the second signifies wanting to return to Poland to assist in the Uprising. The purpose of this
section is to describe the turmoil Chopin felt after finding out about the Uprising while traveling
to France. The turmoil Chopin felt can be heard though his use of alternating between the two
styles repeatedly, in an emotional tug-of-war. Chopin's decision can be heard at the end of the
section where the first pattern plays for an extended period of time using ritardando to make the
composition steadily grow darker while sounding as if it were spiraling downwards, which is
quite masterful, considering a piano is a linear instrument.

The final section of the piece starts at 2:45 and is a mirror of the first section with several
important differences. The first major difference is that the range on the treble notes reduces by

half an octave, making the originally bright sounding melody darker. While the treble notes of
the first section spanned an octave and a half, the treble notes of the third section span only a
single octave. The second major difference is that the tempo is slightly slower in the final section
and the treble notes are played quieter. This allows bass notes to make their presence well known
compared to the first section, which darkens the part. The third major difference, is that the
crescendo in the first section is repeated; however, the tonic sounds slightly emptier and darker.
While the notes played are near identical, the feeling one gets from the first section differs from
the feeling of the final section. This can be interpreted as Chopin's way of expressing that, while
he enjoys being in France, he will never truly feel at home there. After arriving in France he was
able to find a place to stay where he could compose and perform, but he was regretful for not
returning to Poland when he had the chance. While he knew he made the right decision for the
betterment of the Polish cause, it felt like the wrong choice because he was not in his homeland
with his brethren.

Many articles written about Chopin's Etude no. 3 in E major fail to include the November
Uprising as the inspiration of the piece. While the uprising was not explicitly stated by Chopin as
its focus, it clearly had an influence on the composition. While the piece is beautifully composed
musically, it gains true meaning when one looks at the historical events surrounding the
composition and becomes truly great. Should this piece have been named by Chopin, rather than
the French Tristesse or L'Adieu, he should have named it Pami, Polish for remembrance
or memory.

Works Cited
"Frdric Franois Chopin."Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 13
Oct. 2015.
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Kornel Michaowski and Jim Samson. "Chopin, Fryderyk Franciszek." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.
Oxford University Press. Web. 15 Oct.
2015.<http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.scu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/51099>.
SNYDER, TIMOTHY. "Poland."Europe 1789-1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire. Ed. John
Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 4. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 1806-1813.World History in Context. Web.
13 Oct. 2015.
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%3AUHIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE
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