Fantaisie-Impromptu

Main Theme of the Fantaisie-Impromptu

Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Opus posthumous 66, is a solo piano composition and one of his most well-known pieces. It was composed in 1834 and dedicated to Julian Fontana. Despite Chopin's request to Fontana that the piece not be published, Fontana did so anyway, in order to show the world the piece.

The piece uses many cross-rhythms (the right hand plays semiquavers against the left hand playing triplets) and a ceaselessly moving note figuration and is in cut time. The opening tempo is marked allegro agitato. The tempo changes to largo and later moderato cantabile when the key changes to D-flat major, the enharmonic equivalent of the more obscure tonic major key of C-sharp major. The piece then changes back to the original tempo where it continues in C-sharp minor as before. It ends off in an ambiguous fantasy-like ending, in a quiet and mysterious way, where the left hand repeats the first few notes of the moderato section theme, while the right hand continues with the semiquavers. This close is in C-sharp major, not D-flat major, although the key signature remains at four sharps.

In popular culture

• The 1991 film Impromptu takes its name from the Fantaisie-Impromptu, which is both heard in the soundtrack and performed a number of times by the character Chopin. In the film, a different reason is given for the Fantaisie-Impromptu's not being published: Chopin (played by Hugh Grant) tells George Sand (played by Judy Davis) that he is not satisfied with it - that a true impromptu should have a feeling of perfect spontaneity.

• An excerpt of the piece was featured in an early segment of the survival horror video game Clock Tower 3.

• The piece is also featured in the Japanese role playing game Eternal Sonata in the third chapter's intercalary section, highlighting the history of the piece as well as its relation to Chopin's personality (as Chopin is a featured character in the video game).

• A lengthy portion of the piece also appears in the introduction to the Afrikaans (but not the English) version of the South African film Lost in the Desert, in which the central character's father, who is a concert pianist, is shown playing the piece in a recital, and then bowing to receive applause.

• A section of the piece was later adapted by Harry Carroll for the popular song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows".

External links

• Free scores by Fantaisie-Impromptu at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• audio file in RealMedia format
• audio file on iTunes
• Recording of Fantasie-Impromptu performed by the pianist Alberto Cobo, MP3 format