As far as we know, Chopin never considered writing an opera. However, he was a huge fan of it. He spent many evenings at the Opéra in his early years in Paris. He listened to Meyerbeer, Rossini, and Ferdinand Hérold. The latter was a lesser-known composer but had an impact on the Polish composer. His ardent adoration for the "fioritura" and "thrills" of the era's sopranos, mezzos, tenors, and basses reached a point where, in a statement about his solace at the Parisian opera, he wrote: "...In a word, only here one may know what singing is!".
In May 1833, he attended the Opéra Comique for a performance of "Ludovico", the last of numerous comic operas written by Hérold mentioned above. The piece never received widespread praise, then or now. However, one of its arias—the cavatina that starts with the line Je vend des scapulaires—did become famous for a while ("I sell scapulars"). Chopin was drawn to the melody despite being as straightforward and uncomplicated as a few others.
That same year the Polish genius published the Concerto in E minor, finished the three Nocturnes of Opus 9, and completed and released the twelve Etudes of Opus 10. Why bother to work out a little tune for the piano taken from a minor work?
The ebb and flow of fashion
Let's remember that by those years the middle classes had decided that they also wanted to listen to music. Parisian tastes were varied, and public concerts must have reflected them: to the traditional performance of a couple of symphonies or concertos (or part of them, rather) and the appearance of one or more singers amid allegros and scherzos, pianist-composers were added. In between arias and cavatinas, they would embellish the performance with their variations or fantasies on popular operatic pieces. This is what a Liszt, a Thalberg, or Kalkbrenner did. Chopin, a newcomer, had to get into fashion.
Thus, the Polish musician saved Ferdinand Hérold's name from total oblivion. Chopin's Brilliant Variations op. 12, whose original title is somewhat longer, was inspired by the cavatina.
Thus, the Polish musician saved Ferdinand Hérold's name from total oblivion. Chopin's Brilliant Variations op. 12, whose original title is somewhat longer, was inspired by the cavatina.
Brilliant Variations on "Vendo escapularios" from the opera "Ludovico" by LJF Hérold, opus 12
The Variations, in B flat major, exhibit the usual form: introduction, theme, and variations, four in this instance. Their qualification as brilliant obeys, once again, the Parisian taste, the fondness for a "brilliant" style (and the Variations certainly are). The work was published a little later, in 1837, perhaps with the cavatina already forgotten and Chopin, unwittingly, in charge of its rescue.
Very short, with an approximate length of 8 to 9 minutes, are its sections (without pause):
00:00 Introduction: Allegro maestoso
01:30 Theme - Allegro moderato
03:19 Scherzo
04:11 Lento
06:09 Scherzo vivace
The rendition is by Hong-Kong born pianist, Tiffany Poon.
