early classic
writings of Hugo Leichtentritt to the more recent studies of Jim Samson and
Anatoly Leiken. Here again, by examining these analyses in chronological order,
it will become evident how each built upon those of the earlier analyses,
thereby contributing to a better understanding of Chopin's compositional style
as it relates to the large classical forms.
The difficulty in obtaining newspaper articles and musical
journals from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries necessitated
the consultation of a limited number of sources, mainly books, that deal in
part with reception of Chopin's B Flat Minor Sonata Opus 35. Articles dealing
specifically with this sonata may well appear in nineteenth-century Polish
journals; these, however, have not been indexed, and would require more time
and effort to uncover than has been available, never mind translating them. In
addition, Polish writings of the nineteenth century contain only sporadic
criticism of Chopin's works.
Similarly, English-language journals such as The Musical Times may contain articles dealing with Chopin's opus
35; investigation in this area has likewise demonstrated a lack of indexation
of source materials. Searching volumes of these journals for articles that may
or may not exist has proved impractical given present constraints.
An examination of the comprehensive Chopin bibliography
compiled by Kornel Michalowski (1985) has likewise proved to be of limited
value. This book provides a list of source materials dating from 1849 to 1969
that have connections with Chopin and his works. The vast majority of articles
listed under the subject of Chopin's sonata opus 35 are in Polish; some of
these have been consulted and translated. Moreover, many of the source
materials are difficult to obtain. As far as reception dating from the period
1890 to 1940 is concerned, a chosen group of books dealing with opus 35 has
been consulted, the selection of which was partly limited by availability. Here
again, translation of a significant work in German was necessary.
This dissertation will begin with a discussion of the
compositional background of Chopin's second piano sonata, along with the early
criticisms of Schumann and others. Thereafter, a sample of various writings
dating from the 1840's to the 1990's
