craftsmanship, but lacking in originality."
The interpretation of originality, if not excessive is of course open to
debate, but nevertheless suggests conservative limitations in the quest for
originality.
Of the sources consulted, it cannot be ascertained whether
the general state of the sonata at the time of the composition of opus 35
influenced Chopin in any way, although one could argue that Chopin's style
anyway derives in the main from the works of his predecessors. The conclusion
that Chopin felt that the sonata as a genre was becoming stale and was in need
of something new and controversial to rekindle interest therein is speculative
and has not been substantiated. Certainly his letter to Julian Fontana
concerning the B flat Minor Sonata shows no evidence of this.
It could certainly be a matter of coincidence that opus 35 appeared when the
sonata, as Schumann said, "had run its course."
That said, the analyses of Chopin's opus 35 will now be
examined, beginning with the early ones of Hugo Leichtentritt in Chapter Seven.
