Preface
Variations on a Theme by Moore, 1826
Although we know that Chopin happily played four hands and two pianos in the course of his life, he never seriously considered the idea of leaving something important
for Piano Duo to posterity, despite having lived during the era when this medium was most generously requested. If we think of Chopin, of his style, his pianism, this lack of interest in the Piano Duo idiom appears quite understandable for several reasons. First, Chopin's soloist and improvisational instinct is itself far from the peculiar characteristics of the writing style for piano duo, which has its strength in the counterpoint and in the dialogue of the parts; then Chopin’s musical soul is deeply lonely, as evidenced by the very few occasions in which he composed something that was not only conceived for solo piano: Chopin was a soloist also in the spirit of his writing, almost as if he wouldn't have loved to spread his musical thoughts in many staffs for chamber or orchestral scores, preferring to trust his most intimate secrets in the private situation of the two staves of the piano, for one person at a time. In a sense, composing something splitting the keyboard with someone else, or having to share the stage with another piano, seems to be a situation in which Chopin was not at ease.[...]