Abstract

Chopin's Fantasy op.49, which can be regarded as a masterpiece representing his 'last style', has received increasing attention from his researchers for last twenty years after the long-term disregard. Those researchers have been engaged in both the analysis of Fantasy's structure and the inquiry into the background of its composition. Actually there are various ways to analyze Fantasy's structure. One finds the classical sonata form in the piece, another finds no particular form, and another recognizes the rondo form or the circular form. In this paper, I attempt to explain the unity of the piece by tracing the modification of the characteristic melody line, and suggest that the 'march' in Fantasy's introduction functions as a motto of the whole piece. It must be remarked that the 'march' derives from Kurpiski's Litwinka which was called 'a song of upset' in the 19th century. When Chopin cited the song in the 'march', he presumably sympathized with the May 3rd-constitution-movement which was developed by exiles from Poland in Paris, hoping for the restoration of their fatherland. Moreover Chopin composed two other 'marchs' which has something to do with Polish history. So, there is a possibility that those three 'marchs' reflect Chopin's attitude toward historical realities