Chopin Impromptu in C# minor Op. 66 and cautionary accidentals

[John Ruggero]

You are very welcome, Neera, and thank you. The relationship between the two pieces is well known since it was first pointed out by Ernst Oster in his essay "The Fantasie-Impromtu: Tribute to Beethoven" which first appeared in the journal Musicology in 1947. The essay can now be found in Aspects of Schenkerian Theory (Yale 1983) ed. David Beach.

Oster's analysis is complex and goes into deeper levels of connection than the examples I presented above, which is a kind of simplification. Oster was one of the foremost Schenkerians and his library of Schenkeriana is now housed in the Music Research Library at Lincoln Center.

Such an intimate connection between two disparate pieces by well-known composers is rare; and Chopin was unknowingly starting something quite new. Later, Brahms openly and unapologetically quotes from other composers. Unlike Chopin, Brahms was not at all embarrassed when someone pointed out the quotes, because the quotes were the point. But I don't think that even Brahms went so far as to completely rework a piece the way Chopin does in the Fantasy-Impromptu.

It is somewhat ironic that while Chopin may have been certain that everyone would spot the connection and was concerned about his reputation, it took about 100 years for someone, Ernst Oster, to finally see it!