Contrapunctus

Compare performersFrédéric Chopin

Chopin, Étude Op. 10 No. 5: Neeman and Cortot

Étude in G♭ major, Op. 10 No. 5

Neeman and Cortot play the right hand’s black-key figuration over the detached chords and octaves of the left hand.

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Recordings in
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Date unknownReference recording

Edward Neeman

Neeman’s Chopin recordings include the complete études and thirty-one mazurkas; he also plays piano duets with his wife, Stephanie.

1:50
1920Performance 02

Alfred Cortot

Cortot’s teaching edition treats this étude as a lesson in supple hand movement and a brilliant, finely connected touch.

2:43
Selected recordingEdward Neeman
0:00 / 1:50

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The comparison

Chopin writes the right hand in fast figuration over the five black keys, with detached chords and octaves underneath. A loud phrase returns quietly. Cortot and Neeman play through to a final rapid passage in octaves.

Tempo

Tempo map

Time taken compared with Edward Neeman: above 1×, the performer takes longer over the same music; below it, less time.

Time taken compared with the reference recordingEach gold line follows a performer. Above 1×, the recording takes longer over the same music. Numbered lines mark the passages below.0.25×0.5×0.75×1×1.25×0:000:301:001:301. Opening: loud and quiet phrases · 0:1212. Extended phrase in D♭ major · 0:3023. Return of the opening in G♭ · 1:0034. Arpeggios and closing octaves · 1:364Edward Neeman (reference)Alfred Cortot, 1920
The reference recording’s clock runs left to right. Each line is smoothed over about eight seconds; pauses can create peaks. Numbers mark the passages below.
  • Edward Neeman · reference
  • Alfred Cortot, 1920
Passages

Passages compared

Each version plays in card order, for up to 12 seconds of reference music or until the next marked passage, whichever comes first.

  1. 01

    Opening: loud and quiet phrases

    0:12 in the reference

    The right-hand triplets run over detached left-hand chords; loud phrases are answered quickly and quietly.

  2. 02

    Extended phrase in D♭ major

    0:30 in the reference

    The triplets continue in D♭ major as the left hand extends the phrase beyond the four-bar groups of the opening.

  3. 03

    Return of the opening in G♭

    1:00 in the reference

    The opening figure returns in G♭ major, then grows quieter towards a passage marked very delicate and dying away.

  4. 04

    Arpeggios and closing octaves

    1:36 in the reference

    Wide arpeggios cover the keyboard before both hands finish in a fast, detached run of black-key octaves.

Durations

Length of each recording

  1. Edward Neeman1:50
  2. Alfred Cortot, 19202:43

These times include the lead-in and final fade. Cuts, repeats and disc-side breaks also affect a recording’s length.

Performers and sessions

Recording notes

Sources & method

Further reading

How the recordings are matched

The matching follows sequences of pitches, using a method called dynamic time warping. Every recording is mapped to the reference, so switching between two versions goes through that shared clock. Where several reference times match one point, the middle time is used.

  • Alfred Cortot, 1920: match score 0.833. Check the matched passages by ear before using these timings.

Switching stays within the matched span, and trimmed recordings keep their original clock times. Match scores describe similarity in the sound.