Étude Op. 25, No. 12 (Chopin)

Étude Op. 25, No. 12 in C minor is one of Frédéric Chopin's formal studies for the piano, opus 25, dedicated À Madame la Comtesse d'Agoult. It was first published in 1837 in French, German, and English. In the first French edition, the time signature is 4/4, but most recent editions of this piece follow the manuscript and German editions, which indicate cut time.^[1] This work is a series of rising and falling arpeggios in various chord progressions from C minor. It is sometimes nicknamed the "Ocean" étude.^[2][3]

The entire work, except the coda, consists wholly of semiquaver (sixteenth note) arpeggios, spanning large lengths of the keyboard in the space of one bar. The initial theme is expounded upon and changes to many different keys. The climax resolves to C major.

• Études (Chopin)

Étude Op. 25, No. 12

Martha Goldstein playing on an Erard (1851) - 2821KB

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Étude Op. 25, No. 12

Performed by Donald Betts

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• Études Op. 25: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Op. 25, No. 12 played by Alfred Cortot
• Op. 25, No. 12 played by Claudio Arrau
• Op. 25, No. 12 played by Vladimir Ashkenazy
• Op. 25, No. 12 played by Maurizio Pollini
• Op. 25, No. 12 played by Grigory Sokolov