Chopin Liszts hand size.

[johnmar78]

I am a crazy man looking for Chopins/Liszts hand size and doing all researches as my friends once told me(they all pianist).

My sister in law just came back from Poland and told me that Chopin was a small person and very skinning and I ALWAYS wondered what he hands is like. I have seem many pictures and mould made of his hands but not actually PHISICALLY seen his hands in real life. Sine in Sydney is quite hopeless... I will end up buying a Chopins mould thru the net one day.

HAS anyone in US have seen it???/ if so please tell me ? I know Racmf has a biggest hands(12 key chord).

Thanks for reading...

[PJF]

I'm not sure how big their hands were. What I can tell you is that Chopin was very, very slim. He was emaciated. Five feet seven (170cm) and 100lbs (45kg). In my research, I am convinced that Chopin died, not from tuberculosis (TB), as is popularly accepted, but from cystic fibrosis (CF). TB usually doesn't linger for decades without killing the afflicted person. Cystic fibrosis, on the other hand, kills slowly, over many years. Admittedly, it is rare for a CF patient to last as long as Chopin did. Nevertheless, CF just makes more sense.

To this day, CF patients seldom live past their twenties.

[MindenBlues]

I have seen a gypsum model of Listzs hand in the Liszt Museum in Weimar/Germany (where I grew up). Liszt has had big, strong hands, capable to reach from C to G next octave. Attention: currently the museum is rebuild, one cannot see that gypsum model at the moment.

The gypsum model of Chopin's hand I have seen as well, it is located in the "Musee de la vie romantique" in Paris. It is a small, slim hand, but with long fingers. If someone is in Paris, I can recommend to visit that museum. One sees additional some nice paintings from George Sand and her son Maurice.

[johnmar78]

thanks guys...C to g is that on the modern piano??? or the old piano. I must get a mould of their hands sometime this year. Do you guys know where can i buy one or I should check with my Chopin society once the guy is back from holiday?

Cf deciease is horriable, is that some kind of sexually tramsimmited deciease like Schuman??

[juufa72]

Where can you find something like that:

ebay


CF is not a STD. CF is a genetic disease involving a sticky buildup of mucus in the lungs (which makes breathing difficult and leads to infections), as well as pancreatic insufficiency (which leads to digestive problems). It is a recessive disease, occurring only when a child inherits two mutated copies of the CF gene--one from each parent.


I've been to Poland several times but have yet to visit his birthplace.

[johnmar78]

thank you for expaining...

[PJF]

I have seen a gypsum model of Listzs hand in the Liszt Museum in Weimar/Germany (where I grew up). Liszt has had big, strong hands, capable to reach from C to G next octave. Attention: currently the museum is rebuild, one cannot see that gypsum model at the moment.

The gypsum model of Chopin's hand I have seen as well, it is located in the "Musee de la vie romantique" in Paris. It is a small, slim hand, but with long fingers. If someone is in Paris, I can recommend to visit that museum. One sees additional some nice paintings from George Sand and her son Maurice.

C to G1 on 1851 Erard, is nearly the same distance as C to F1 on a modern piano.

[johnmar78]

thanks Pete, that makes me feel better .......C to f. But I can only play c to e with no effort but cant hit f unless bend and strench further which I think is unnatural. What you think??

[PJF]

Do what is natural and avoid the unnatural.

[MindenBlues]

I have seen a gypsum model of Listzs hand in the Liszt Museum in Weimar/Germany (where I grew up). Liszt has had big, strong hands, capable to reach from C to G next octave. Attention: currently the museum is rebuild, one cannot see that gypsum model at the moment.

The gypsum model of Chopin's hand I have seen as well, it is located in the "Musee de la vie romantique" in Paris. It is a small, slim hand, but with long fingers. If someone is in Paris, I can recommend to visit that museum. One sees additional some nice paintings from George Sand and her son Maurice.

C to G1 on 1851 Erard, is nearly the same distance as C to F1 on a modern piano.

Hmmmm, I have seen the original grand piano from Liszt in his Museum in Weimar. I would say, modern key size. It is no Erard, but I do not remember the brand name. Indeed, as child I had the opportunity to play a bit on it, back in old East-Germany times around 1970 or so. You will not believe it, but it is still today in use for performances from the Liszt University in Weimar. They will put another grand in the museum however and that piano will not be used anymore, the museum is just rebuild inside.

Liszt has had no hands, he had big paws, really!

In my case, C - f is in my reach. Or an octave with thumb and every other finger, not only pinky, like thumb and index. On a modern piano, not Erard

Do what is natural and avoid the unnatural.

It is however not unnatural to always try to stretch more (or with age, to not loose the flexibility)! Look at dancers, how well they can stretch!

[MindenBlues]

And here a link to a german article about the Liszt Museum in Weimar, with a photo of the gypsum model of the right hand from Liszt:

http://www.mdr.de/kultur/ausstellung/3182682.html

Juufa: do you see that Liszt has had a pretty short pinky as well? So don't worry anymore about your short pinkies!

And here the picture of Chopins left hand:

http://www.onlinekunst.de/februarzwei/2 ... _2bio.html

[johnmar78]

thanks pal. I printed them both.

[PJF]

Liszt's life mask.



Chopin's deathmask, the poor soul. May he rest in peace.

[johnmar78]

thank to all. On the weekend I watched "the song to remember"-Chopin story(1944 version) its typically hollywood version. any way I ...

[lol_nl]

All I know is that Chopin's reach was a 9th I think. And since the Pleyel and Erard pianos from the 19th century had much narrower keys, Chopin probably had very small hands.