Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 4

Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 1 is believed to have been composed between 1827 and 1828, while he was still studying under Józef Elsner, and it was dedicated to Elsner.

In 1828, Chopin sent the scores of his Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" (Op. 2) and the Sonata (Op. 3, as indicated in the autograph manuscript) to a publisher in Leipzig, but they were not published. He then added Variations on a German National Air (Op. 4) to these two works and sent them to Haslinger in Vienna. However, only Op. 2 was published there in 1830.

Some time later, around 1839, Haslinger sent Chopin proof sheets of the sonata. However, Chopin, displeased that the publisher suddenly intended to publish it after so many years had passed, reportedly did not return the corrections. (Chopin wrote in a letter from 1839 that his father told him "the old sonata has been published and is being praised by the Germans," and in a letter from 1845, he referred to the publisher sending the score as "a few years ago." It is possible that a small number of copies circulated.)

The sonata was formally published posthumously in 1851. Since Op. 3 had already been assigned to the Introduction and Polonaise brillante, the sonata was given Op. 4. In the same year, the Variations on a German National Air were also published without an opus number.

This work is often described as a student exercise, where Chopin, who had not yet composed a sonata, attempted to do so under his teacher's guidance but was constrained by the form and unable to fully express his individuality. Indeed, from the perspective of style and pianism, it stands out as an unusual work among Chopin's compositions, and in terms of compositional technique, weaknesses can be observed, for example, in the development sections of the first and fourth movements. On the other hand, considering that works strongly reflecting Chopin's individuality had already been published by the time this piece was composed, that Chopin himself intended its publication alongside such works, and that unique characteristics, such as the tonal structure in the first movement and the meter in the third movement, are present which are difficult to reconcile with a mere student exercise, some interpret it as an intentional attempt to write in a style different from his previous works. Furthermore, since some individuals appreciate its musical content, a fair assessment of this work can be said to be even more challenging.

It should be noted that only the autograph manuscript serves as the authentic primary source. However, there are passages where interpretations differ regarding accidentals and dynamics, leading to subtle variations among editions such as the first edition, Mikuli edition, Paderewski edition, Henle edition, and National Edition.