| Chopin's brief life and long death | p. 1 | |
| Big ideas in small packages : the etudes and preludes | p. 25 | |
| The music for piano and orchestra | p. 37 | |
| Dance idealized : the waltzes | p. 43 | |
| Operatic reveries : the nocturnes | p. 53 | |
| The sonatas | p. 65 | |
| Patriotism and tragedy : the polonaises | p. 73 | |
| The individual works | p. 85 | |
| Lyricism and drama in fixed forms : the impromptus and scherzos | p. 93 | |
| The mazurkas | p. 107 | |
| The ballades | p. 125 | |
| The importance of Chopin | p. 137 |