Preludes (Chopin)

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Preludes Op. 28, by Frédéric Chopin, are a set of 24 short pieces written for the piano, one in each key, originally published in 1839. Although the term prelude is generally used to describe an introductory piece, Chopin's Preludes stand as self-contained units, each meant to convey a specific idea or emotion.

Chopin's Preludes have been compared to Johann Sebastian Bach's Preludes in the Well-Tempered Clavier. However, each of Bach's preludes leads to a fugue in the same key, and Bach's pieces were arranged chromatically, while Chopin's were arranged in a circle of fifths. Chopin wrote his Preludes between 1835 and 1839, partly at Valldemossa, Majorca where the composer spent the winter of 1838/9 and where he had fled with George Sand and her children to escape the damp Paris weather.^[1]

Due to apparent lack of formal structure and brevity, the Preludes caused some consternation among critics at the time of their publication.^[2] No prelude is longer than 90 measures (Prelude No. 17) and the shortest a mere 13 measures (Prelude No. 20). Robert Schumann said, "They are sketches, beginnings of etudes, or, so to speak, ruins, individual eagle pinions, all disorder and wild confusions."^[3] Franz Liszt's opinion, however, may have been positive — "Chopin's Preludes are compositions of an order entirely apart."^[3] Since that time, the Preludes have become standard fare for the average pianist. Many major performers have recorded the set, beginning with Alfred Cortot in 1926.

Contents 1 The Preludes 1.1 List of preludes 1.2 Description, instrumentation and score 1.3 Chopin's other preludes 2 References in other media 3 Citations 4 Sources 5 External links

[edit] The Preludes

Like Chopin's other works, the Preludes were not named or further described, in contrast to many of Schumann's and Liszt's pieces. Chopin was opposed to program music,^{[citation needed]} but despite his wishes, several lists of names have been proposed by Hans von Bülow, Cortot, and others. Although Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major is universally known as the "Raindrop" prelude, the names of the others are rarely used today.^[3]

[edit] List of preludes

1. Agitato - C major
2. Lento - A minor
3. Vivace - G major
4. Largo - E minor
5. Molto allegro - D major
6. Lento assai - B minor
7. Andantino - A major
8. Molto agitato - F-sharp minor
9. Largo - E major
10. Molto allegro - C-sharp minor
11. Vivace - B major
12. Presto - G-sharp minor
13. Lento - F-sharp major
14. Allegro - E-flat minor
15. "Raindrop prelude" - Sostenuto - D-flat major
16. Presto con fuoco - B-flat minor
17. Allegreto - A-flat major
18. Molto allegro - F minor
19. Vivace - E-flat major
20. Largo - C minor
21. Cantabile - B-flat major
22. Molto agitato - G minor
23. Moderato - F major
24. Allegro appasionato - D minor

[edit] Description, instrumentation and score

Prelude No. 1 is versatile, short, and may last 30 seconds if played quickly. Prelude No. 4^[4] is one of the most famous pieces Chopin wrote (it was played at his funeral); it is relatively easy, with a melody in the right hand and harmonic chords in the left hand. Following the exuberant ostinati of Prelude No. 5, the melancholy No. 6 (also played at Chopin's funeral) features the melody primarily in the left hand. The form of Prelude No. 7 is written in the style of a mazurka, in 3/4 time. The eighth is considered a more difficult prelude in the set, featuring numerous grace notes. Prelude No. 9 is a harmonically dense work, using 48 different chords. After the eleventh prelude, the twelfth, which resembles the sixth, features a constant switching of the left and right hands. The right hand holds the main melody, but the left hand occasionally takes it. In the end, the right hand has a solo and the left hand fades away. Technically, this piece is rather hard to play due to the rapid hold-and-release of quarter and eighth notes.

Prelude No. 15 in D-flat, nicknamed the "Raindrop" prelude, is the longest and most famous of the 24 preludes, while the main melody, which is repeated three times, is similar to No. 13; it is in a major scale, but melancholy in nature. The middle is much darker; the melody moves to the left hand in the bass and the right hand mostly repeats G sharp, first alone and then in octaves. However, this does not last long as the piece becomes more agitated. The melody returns to the right hand and the piece grows louder, featuring many large chords. A powerful climax takes place before the piece returns to the main melody and from there progresses to the ending.

Following the "Raindrop", the angry sixteenth starts with six heavily accented chords before progressing to an impromptu-like passage in the right hand. The left hand mainly supports the right hand and repeats the same melody repeatedly. The Sixteenth Prelude is considered the most difficult of the set. The seventeenth is one of the longest preludes. This was the favorite of many musical figures such as Clara Schumann. Mendelssohn wrote of it, "I love it! I cannot tell you how much or why; except perhaps that it is something which I could never at all have written." ^[5]

The irregular Prelude No. 18 is suggestive of a mortal struggle. The technical challenges lie chiefly in the irregular timing of the three runs, each faster than its predecessor, played simultaneously by each hand one octave apart. A fortissimo five-octave arpeggio echoes downward into the depths of the bass registers, where the final struggle takes place and culminates with the double-fortissimo chord finale. Two small preludes follow, the twentieth being more famous. It was originally written in two sections of 4 measures, although Chopin later added a repeat of the last 4 measures at a softer level. The twentieth was the inspiration for (and used as an introduction to) Barry Manilow's Could It Be Magic. The twenty-fourth and last prelude opens with a thundering five-note pattern in the left hand. Throughout the piece, the left hand continues this pattern as the right hand plays a powerful melody punctuated by trills, scales, and arpeggios. The prelude closes with three booming notes (the lowest D on the piano).

[edit] Chopin's other preludes

Chopin wrote three further preludes. His Opus 45 was composed in 1841^[6], dedicated to Princess E. Czernicheff, and contains widely extending basses and shifting harmonic hues. Opus 45 is somewhat dark and elegiac, yet contains hopeful excerpts, though is sorrowful throughout. The untitled Presto con leggerezza, was composed in 1834^[7] as a gift for Pierre Wolff, and published in Geneva in 1918. Known as Prelude No. 26, the piece is very short and generally bright in tone.

A further Prelude exists, albeit in an incomplete form. It is in the key of E flat minor and has since been subtitled "Devil's Trill" by Jeffrey Kallberg, a professor of music history at the University of Pennsylvania. Kallberg gave it this nickname for its similarities to Giuseppe Tartini's violin sonata known as The Devils Trill, Tartini being a likely influence on Chopin. The original signature was hastily scrawled (more so than usual of Chopin's original manuscripts). Chopin left this piece uncompleted and seems to have discarded it; while he worked on it during his stay on Majorca, the E flat minor prelude that ultimately formed part of the Op. 28 set is a completely different piece. Kallberg's realisation of the prelude from Chopin's almost illegible sketches goes no further than where Chopin left off. The prelude was scheduled for its first public performance in July 2002 at the Newport Music Festival in Newport, Rhode Island with the pianist Alain Jacquon.^[8]

[edit] References in other media

In Ingmar Bergman's film Autumn Sonata the Prelude No. 2 in A minor is an important theme of the story. The subject of technical performance and interpretation of the prelude opens a (film-long) disagreement between the two major characters, Charlotte (Ingrid Bergman) and Eva (Liv Ullmann). In the 2004 film The Notebook the Prelude No. 4 in E minor is a recurring theme. Young Allie Calhoun (Rachel McAdams) plays the piece early on, and later, the elderly Allie (Gena Rowlands) is seen playing it, despite having lost most memories to Alzheimer's. In the weeks leading up to the release of the Xbox 360 game, Halo 3, the Raindrop Prelude was featured with scenes of an epic battle represented by scale model as part of the "Believe" advertising campaign.

[edit] Citations

[edit] Sources

• Leontsky, Jan: Interpreting Chopin. 24 preludes op.28. Analysis, comments and interpretive choices. Tarnhelm editions.

[edit] External links

• Study Guide, Recordings and Sheet Music from Chopin Music
• 24 Préludes Op. 28 sheet music available at Musopen.com
• BBC Discovering Music Audio Program covering Chopin's Opus 28 Preludes
• Prelude No. 4 in E Minor and No. 9 in E Major (Shockwave required) in hypermedia presentation at the BinAural Collaborative Hypertext