Analysis: Prelude #15 by Frederic Chopin



Almost all great composers have written for the piano, but only one was the true master. Frederic Chopin needed no other instrument, no other medium through which to express his musical brilliance. Of all his piano works, we now turn our attention to the historically and critically disputed Preludes, op. 28. To Schumann they were "sketches" or even "ruins," inconsistent and unformed. But to others they are gems, as proven by their secure place in piano repertoire. Modeled after Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, the Preludes cycle through the twenty four keys, each one a unique musical portrait. Our tonal journey will linger in Db major, the fifteenth and longest Prelude in the group. Everyone continues to argue the lore behind this Prelude, aptly nicknamed "Raindrop." As the story goes, Chopin was composing the Preludes on a vacation to Majorca accompanied by George Sand. After his companion returned much later than promised due to a nasty storm, she found the composer at the piano, his musical pedal point mimicking the sound of the rain on the rooftop. Regardless of its truth (not only were the Preludes probably not composed in Majorca, but the specific piece referred to in the myth has changed multiple times), there is a certain eloquence in the comparison of Prelude 15 to the rain.

We cannot reject what has already been said, the image placed in our minds. So let the water fall through the sky as the first motive falls through the tonic chord, lingering on a dotted eighth and landing on a half note, only to rise again to its starting point.







We feel the pedal point Ab, always in sync with the harmonies, patter across the phrases, consistent but in no way relentless. Notice: this is the only melodically decisive phrase in the piece. Even the second theme in the A section cannot decide if it will repeat in full, so it fragments, eventually returning to our beginning melody.

The section ends with premonition of harmonic ambiguity, our ever-present Ab leading us to the dark and tempestuous section in C# minor. Tricky Chopin, modulating to the enharmonic minor! Or perhaps we should say benevolent Chopin, as Db minor would put us at eight flats that no one wants to deal with.

Now an ascending sequence rises from the depths of the bass clef, wandering as the pedal continues and adds an octave and the volume rises until the fortissimo climax, only to be repeated again. Nothing has been resolved yet, and tonal ambiguity prevails as we finally reach the pinnacle of the piece on a V7/iv. Only Chopin could take such conjunct motion and repetition and create music that begs such concentration and provokes such restrained passion. After all the wavering and the irresolution, lucky if even our leading tones resolve, we drift back, with relief, to first delicate melody. The skies are clearing; a solo two bars in the right hand provide the final tension before we calmly and quietly settle on the tonic, and our ever-present Ab ends its perpetual motion .

What beauty in simplicity, in contrast and consistency. Far from a ruin, this Prelude has intricacy and power in its architecture, leaving us feeling glad we weathered the storm.