Chopin Prelude 15
In this piece, Chopin uses a lot of crescendos and diminuendos, and there is a wide range of dynamics (from pianissimo to fortissimo) but there are no sudden contrasts. Section A in the piece is quieter than section B, which climaxes to fortissimo twice.
The structure of ‘Raindrop’ is in ternary form (separated into sections in the form of ABA). In section A (in D flat major) there is a lyrical melody accompanied by quavers in the bass. This section also has its own ABA structure. In section B (C sharp minor) there is a new melody that is heard in the bass and the quavers are heard above it. The music has moved from major to minor and builds up to a couple of fortissimo climaxes. Finally, we return to section A (back in D flat major) and is a shorter repeat of what is heard earlier and finishes with a brief coda.
The texture is mostly homophonic, besides two bars towards the end of the piece. In section A, the melody is in the right hand, supported by broken chords in the left hand. In section B the melody is passed to the left hand with repeated quavers in the right hand. The texture is more chordal than section A. In the final section, there is a repeat of the opening texture; however there is a short monophonic passage in the coda.
This particular piece is nicknamed ‘raindrop’ because of the repeated quavers that are heard throughout. It comes from a collection of preludes known as Op. 28, composed in 1839. There are 24 preludes in the collection, one in each of the major and minor keys. It was composed during the Romantic period (1825-1900), when composers began to convey emotions, tell stories and paint pictures through the music, in contrast to when composers focused on form and structure during the Classical period.
The structure of ‘Raindrop’ is in ternary form (separated into sections in the form of ABA). In section A (in D flat major) there is a lyrical melody accompanied by quavers in the bass. This section also has its own ABA structure. In section B (C sharp minor) there is a new melody that is heard in the bass and the quavers are heard above it. The music has moved from major to minor and builds up to a couple of fortissimo climaxes. Finally, we return to section A (back in D flat major) and is a shorter repeat of what is heard earlier and finishes with a brief coda.
The texture is mostly homophonic, besides two bars towards the end of the piece. In section A, the melody is in the right hand, supported by broken chords in the left hand. In section B the melody is passed to the left hand with repeated quavers in the right hand. The texture is more chordal than section A. In the final section, there is a repeat of the opening texture; however there is a short monophonic passage in the coda.
This particular piece is nicknamed ‘raindrop’ because of the repeated quavers that are heard throughout. It comes from a collection of preludes known as Op. 28, composed in 1839. There are 24 preludes in the collection, one in each of the major and minor keys. It was composed during the Romantic period (1825-1900), when composers began to convey emotions, tell stories and paint pictures through the music, in contrast to when composers focused on form and structure during the Classical period.