Chopin Raindrop Prelude essay
Chopin’s piano prelude No. 15 in D flat major (1838)
Melody
There is a cantabile legato playing, singing, smooth style melody. Pedal marks are given to ensure the cantabile legato melodic line. The main tune is characterised by a falling motif which gives the effect of falling raindrops. It was common to represent sadness, melancholy and grief. Chopin fills in an initial leap by the stepwise ascent up to G flat then a stepwise back down to D flat to complete the phrase. In section B there is a chorale like melody with regular (periodic) phrases. The melody is in the right hand/treble part in section A. then in section B starts in the left hand/bass part. There is use of rubato throughout the piece with ornaments in the melody in section A.
Texture
The piece has a homophonic melody and accompaniment. This sounds fuller and robust with added chords. The range of notes is increased as the piece progresses and there is an expressive use of loud and soft pedals. There is a broken chordal accompaniment in section A which changes to a chordal accompaniment in section B. In the codetta the texture changes to monophonic.
Tonality and harmony
Section A is in the key of D flat major whereas section B is in C sharp minor. The piece carries put an enharmonic relationship between notes. In section A there is a continuous repetition of A flats with a dominant note of D flat major. In section B there is a continuous repetition of G sharps with a dominant note of C sharp minor. The last four quavers in the bass line are G sharp, E sharp, F sharp and D sharp and can be read as A flat, F, G flat and E flat whilst in the key of D flat major. There is a ritenuto bar of tonic harmony at bar 88. The final tonic chord is at bar 89. Section A lasts 27 bars in the key of D flat major, section B lasts 47 bars in the key of C sharp minor, the repeat of section A lasts 6 bars in the key of D flat major then finally the codetta lasts 8 bars also in the key of D flat major. The harmony
Melody
There is a cantabile legato playing, singing, smooth style melody. Pedal marks are given to ensure the cantabile legato melodic line. The main tune is characterised by a falling motif which gives the effect of falling raindrops. It was common to represent sadness, melancholy and grief. Chopin fills in an initial leap by the stepwise ascent up to G flat then a stepwise back down to D flat to complete the phrase. In section B there is a chorale like melody with regular (periodic) phrases. The melody is in the right hand/treble part in section A. then in section B starts in the left hand/bass part. There is use of rubato throughout the piece with ornaments in the melody in section A.
Texture
The piece has a homophonic melody and accompaniment. This sounds fuller and robust with added chords. The range of notes is increased as the piece progresses and there is an expressive use of loud and soft pedals. There is a broken chordal accompaniment in section A which changes to a chordal accompaniment in section B. In the codetta the texture changes to monophonic.
Tonality and harmony
Section A is in the key of D flat major whereas section B is in C sharp minor. The piece carries put an enharmonic relationship between notes. In section A there is a continuous repetition of A flats with a dominant note of D flat major. In section B there is a continuous repetition of G sharps with a dominant note of C sharp minor. The last four quavers in the bass line are G sharp, E sharp, F sharp and D sharp and can be read as A flat, F, G flat and E flat whilst in the key of D flat major. There is a ritenuto bar of tonic harmony at bar 88. The final tonic chord is at bar 89. Section A lasts 27 bars in the key of D flat major, section B lasts 47 bars in the key of C sharp minor, the repeat of section A lasts 6 bars in the key of D flat major then finally the codetta lasts 8 bars also in the key of D flat major. The harmony