Prelude in Op. 28, No. 1

History

PTNA's account places the beginnings of some Op. 28 preludes around 1836 and reports completion of the collection in Mallorca in 1838. The autograph collection was sent to Paris in January 1839, and publication followed in 1839. This is a history of the set, not evidence that every prelude began on the island.

Sources

• enc.piano.or.jp
• repozytorium.nifc.pl

What to listen for

1. 1

   Rising cells overlap falling fragments

   Small rising figures interweave with lower descents and held inner tones. Hear their separate directions within the quick texture.

2. 2

   Higher cells expand into quintuplet groups

   The later rising figures begin higher and grow thicker. Follow the connected shape through the changing local groups.

3. 3

   Repeated upper C receives inner movement

   Four upper C responses recur while the inner line continues. Hear the changing layer beneath the repeated sound.

4. 4

   Overlapping ties settle into held harmony

   The final voices remain connected through ties before the last chord. Hear their convergence rather than a separate attack for every layer.

How to practise it

Follow the rhythmic layers across the staff changes

1. Keep the underlying subdivision
2. Read the support as separate layers

How hard is it

About this piece

Collection

The prelude gallery

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0

Source

mutopiaproject.org

Credit

“Prelude: Op. 28, No. 1” by F. F. Chopin (1810 to 1849). Mutopia edition maintained by Donald Axel. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=411. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Changes to the supplied file: none; any later conversion or edit must be disclosed separately.

More by Frédéric Chopin

1. 1Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
2. 2Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
3. 3Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro