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Romantic · prelude

Prelude in Op. 28, No. 16

Frédéric Chopin · Level 10, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A prelude in a collection shaped over several years. Prelude in Op. 28, No. 16 is a prelude by Frédéric Chopin from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 10, an estimate.

On this page
  • prelude
  • Romantic
  • stormy

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

What to listen for

  1. A chordal fall introduces the fast texture

    Six upper chords descend within the opening unit. Hear their preparation for the continuous running passage, not an extra pickup.

  2. Changing figures prepare a written return

    Related running groups change before the opening fast material comes back. Follow their direction through the detached lower support.

  3. Chromatic runs meet chordal bass arrivals

    The continuation changes colour while the lower sound becomes more chordal. Hear both layers within the growing texture.

  4. A shared ascent reaches short closing chords

    The last upper and lower rise leads to compact arrivals. Hear the running motion gather into the final release.

How to practise it

Prepare the fast sixteenth run and its lower eighth-note gaps after the introduction.

  1. Practise the first four notes, the lower turn and the ascent as distinct cells, then connect their boundaries.
  2. Practise the four-event lower cell with a silent third event; add one upper cell without filling the rest.

How hard is it

Level 10, estimated

Very rapid passagework with demanding accompaniment requires virtuoso coordination, endurance and accuracy.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Frédéric Chopin, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
The prelude gallery
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
Source
mutopiaproject.org
Credit
“Prélude 16” by F. F. Chopin (1810 to 1849). Mutopia edition maintained by Knute Snortum. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2176. 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. Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Prepare the fast sixteenth run and its lower eighth-note gaps after the introduction.

Practise it in PlayPiano