Prelude in Op. 28, No. 21

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

   A long song receives a falling answer

   The upper melody floats over changing lower groups before a more active descent. Hear the contrast in their phrase lengths.

2. 2

   The chordal song returns over changed support

   A familiar chordal contour is written again above different lower movement. Listen for the relationship through the changed foundation.

3. 3

   Falling groups lead to cadential answers

   Paired descents connect to closing responses. Hear their larger direction rather than separate equal accents.

4. 4

   Overlapping song extends into final chords

   The quieter closing melody continues above cross-staff support. Listen to the simultaneous layers settle into held harmony.

How to practise it

Keep a sustained singing line above changing harmony

1. Keep the long melody audible
2. Read the changing chord tones rather than repeating a shape

How hard is it

About this piece

Collection

The prelude gallery

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0

Source

mutopiaproject.org

Credit

“Prélude 21” by F. F. Chopin (1810 to 1849). Mutopia edition maintained by Knute Snortum. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2195. 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