Frédéric Chopin · Romanticism
1810–1849
1839 · Piano alone · Valldemossa (Mallorca)
Tonality
Without a unique tone. The twenty-four preludes go through all the major and minor tones.
From the atril
Following the example of The well-tempered key of Bach, which he admired so much, Chopin wrote twenty-four preludes, one in each greater and lesser tone, ordered by the circle of fifths. He finished them during the winter he spent with George Sand on the Valldemossa Cartel in Mallorca, sick and with a local piano of poor quality while waiting for his.
For the pianist, there are twenty-four miniatures, some of a few bars, which form a large cycle. There are preludes of a single idea, flashing, and longer and more melancholic. # 4, in my minor, is a desolate melody on chords that come down slowly; it was played at the Chopin funeral. # 7 lasts less than a minute and it's pure grace. # 15, nicknamed «Water drop», repeats a stubborn note throughout the piece, like rain on the roof. And the last, in a minor re, ends with three serious notes, like a blow to fate.
What to hear
- # 4 on my minor.
- # 15, «Water drop».
- # 24, with its three final notes.
