Chopin Analysis

Background to the Preludes

‘Raindrop’ belongs to a set of 24 preludes (1835-1838)

Prelude: Opening piece that sets a particular mood. We expect it to be followed by something else.

Works were criticized for a lack of recognizable structure and their shortness

Shortest: 13 bars long

Longest: 90

The Raindrop prelude was written during Chopin’s period of recuperation in a deserted monastery in Majorca. It was written during a storm and was inspired by the raindrops dripping from the roof

Form and StructureABA (loosely)

3 unbalanced sections

Piece is dominated by the middle section

Mood is dark, stormy with melody in left hand

And yet the piece is remembered for the beautiful melody in section A!

Section Key Length

A (1-27) Db Major 27 Bars

B (28-75) C# Minor 47 Bars

C (75-81) Db Major 6 Bars

Codetta (81-89) Db Major 8 Bars

Keyboard Techniques usedModerate playing standard

Not a very large range

Straight forward rhythms

Cantiable legato playing

Careful expressive use of pedals

Use of rubato playing

Section A: Key pointsMarked sostenuto (sustained)

Whole section is marked piano (p)

Right hand has melody throughout in regular 4 bar phrases (except 16-17 and 18-19 which are 2 bar phrases)

Simple left hand quaver accompaniment with repeated ‘raindrop’ Ab’s

Texture: Melody dominated homophony

Detailed pedal markings help keep cantiable melody line

Section A: Bars 1-8Falling raindrops theme: F-Db-Ab characterize the

melody

Inner part provides harmonic support to the melody

Simple diatonic harmony using mainly chords I and V

Phrase ends with a perfect cadence at bar 4

Ornamentation: Turn, acciaccatura (bar 4, semiquaver run)

Bars 5-8: Repeat of bars 1-4

Section A: Bars 8-12Second part of the theme is heard

Simple stepwise melody

Notice the odd Cb chromatic note in bar 9 that adds colour to the harmony

G in bar 11 modulates the music to Ab major

Perfect cadence in Ab at bars 11-12

Section A: Bars 12-16Slight variation on the previous 4 bar phrase

Lots of different key changes in this section, using pivot chords

Ab minor, Bb minor

Music is chromatic and modulates, unlike bars 1-8

Section A: Bars 16-23Two sets of 2 bar phrases based on the second

part of the theme

Links to the 3rd hearing of the main melody

Inner part of left hand provides chordal support to the melody, filling out the musical texture

Second 3 bar phrase takes us back to Db major

20-23: Opening melody heard again, ending with a chromatic sextuplet figure

Section A: Bars 24-27Sextuplet figure leads to another statement of the

opening idea

It’s Left hanging on a V7 chord at bar 27

Repeated Ab’s taken over by right hand

Right hand becomes the accompaniment and the left now has the melody line in the bass

Ab now changes character and becomes G#

This is the dominant note of C# minor, leading to section B

Key QuestionsSection A is marked Sostenuto. What does this mean?

How are the raindrops depicted?

What is the texture of this section?

What does cantiable mean?

What’s the main difference between bars 12-16 different from bars 1-8?

What does chromatic sextuplet mean?

What happens to the repeated Ab’s at the end of section A?

Section B (28-75)Lengthy and dramatic section

Melodic interest is mainly in the left hand, with the right hand playing lots of G#s (raindrops)

The raindrops in this section are stormier and feel more regular and repeating

Raindrops stand out as the G# is played in octaves at the top of the musical texture (Right hand) [eg 35-39]

60-75: Right hand takes melody part

Musical texture is homophonic but with much fuller chords and the use of octaves in both hands

Section B (28-75)Section starts quietly (sotto voce- undertone or

whisper) but builds to ff and a bright sounding E major at bar 40

Builds again at bar 51-56

Rest of section at a lower dynamic level

Section B 28-35Two 4-bar phrases with a chorale like crotchet

melody in left hand part

Both phrases end on chord 5, but middle note is left out (what is this called?)

Octave G#s added at bar 35

Section B 35-39Repetition of 28-31

Right hand doubles the top notes of the left hand in octaves

This produces a thicker texture and reinforces the melody as the music crescendos to ff at bar 40

Section B 40-43Sad mood is broken by dramatic chord of E major

These 4 bars are in the key of G# minor, so E major is chord 6 in this key

Perfect cadence at bars 42-43

Strong and powerful 4 bars of music with octaves in both hands and accents over the chords

Minim notes provide a strong chordal outline to the melody

Texture then reduces dramatically to single, piano G#’s

Section B 44-59Repeat of bars 28-43

With slight dynamic changes

Bar 59: Repeat G#s are an octave higher

Section B 60-63Back in C# minor

Melody moves to the top of the texture and is chorale like again

Melody is similar to ideas from bars 30-31, but with longer note values (minims instead of crotchets) [augmentation]

Repeated G#’s are now in the middle of the texture

Section B 64-70Static chords of V-I forming a series of perfect cadences

Repeated minims and crotchets on G# form a pedal effect

As G# is chord 5 in C# major, its called a dominant pedal

Because the pedal is in the top part of the music, its called an inverted dominant pedal

If the pedal was in the middle of the texture, it would be called an inner pedal

68-70: Repeat of bars 60-62

Section B 71-75Forte passage

Bar 71:F# minor, then back to C# minor in bar 72

Above the V-I bass there are 3 repetitions of the notes A# A# G#. This creates an added 6th chord (C# E G# A#)

Feeling of anticipation as the repeated G#s want to lead back to section A

Bar 75: link into a repeat of the opening melody

G# E# F# D# in the bass can be read harmonically as Ab F Gb Eb in the key of D major

Key Questions on Section B

Where is the melody mostly heard in this section?

How are the repeated raindrop notes different in this section?

How do the raindrop notes stand out?

What is the texture of this section?

How are dynamics used in this section?

What is an inverted dominant pedal?

Bars 23-43 are repeated, but with what changes?

What is augmentation?

How does section B link back to section A?

Section A1: 76-81Bars 1-4 heard piano

Ornament at bar 79 is extended into a 10 note figure

Smorzando (dying away) bar 79

80-81: broken off repeat off the opening figure. Has a dream like effect of fading away into the coda section

Codetta: 81(last beat)-8981-83: Listener is made to jump with the forte top Bb

This is the highest note in the piece

2 bar phrase then descends in dynamics and pitch

84-89: Six bar phrase based on chords I and V

Repeated Ab’s heard in middle of the texture (left hand)

Melodic line also in the middle (right hand) and is similar to that heard in bars 60-62

Piece ends pianissimo with a perfect cadence

Key questions on Section A1 and codetta

What does smorzando mean?

What effect does the broken off figure have in bar 81?

What makes the listener jump in bar 81?

How does the piece end?

Listening and Appraising questions

1. Why is the prelude nicknamed the raindrop?

2. Name 4 different subjects favored for musical expression by romantic composers

3. What type of piece is a prelude?

4. Describe the basic outline and structure of this piece

5. How are contrasting moods achieved in sections A and B?

6. Name 2 keyboard technique used in the music

7. Name the 2 main keys used in this piece

8. Which note is used throughout the piece as a representation of falling raindrops?

9. Name 2 different ornaments used in the music

10. What name is given to the main texture of this piece?