One of Chopin’s most famous préludes, this sombre and emotional piece requires sensitivity and tonal shading.

One of Chopin's most famous préludes, this sombre and emotional piece requires sensitivity and tonal shading

 

Teacher and performer Janet Newman shows you how it's done

 

Ability rating Intermediate

 

Info

Key E minor

Tempo Largo

Style Romantic

 

Will improve your

Singing tone

Chord control

Phrasing

 

 

 

 

Learning Tip: Singing the melody will give you a feel for the natural phrasing – but take deep breaths!

 

The 24 Préludes opus 28 are among the most remarkable pieces that Chopin composed.

He wrote most of the set in Valldemossa in Majorca, Spain, in the winter of 1838-39 where he went with George Sands and her children to enjoy a warmer, healthier climate. All of the préludes are short, concise and to the point – and came in for criticism at the time from some who claimed them to be only sketches of ideas and not fully realised works. However, as time passed, the préludes’ full beauty and importance within the canon of Chopin’s compositions became completely assured.

 

Like Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues, Chopin’s préludes are in every key.

Unlike Bach, Chopin used the circle of fifths for the major keys and then interspersed each with one in the relative minor – the first is in C major, the second in A minor, the third in G major, this one, the fourth, is in E minor, and so on. It is really extraordinary that the préludes are so short (No 9 is only 12 bars long and the longest is only just 90 bars) as they feel entirely organic and complete, and each one has a distinct musical identity that is unique to that piece, even though they work as a complete cycle too. Chopin says so much with each piece and he also makes demands of the pianist in very many ways, ranging from the extreme difficulty of the 16th Prélude in B flat minor to the deceptively simple A major Prélude (No 7). The prélude that we will be looking at in this ‘How to Play’ is one of the ‘easy’ pieces, but as you will see, it is by no means without some challenges!

 

This prélude, along with the Sixth Prélude, was played at Chopin’s funeral.

I think this gives us a very clear idea of the mood and tone of the music. Sombre, withdrawn and tragic, this prélude is deeply emotional, and calls for a great deal of sensitivity and tonal shading. As with all slow cantabile pieces, one of the challenges is how to keep the music moving, especially the long, sustained right hand (RH). You need to have an awareness of line at all times. It will help to practise the RH alone at first, making sure that you grade the tone, especially after any of the long dotted minim notes. There is always the potential for bumping on the successive crotchets, so try to keep your hand free and flexible without stiffness in the wrist and pick up the finger prior to playing. I remember being told to ‘stroke’ the key, as that is a way to help avoid any percussive attack and it is also a useful way to visualise the approach to each note.

 

 

 

Take your time with the phrase in bar 12 and let the RH chromaticism speak.

This is an extremely tender, fragile moment, and a small ritardando is essential. Likewise, at bar 16, feel the music moving ahead (as implied by the marking ‘stretto’) as this is the climax of the piece. The feeling of repression we’ve had with the music so far breaks free here, but only for a very short time, so it needs to have a powerful shape and definition. As I mentioned before, although the préludes are essentially miniatures in terms of bar lengths, they contain an enormous amount of musical depth and human experience within that length, and everything that happens within them needs time to be expressed.

 

It seems to me that the whole of this piece is about a ‘falling away’.

Not only the melody but also the chordal accompaniment is constantly descending chromatically – there is almost no upward movement at all. The lack of upward movement is beautifully expressed in the left hand (LH), and knowing this will also help you from a practical point of view in being able to learn the chord structure quickly and accurately. Firstly, stick to the fingering, whether it is the one suggested in the score given or one that you are comfortable with. Learn each chord shape simply by playing only one of each of the changes. For example, in the first bar, play only one chord (G-B-E), in the second bar, two (F sharp-A-E, then F sharp-A-D sharp) and so on. This way, you can learn the chord progressions quickly without tiring your hand with excessive repetitions. Do this until bar 12 and then stop. Go back to the beginning and start the chords again, but this time leave out the thumb in each chord. This will help you to develop a much more reliable and strong muscle memory of the shapes. We tend to rely on the thumb when playing and so if you take it away, the rest of the hand has to work harder which eventually gives you an enormous awareness of what each finger is doing in the chords, and not just a vague idea of the geography under the hand!

 

If you are really struggling to find each new position, try playing only the top two parts (i.e. leave out the fifth finger).

I’d be surprised if you still found this a problem. It does take time though, so do this kind of practising in small amounts but often.

 

My pupils can find it problematic to get from the bass B octave to the next quaver chord within time in bar 17.

If you have this problem, I suggest that you try and firstly make it harder by doubling the leap. Place the bass octave one octave below what is written, but still try to get to the chord on time. You could also practise by leaving out the thumb of the second quaver chord just to make it even more difficult! Then, when you go back to the original position, you should find that this has sorted out the problem.

 

In the last two bars, take as much time as feels right.

These are the dying breaths of the piece and you only need to put a little extra colour on the top melody notes (E-D sharp-E) to give the grief and poignancy of the music full weight. If you’ve loved trying this Prélude, do look at some of the other smaller works, and even the famous No 15 D flat major (‘Raindrop’) will benefit from some of the techniques you’ve explored here.