Chopin “Prelude no. 15 in Db Major, Op. 28 (‘Raindrop’)”

Analysis

Form

•   This 89-bar piece is in a simple ternary form, with the A sections in the key of Db minor, and the central B section in the tonic minor, enharmonically changed to C# minor.
•   However, this ternary form is unbalanced, as the final A section is significantly shorter than the other sections and operates as little more than an extended coda.
•   The opening A section has a ternary structure of its own.
•   The piece is also unified by the incessantly repeating pedal note (Ab in the A sections, enharmonically changed to G# in the B sections), which is likely to be the rhythmic patter of the raindrops falling on Chopin‟s roof as he composed the piece.

  Melody

•   The opening theme, like Handel‟s, begins with a key-defining triad followed by a scale, though Chopin‟s triad falls and his scale rises and then falls, perhaps to add to the melancholy mood of the piece or to further signify the raindrops.
•   As a throwback to the Classical era, this opening theme is regularly phrased.
•   A second theme begins in bar 8 – another simple, sad, stepwise melody. This one is varied when it is repeated, and does not return in the final A section.
•   As the first theme returns, there is more decoration with septuplets and acciaccaturas. This is very typical of Chopin‟s piano style.
•   The B section melody is played in the left hand and is very foreboding and not particularly lyrical. The incessant raindrops almost dominate in this dark section.
•   In the short reprise of section A, the melody is broken off by the sudden interruption of a cadenza-like passage for just the right hand. Rhythm

•   The dominating rhythm is the repeating quavers of the „raindrops‟, which keep the music going despite this relatively slow tempo.
•   One aspect of rhythm that was important in Romantic music was the application of rubato, where the performer was encouraged to be flexible with the tempo in order to allow the music to „breathe‟.

  Harmony and tonality

•   The inner parts tend to support the melodies with thirds and sixths, and the harmony is often simple and diatonic, using mainly tonic and dominant seventh chords, with the occasional added ninth (e.g. bar 3, beat 2).
•   Perfect cadences continue to provide closure at important points, showing that functional tonality still applies in this early part of the Romantic period.
•   Some chromaticism appears in the second theme, and becomes more apparent in the minor key B section, along with other „melancholy‟ devices such as appoggiaturas and suspensions.
•   Other than the move to the tonic minor, modulations tend to be quite short lived, apart from the move to Ab minor and then Bb minor in the second theme. Chopin modulates by using pivot notes.
•   Pedal notes are a big feature of this piece, usually dominant pedals, and sometimes inverted (i.e. in the top part).

  Texture and piano writing

•   Chopin was a master of writing for the piano, and brings out many aspects of the instrument‟s expressive qualities, such as the use of the lower register in the middle section, and the use of the pedal. He also exploits the piano‟s ability to bring out the melody whilst keeping inner parts quieter („sotto voce‟ is a favourite instruction of Chopin‟s!).
•   The texture throughout is quite full, with three or four parts going on, and the middle of the B section is both loud and very full-textured, providing a tense and powerful climax to the piece.
•   However, Chopin also brings in stark contrasts, and frequently reduces the texture to just one or two notes.

  It is also worth drawing attention to the large number of performance instructions in this piece, ranging from dynamics, articulation and phrasing to detailed pedaling and words such as „smorzando‟. Chopin was quite precise in indicating what he wanted – a far cry from Handel‟s score.

  Section A questions

  Once again, any 30-60 second portion of the music can suffice. Questions might be something like:

1. Complete the melody in bar x.
2. What cadence can be heard in bar x?
3. What features of Romantic music can be heard in this extract?
4. How does Chopin communicate a mood of sadness in this extract?
5. What examples are there in this extract of expressive writing for the piano?
6. What is the key in bar(s) x?

Section B questions

The short answer questions are likely to be about the time or period of composition, the circumstances surrounding the composition or its acquisition of the name „Raindrop‟, or something about Chopin‟s compositions for the piano or what the name Prelude means.

The long answer question will either ask you to show how this is a typical Romantic piece, or encourage you to comment on the way Chopin uses musical elements in the Prelude, but either way a good knowledge of the chief points pertaining to each element will stand you in good stead. There is a model answer on this very piece at the end of this pack.