Prelude, Op. 28, No. 1 (Chopin)
The Prelude, Op. 28, No. 1, played on the piano, is the first of Chopin's preludes. It was published in 1839 and dedicated to Camille Pleyel.[1] Pianist Vladimir de Pachmann noted this prelude as "The first one is in a style that reminds one very forcibly of Schumann."[1]
Analysis
Marked Agitato ("agitated") and in the key of C major, this prelude is in 2
8 time. This prelude lasts from about 40 seconds to one minute and is a mere 34 bars (or measures) long.[2] This prelude consists of 8-bar phrases with a coda in the end of the piece and consists of arpeggios with four-part harmony. From bars 16–20, a stretto is listed in the English and French first editions of the piece, which means increase the tempo in the , though this is not written in the Italian first edition.[2][3][4] Throughout the piece, the piece shifts out of C major but doesn't modulate to a different key.[5] According to Marilyn Anne Meier, an Australian concert pianist, the prelude should be played "…by playing the semiquavers intensely legato, not articulated and separated.[5]"
Name
Chopin did not publish any textual names for his preludes[2] However, later pianists Alfred Cortot and Hans von Bülow created nicknames for this piece, Cortot naming this "Feverish anticipation of loved ones" and Bülow naming this "Reunion".
References
- "Preludes". Chopin Music. Chopin Music. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- "Preludes pour le Piano". Chopin First Editions Online. Breitkopf and Haertel. 1839. p. 2. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- "Vingt-quatre Préludes pour le Piano". Chopin First Editions Online. Breitkopf and Haertel. 1839. p. 2. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- "Twenty Four Grand Preludes, through all Keys, for the Piano Forte, Op. 28". Chopin First Editions Online. Breitkopf and Haertel. 1839. p. 2. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- Meier, Marilyn Anne (1993). Chopin Twenty-Four Preludes Opus 28 (1 ed.). University of Wollongong: School of Creative Arts. pp. 73–7. Retrieved 30 July 2016.