Chopin Raindrop Prelude

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Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude was composed in Majorca in 1838. Chopin meant for this piece to be played at home, in a salon or a small concert hall. The Raindrop Prelude is romantic. The structure of this piece is A B A ternary form (A B A codetta). There is a disproportionately long B section then a shortened return of A section. The coda has new melodic idea A and B section have repeat pedal. At the end of the piece, there is a short codetta. Raindrop Prelude has a rounded binary. The only instrument in the prelude is a piano where the A section uses middle range of piano, and the B section uses lower, bass range. The piece is not too virtuoso and it uses a sustaining pedal, rubato, and has dynamic changes. In this piece, there are Cantabile melody lines. It has lyrical/legato/elegant melody. There is a falling motif and regular (periodic) phrases. It has chorale like melody in Section B (legato cantabile). In Section A, the melody is in the right hand (treble part). The melody starts in left hand (bass) in Section B then moves back to the right hand. Chopin uses ornaments in the Section A melody and uses rubato. Section A is major (Db) and Section B is minor (C#). They have an enharmonic relationship. The piece is largely diatonic and uses some chromatic notes. There are suspensions in B section. The dynamics vary from pp-ff with many crescendos and diminuendos. The dynamics are soft throughout A section whereas B section’s dynamics start soft (sotto voce) then it crescendos to ff. There is a use of Smorzando towards the end and it ends softly (p). The texture uses broken chordal accompaniment in A section, and chordal accompaniment in B section. Chopin plays octaves in the right hand in B section. There is an expressive use of loud and soft pedals. The piece is Homophonic. And texture is monophonic in codetta. In the A section, there are steady quavers in
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