Chopin Preludes

Chopin's first prelude is welcoming. Being in a Major key (c)and having a simple form suggests a certain amount of accessibility. The The two-note melodic gestures that make up this piece make me think of a visual welcoming gesture. It reminds me specifically of the wrist movement that people use when they are trying to signal someone to 'come here'.Here's a diagram of showing Chopin's use of up-gestures (first note is lower than the second represented as |) and down-gestures (first note is higher than the second -).

Phrase 1: | | | | - - - -
Phrase 2: | | | | | | - | | | | | - - - -
Phrase 3: | - | - - - - -

He uses the up-gestures to increase the intensity and make the melodic line ascend. He uses the down-gestures to decrease the intensity and make the melody descend. The second phrase is the most intense do the the ryhthmic dimunition and length.

Like Chopin's first prelude, I think his fourth one is tied to human emotion and movement. The piece has this repetive two-note motion, which is hardly interesting in itself. This groups hint at the sighing gesture seen in a lot of sad vocal music. This lamentation is fuller seen a a physical, yet subtle, collapse of the body. In this prelude I imagine a sad person lost in this cycle of confusion saying the same thing over and over. Here and there, their is a coherent thought, but the mind inevitably returns to the wandering. Meanwhile, something from the inside is building up. The non-functional chords of the piece represent the chemistry of the body. The slow chromatic descent suggests deepening despair and anguish. Finally it explodes and anger. Once the pain has been realised..suddenly C major! Something is different; something has changed. Yet, the pain is never completely gone.

I find the eighth prelude pretty impressive. Not only because the performer has to play eight notes on every beat, but because of how Chopin tightly constructed the piece. The piece follows a simple rounded binary form.
The first phrase 1-4 is a sentence structure --fragment, repeated fragment, fragment with continuation and cadence.
The second phrase 5-8 has a similar idea but the range is increased to heighten the tension. The developmental phrases consisting of the next ten measures 9-18 is harder to descern. What makes this part exciting is the fact that the performer can decide where to start new phrases. For example, a performer might clearly articulate M. 15 as the start of two two-measure phrases. The performer might not want to suggest anything at all. The return (19-26) increases the intensity of the beginning by reaching an even higher climax into the phrase starting at M. 23. What I find particulary exciting about this piece is the coda 27-34 which is a longer sentence structure: 2 measure fragment, 2 measure fragment, 4 measure fragment and continuation. I love how Chopin plays on tonality in this section. Although the melodic contour has basically vanished, the interesting harmonic surprises make up for any bland qualities. These include the Major quality swith in M. 30 and the minor shift in M. 32.

Prelude 12 is obviously organic in the sense that the same figuration dominates throughout the melodic line. This figuration is built of two-note slurs. They are linked. The second note of each group is generally the same note as the beginning of the next group. This line is textured with bombastic low octaves creating this irape attitude. The speed suggests the rampaging fury. Similar to the prelude previously discussed, the form is rounded binary form. The developmental, unstable section elaborates the two-note slurs into double-thirds and octaves. The prelude is very repetitive: the opening chromatic ascending figure shows up six times. Similar to the previous studied preludes, this piece has a mini-tag on codetta built on featured motives, here fragmented into shorter phrases.

Prelude 18 is a sharp acerbic piece mostly unison arpegiated/ scalar figures with ocassional supported harmonies. The acidic quality is due to the constant use of half-steps, whether it is in the melody or harmony. The eighth-note harmony chords-frequently seen at the end of measures (M. 1-2 for example), have a richly sonorous minor ninth interval. If placed as a minor second the sound would be totally different. The interval and placement on the keyboard (the lower middle-section) allow for that dark, deep resonant sound which Chopin loves to exploit. Here, once again, Chopin shows his close connection to classical forms. Like his other preludes he strives for motific organicism. The whole point of a prelude is to create this effect--take the audience to another world just to catch a glimpse. The mystery and awe of the pieces is enhanced by the brevity. To only show a part, is to allow others to imagine. The creativity of the human mind far surpasses the reality of the mundane.

Prelude 22 is not my favorite. To stick to the pattern, I forced myself to write about this piece. The substance is in short quantity: the left-hand maintains the melody throughout. It is interesting how in the second half (M.18), the two main phrases are broken up (M.24). Chopin achieves this by switching the function of the left-hand part. Now the pattern is harmonic rather than melodic (circle of fifths progression). The form is again rounded-binary. The right-hand serves to establish the harmony and fill in the gaps when the left-hand does not play. The form is boringly classical with no particularly exciting features. I guess Chopin cannot be perfect every time-although you have to give his credit for his craftsmenship.

Just to close things off, though I have to break the pattern, the last Prelude (24) is exotic and grand. The ostinato bass sets up this vehicle for movement. It makes me think of a desert carvan or one of those royal processions: perhaps a king is being carried in a cart, while slaves hold up with two parallel beams. Perhaps a parade of people with a nationalistic unity, this heroic couragous melody. Layering above this is the king looking around. Relatively speaking he is moving with the rest of the procession, yet he is free on his own plane. The slow singing style of the melody suggests this. The unusual switch from B natural to Bb at the end of the first section also hints at exoticism. Perhaps the scene is really a prince on a elephant. The grand sweeping gestures might be the lifting of his hands in a symbolic royal gesture: powerful and purposeful. The last three notes might be the trunk of the elephant smashing the ground. The whole piece is majestic and big; whatever one imagines the mood is clear. This is the end. Lets go out with a bang.