Ap Music Theory
Shoshana Dunner
AP Music Theory
Miss. Evans
May 3rd 2013
Final Project: Prelude in D Flat major Op.28 Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude was composed during the romantic period (1820-1900) and completed in 1839. During the romantic period, most composers portrayed feelings and nature in their work. In addition, they used a wide range of dynamics with lots of sudden changes, using sforzandos and accents, to dramatize their music. The music was more expressive using extra instructions as well as tempo markings like dolce (sweetly) or it could change speeds many times. The use of extra notes was common and made romantic pieces more interesting and created dissonance to help portray emotions. The timbre of the pieces increased as more woodwind and …show more content…
percussion instruments were added as well as more notes to the brass instruments. Such changes created more of a range of texture, timbre and dynamics- piano seemed to be the most important instrument of the time. In Frederic Chopin’s Prelude No.
15 in Db Major, there is only one instrument; the piano. He wrote 28 preludes, one in every key, and this is the only one marked as sostenuto (sustained). This sustained tempo gives the piece a slow, held back tempo and the pedal is frequently used as a result. Generally, this piece is homophonic because it uses melody and accompaniment. The form of this piece is ternary form (ABA). Section A is in Db major and Section B modulates into C# minor- enharmonic equivalents. There is a constant quarter note used in both sections. In section A it is the Ab and in section B is it a G# but those are both the same notes, however they are notated differently because of the key change from Db major of the A section to c# minor of the B section. This repeated pedal note creates a feeling of raindrops, hence the ‘informal’ name of this prelude being the raindrop …show more content…
prelude. With ternary form, we find that there is a contract between the A section and the B section. Section A (measures 1-27) is major, it has quieter notes, and the melody is played in the treble clef with lots of trills and ornaments including a septuplet (measures 4 and 23). The pedal notes are played in the bass clef. The opening of the piece is based on chords I and V, the melody is supported by broken chords and ends on a half cadence (measure 27). Section B (measures 28-75), however, is minor, the texture builds up as the pedal notes are often doubled, the dynamics vary a lot and it is longer than the A section.
The melody is played in the bass clef and the pedal notes are played in the treble clef. The B section modulates to the enharmonic minor of Db major, which is C# minor, and ends on a half cadence (measure 75). The piece then modulates back to Db major for the second A section. The second A section (measures 76-89) of the piece is a repetition of the first A section however, with 10 notes in the ornament (measure 79) instead of seven and it is cut short by the coda. The coda has the highest note of the piece (measure 81-82) and it is not accompanied by a raindrop quarter note. After the highest note, the raindrops quietly return but the piece ends very slowly, as if dying away. The coda is monophonic and ends on a perfect authentic cadence, making the prelude its most final sounding. As you can see, this piece is very tragic. Frederic Chopin used ternary form and the raindrop-like sounds for a reason. The piece is a process starting with a few drops of rain, turning into a storm and finally calming down slowly back to a few raindrops, where the highest note of the piece represents the sun, perhaps, peaking through the clouds to give us a sense that the piece is about to
end. When Chopin was stuck at home one night because of a heavy rainstorm, he composed this piece while waiting for someone to come and visit him. The raindrops by the windowsill must have had an effect on his piece and as he composed this piece, he input the raindrop-like quarter notes. Chopin was known for being a tragic composer in his time. He was born in Poland in the year 1810 and lots of his music is a reflection of polish folk music and dance rhythms. He died in Paris 1849. Before moving to Paris, he made a name for himself in Vienna and as well as composing, he performed and taught music.
AP Music Theory
Miss. Evans
May 3rd 2013
Final Project: Prelude in D Flat major Op.28 Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude was composed during the romantic period (1820-1900) and completed in 1839. During the romantic period, most composers portrayed feelings and nature in their work. In addition, they used a wide range of dynamics with lots of sudden changes, using sforzandos and accents, to dramatize their music. The music was more expressive using extra instructions as well as tempo markings like dolce (sweetly) or it could change speeds many times. The use of extra notes was common and made romantic pieces more interesting and created dissonance to help portray emotions. The timbre of the pieces increased as more woodwind and …show more content…
percussion instruments were added as well as more notes to the brass instruments. Such changes created more of a range of texture, timbre and dynamics- piano seemed to be the most important instrument of the time. In Frederic Chopin’s Prelude No.
15 in Db Major, there is only one instrument; the piano. He wrote 28 preludes, one in every key, and this is the only one marked as sostenuto (sustained). This sustained tempo gives the piece a slow, held back tempo and the pedal is frequently used as a result. Generally, this piece is homophonic because it uses melody and accompaniment. The form of this piece is ternary form (ABA). Section A is in Db major and Section B modulates into C# minor- enharmonic equivalents. There is a constant quarter note used in both sections. In section A it is the Ab and in section B is it a G# but those are both the same notes, however they are notated differently because of the key change from Db major of the A section to c# minor of the B section. This repeated pedal note creates a feeling of raindrops, hence the ‘informal’ name of this prelude being the raindrop …show more content…
prelude. With ternary form, we find that there is a contract between the A section and the B section. Section A (measures 1-27) is major, it has quieter notes, and the melody is played in the treble clef with lots of trills and ornaments including a septuplet (measures 4 and 23). The pedal notes are played in the bass clef. The opening of the piece is based on chords I and V, the melody is supported by broken chords and ends on a half cadence (measure 27). Section B (measures 28-75), however, is minor, the texture builds up as the pedal notes are often doubled, the dynamics vary a lot and it is longer than the A section.
The melody is played in the bass clef and the pedal notes are played in the treble clef. The B section modulates to the enharmonic minor of Db major, which is C# minor, and ends on a half cadence (measure 75). The piece then modulates back to Db major for the second A section. The second A section (measures 76-89) of the piece is a repetition of the first A section however, with 10 notes in the ornament (measure 79) instead of seven and it is cut short by the coda. The coda has the highest note of the piece (measure 81-82) and it is not accompanied by a raindrop quarter note. After the highest note, the raindrops quietly return but the piece ends very slowly, as if dying away. The coda is monophonic and ends on a perfect authentic cadence, making the prelude its most final sounding. As you can see, this piece is very tragic. Frederic Chopin used ternary form and the raindrop-like sounds for a reason. The piece is a process starting with a few drops of rain, turning into a storm and finally calming down slowly back to a few raindrops, where the highest note of the piece represents the sun, perhaps, peaking through the clouds to give us a sense that the piece is about to
end. When Chopin was stuck at home one night because of a heavy rainstorm, he composed this piece while waiting for someone to come and visit him. The raindrops by the windowsill must have had an effect on his piece and as he composed this piece, he input the raindrop-like quarter notes. Chopin was known for being a tragic composer in his time. He was born in Poland in the year 1810 and lots of his music is a reflection of polish folk music and dance rhythms. He died in Paris 1849. Before moving to Paris, he made a name for himself in Vienna and as well as composing, he performed and taught music.