Frédéric Chopin
Prelude (Raindrop)
in D-flat Major, Op. 28 No. 15
This Prelude has been likened to a beautiful dream that turns into an oppressive nightmare. Both moods are accompanied by the same obsessively repeated note, like stubborn raindrops indifferent to human emotion.
Year: 1834
Period: Early Romantic
Piano score: PS Urtext 
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A beautiful dream
Here is a miraculous example of Chopin’s amazing virtuosity in translating human emotions to piano music. Within the rather short piece - even if it is the longest of the preludes - Chopin manages to build up two entirely different atmospheres, using the same obsessively repeated note. The C-sharp minor section begins rather suddenly in measure 28, and with it the piece changes from something peaceful and serene into something much darker. Listeners and music historians have likened it to a beautiful dream that turns into an oppressive nightmare. The feeling of uneasiness present in the middle part is made even stronger by the serene calm and beauty of the first 27 measures. The first theme is reintroduced towards the end of the prelude, giving it a peaceful ending. The repeating A-flat (written as G-sharp in the middle, ominous section) never stops throughout the piece. Interpreters of this piece need to be able to sustain the long melodic lines, balance the different levels of sound, and convey the two contrasting moods convincingly.Background
In her memoirs, George Sand related how one evening she and her son Maurice, returning home in a terrible rainstorm, found a distraught Chopin who told them about a dream he had while sitting at the piano: "He saw himself drowned in a lake. Heavy drops of icy water fell in a regular rhythm on his breast, and when I made him listen to the sound of the drops of water indeed falling in rhythm on the roof, he denied having heard it. He was even angry that I should interpret this in terms of imitative sounds. He protested with all his might – and he was right to – against the childishness of such aural imitations. His genius was filled with the mysterious sounds of nature, but transformed into sublime equivalents in musical thought, and not through slavish imitation of the actual external sounds." Sand did not specify which piece Chopin had played on that occasion, but it has been assumed to be the D-flat major prelude.Forum posts about this piece:
Raindrop Prelude by nina.beatriz
One of my favourite pieces of all time :) www.youtube.com/shorts/ZafMOQ0zFeM Hope you don't mind me sharing my video! Do you perhaps have any tips on how to improve my playing...
Please help me on this question by liszt-and-the-galops
Can you rank these pieces from easiest to hardest? Fantaisie-Impromtu Moonlight Sonata (Movement 1 only) Raindrop Prelude (Chopin's, I'm expecting this to be the easiest.)
classical piano pieces for a beginner? by larrys
I'm not sure what grade I would be classed as because I've never had lessons but I am making my way through Carol Barratt book one and have played a couple of Czerny etudes, albeit with simplified...
Chopin - Prelude op.28 no.15 “Raindrop” / In-depth tutorial by antune
Hi guys, here is my new tutorial on Chopin’s prelude op.28 no.15. In this video, I show and tell about how to approach the piece with separate & both hands. Also, I am telling about phrasing,...
Need help picking repertoire by saba1374
So I am new on piano street and firstly wanted to say hello! I used to play the piano for 7/8 years as a kid and made my way up to grade 8. I then quit ... Quarantine has brought on some good...
would raindrop prelude be good in a hospital? by sumpianodude
would the louder parts be unpleasant for patients? thoughts? edit: will be playing in a lobby with people coming and leaving on a very nice grand piano. Sorry for not including the details...
What piece should I learn next? by johnnypresto
I started playing a year ago and I'm not seeing a teacher (though I plan to start soon), but so far I've managed to learn pieces like For Elise, Canon in D, Bach's Prelude in C and Chopin's...
Sore arm playing octaves by pianocat3
OK I have a lesson wed, but supposed to be working on raindrop prelude, a Chopin piece. The c sharp minor part, lots of that is octaves in the RH, poking some notes periodically in addition to an endlessly...
Chopin's raindrop septuplet by ferron123
Hi, I can play Chopin's Op. 28 No. 15 fairly easily (technically). However, I'm having trouble with the pedaling and the rubato in the septuplets in measures 4, 23 and 79 (the 10 notes, I...
Frustrated with new key c sharp minor by pianocat3
So I will bug my teacher about this too, but right now I'm frustrated. Are these key signatures supposed to become automatic at some point? I am just now learning c sharp minor along with d flat...
Repetoire - grade 5ish by potentialpianist
Hi, I've been playing piano for the last 9 years but only started reading sheet music last year - which was a little stupid of me as I'm now 17 and my grasp of sheet music isn't...
Piano Pieces in the movie "The Pianist" by faa2010
Some piano pieces which appeared in "The Pianist" of Roman Polanski doesn't appear in the soundtrack of the movie. Do you know the name of the pieces which were played when:
Analyzing Raindrop Prelude by allthumbspiano
I'm learning Chopin's Raindrop Prelude and am trying to learn some theory at the same time. I have three questions so far about it, if someone could help that would be great. In measures...
A problematic chord in Chopin's Prelude 15 by klik11
Hello, how am I supposed to play the highlighted chord in here [img]i54.tinypic.com/adi912.png[/img] It's...
Chopin - "raindrop" by rmbarbosa
In Chopin prelude op.28 no 15 (Raindrop), sheet music from pianostreet puts 1 - 2 over the A at the first bar and, at the second bar 5 - 3 over the C. Also, at 3º bar, 5 -4 over F and G. It seems it is...
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Frédéric Chopin, who was one of the prominent composers active in the Early Romantic era, wrote this piece titled "Prelude (Raindrop)"Op. 28 No. 15 in D-flat Major from Preludes. The composition is categorized as "Piece" in the sheet music library and the level of difficulty in the piano music database is 7.