Blogtrek

Dream: Chopin's Prelude in F-sharp Major

Opus 28 Number 13 is a dream. It is a relaxed 3/4 piece with sustained chords suggesting a contented state. The middle section goes into some dreamy harmonies: first into C-sharp major, then into B major, then finally ending on an elusive D-sharp minor/F-sharp major ambiguous chord that does not resolve itself until the final chord. This piece is the last of the sharp key preludes in Opus 28. The next one would be in D-sharp minor, but here Chopin flip-flops into flats into E-flat minor, presumably because the leading tone there would be a natural instead of a double-sharp. The piece reminds me strongly of Chopin's Posthumous Etude Number 2, which is marked by a duple-time bass with bass notes that come up and down in an sine-wave pattern with a 3/4 treble. I call that one "Mercury" because to me it symbolizes the 3/2 pattern of Mercury's rotation and revolution around the Sun. This 3/2 juxtaposition appears also in Opus 28 Number 13, as does the sine-wave bass, in the middle dreamy section. This piece also has some interesting harmonies, such as E natural over E sharp in the middle section, and apparently Chopin at the end wanted to play some chords that are unplayable because they stretch more than a tenth. A good prelude to play just before going to bed. Tomorrow starts the flat preludes.