Blogtrek

Blogtrek

2003/05/17

Throbbing: Chopin's Prelude in E-flat Minor

Opus 28 Number 14 is the first of Chopin's Opus 28 preludes in a flat key. It seems simple enough. The right and left hand parts are identical, except an octave apart. I was going to say treble and bass parts, but almost all the way through the piece, both parts are bass. So this prelude grumbles. It is relatively easy to learn, since you do the same thing with your left and right hands. Some of the notes are tricky to read, especially when a D natural greets you after an F-flat major chord. Shouldn't that be an E double-flat? But the hardest thing to get is the dynamics. Follow the crescendos and diminuendos carefully. The song is a continuous rise from soft to loud to soft to loud, giving it a throbbing feel, like a pain from an injury; hence the name. The piece keeps on going with the eighth notes non-stop until thump, it ends with a concluding octave E-flat. Not a good prelude to listen to if you hurt somewhere.

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