Omar Azam

Western Musical Traditions

Oct. 1994

Chopin: Etudes, Op. 25 no.1 and Preludes, Op.28 nos. 1-4

The first piece to be discussed in this analysis is the etude nicknamed ﾒThe Aolean Harp (sp?).ﾓ The name is appropriate because of the harp-like texture created by the hands as they pluck the same notes in an ascending manner, much as a harp player would do with his instrument. In general, the piece is for one pianist, should be played Allegro sostenuto, and is in the key of A-flat major.

The piece begins with theme A, which is a pleasant simple melody played with the pinky of the right hand, set against the backdrop of the ﾒharp,ﾓ which is both hands playing semi-scales to create a wave-like, rolling effect. Theme A climbs chromatically until resolution, and is repeated again. Like Chopinﾕs other etudes, this one follows an ABA form. The B section consists of two sections. The first, B1, extends the range and melody of theme A by playing higher notes. It consists of a simple melody p layed once and repeated at a higher interval. The second section, B2, starts with a melody, rises in volume through a crescendo, repeats the melody, and then rises in a tense, minor progression. This is the emotional climax of the song. The piece settles back into a more relaxed theme A, this time played with minute variation. The ﾒharpﾓ then shows its potential through a few glistening arpeggios achieved by both hands. The sound created therein is unusual for a piano, quite an achievement, and almost cosmic. This brilliant harp finally comes to rest. There is a pause, and the piece ends with a low, comical trill, and finally, a chord.

Chopinﾕs Preludes, Op.28, consist of 24 pieces, but are played in sets. Therefore, by examining the first set, we will really be treating the first four preludes. The first prelude is in a major key, the second is in a minor key, and this pattern continues until all twenty-four are complete.

The first prelude is fast, flowing, and in C major. It is so short that it almost serves as a prelude to the other preludes. It initially involves both hands playing very closely in an ascending pattern of triplets. This texture could be described as ﾒtumbling.ﾓ Then, there is a crescendo, the pattern is embellished, and the range is raised.

The frivolity of the first prelude gives way to the immensely somber second prelude. A minor is the key, and the common time signature makes way for an incessant march of the left hand, always playing quarter notes. The piece is notable for the eerie quality that the left hand conveys: the dissonance is daring for the composer and disturbing for the listener. While the left hand plays this ﾒbell-tollingﾓ accompaniment, the right hand plays a simple melody; the tempo of both is Lento, and this creates an image of a somber march that is dragging behind. The initial section is raised in pitch, and the left hand will pause twice as the right hand, in solitude, continues its plea. There is a pause of both hands, and a major resolution giv es way to the third prelude.

The third prelude is fast and major in tonality. The left hand plays an arpeggio-like, rapid melody that repeats every measure. The right hand accentuates this with chords of two notes. The prelude has a pervasive beat, and portrays images of travelers galloping around, enjoying the countryside (in the manner of M殕lerﾕs Das Wandern!). This bouncing section repeats once more, this time with the right hand emulating the left. The prelude rises into a high pitch and ends.

The fourth prelude is slow, very romantic, and is in the key of E minor. The left hand plays quarter notes that accompany the right handﾕs nostalgic simple melody. Halfway through the piece, the left hand drops out, and the right hand gets louder and presents an episode. This is followed by the original melody, with a few variations: after four measures, there is a very loud climax that tragically fades into a chord, and then a long rest. A series of dark chords finally finds resolution in an E major c hord.

There are common threads to all these works. Obviously, they are all for the piano. Chopin seems to favor a left hand that plays a repeated, sometimes complex pattern, while the right hand plays a powerful yet concise melody. His pieces are difficult, but are economical also. The first etude and the first prelude are similar in that they employ the right hand in accompaniment, not just melody; but this is a departure from the norm. All three pieces in a major key were quite similar in tempo, mood, and ending. And the two minor preludes were both slow without being melodramatic. In fact, the quarter note accompaniment is emotional yet maintains its integrity. The pieces, and Chopin as a composer, are unbelievably creative. The similarities among дhe pieces are just as numerous as the disparities. Chopin makes the hands do things in very different ways from piece to piece. Sometimes the hands are close, if not overlapping, sometimes they never come close. Although he only had one instrument to work with, the diversity of his pieces is remarkable. In many pieces, such as the etudes, he tackled problem after problem on the keyboard. For this reason, his style is sometimes hard to pinpoint, because it may be derived from the technical obstacle he was trying to work with, the mood he was trying to convey, or a combination of these. Because Chopinﾕs instrument was the piano, he had ways of manipulating it that other composers didnﾕt. While Beethovenﾕs piano pieces have something Beethoven-esque about them, this is true to a lesser extent with Chopin. Because of this lack of idiosyncrasy, Chopinﾕs pieces are full of diversity.

Copyright 1994 O.A. Azam