AOS1 The Raindrop Prelude - Chopin - 1838

Metre

4/4 common time

Rhythm

• Sextuplets and dectuplets
• Quaver based pedal note
• A section melody - dotted notes and syncopation
• B section melody - crotchet movement in melody

Tempo

Rubarto

Dynamics

• Sostenuto and piano mainly
• Sotto voco - ff
• A quiet
• B louder and no crescendo

Accompaniment/Instrumentation

• Piano - cantabile legato and rubarto
• Pedal note - expressive

Texture

• Chordal in B section
• Mainly homophonic, short 2 bars of monophony at end

Harmony and Tonality

D flat major (A sec) - C sharp minor (B sec - enharmonic tonic minor) - D flat major

Melody

• Descending melody in A section - sighing - 4 bar phrases (repeated with variation - 1st A sec)
• B sec - 4 + 8 bar phrases - B melody has a narrow range, uses mainly crotchets, with longer notes in the bass
• Dectuplets

Form/Structure

• Melody dominated homophony to monophony
• Ternary - ABA
• No introduction, but a coda at end.
• All sections are different lengths