GCSE Music: chopin prelude no 15 in d flat minor (raindrop prelude)

analysis

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the romantic period

1810- 1910

features of romantic music:

-romantic music is emotional and expresive opposed to clasical music that is balanced and serious

- melodys are long and flowing

- bigger range of intruments (larger orchestra) means that the textures are much thicker

- dynamic and expresive markings become bery important

- harmonys become more chromatic

-written for very skilled perfomers to really show off thier skills.

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raindrop prelude

background info: writen in the 19th centuary

There were 24 preludes in chopins op 28

- ternary form

section A   -   section B   -  section A  - coda

Db major- C sharp minorDb majormajor

                  (tonic minor)   (repeat)

27 bars-------47 bars---------6 bars-----8 bars

it is called the raindrop prelude because of the repeated Ab quavers (which change to G# when key changes to C# minor) They are played all the way through the piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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melody

MELODY-

-beggining (bar 3) has a harmonised  (doubled) melody in 6ths

-section b forms a dominant pedal by playing the repeated G# in the melody aswell as the repeated quavers.

-medloy moves to the left hand when G# are being played in section B

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structure

STRUCTURE:

-ternary form

- contrasting B section

- sections are unbalanced

section A- Db major

section B- C# minor- longest section

section A- Db major-repeats 1st section of section A,but uses more chromatic notes.

Coda- Db major

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tonality/ Harmony

HARMONY/ TONALITY:

- repeated Ab provide harmonic support

- chromatic note Cb appears to addd 'colour'

-

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texture

TEXTURE:

-section A is dominantly homophonic

- Repeated G# are in octaves giving a thicker texture.

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dynamic

DYNAMICS:

section B builds up graduadly then drops down again to p then builds up again to ff

Coda starts f then drops down to p and the last two bars are pp (diminuendo)

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