Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Chopin Prelude: Op 28 No 6 (I think)

Well, I think that this is the right number anyways. (This is the funneral sounding one) Anyways does anyone out there have any tips for me while I learn this short song.

That one sounds more like rain to me... are you thinking of the C Minor prelude, No. 20, with all the big chords?

For #6, I'd suggest really bringing out the top notes, which are repeated. Those, to me, evoke rain and should be heard constantly apart from the rest of the music. It's as if you're inside playing the piano, and at the same time, constantly, you hear the patter of rain on the roof above you. This is not the one that's usually called "Raindrop Prelude" (that's #15), but, to my ear, it sounds just as "raindroppy" as the other.

Lets see how long it takes before the song police show up...

Actually, I have to disagree with PJ's advice - to me the most important thing to bring out is the left hand melody. The repeated notes in the RH do need to be properly phrased, and I like PJ's suggestion of rain, or dripping, but it needs to be subordinate to the LH melody. My teacher always told me to think of the LH as being a cello and the RH being a light piano accompaniment.

If it's the b minor prelude then I agree with 8ude - the right hand repeated notes should definitely be subordinate to the melody. I have an edition which says the repeated notes should be played 'bebung', although I don't think that's really possible on a piano since there's no way to influence the vibration of the string via the key once it's struck. The notes said that the 2nd note of each pair should be only barely sounded.

If it's the C minor one - this is one of my all time favourite piano pieces (and not because Barry Manilow did a version). I even had a sweater with the first bar embroidered onto it. Check each chord individually to make sure you are playing all the right notes. Then make sure you can move smoothly from one chord to the other. Practice those transitions which are difficult. Once you've got all the notes under your fingers you can play with bringing out various notes, in particular the inner parts in the right hand in the final 4 bars.

Jeez, I thought he must be talking about Op. 28, No. 4. Isn't that the one that was played at Chopin's funeral?

Perhaps we should hold further advice until the original poster identifies the Prelude in question. "Funneral [sic!] sounding one" doesn't help.

As for "song", 8ude, I really am biting my tongue!

Regards,

I hope pretty soon.

I think No 2 was played at his funeral.

Actually, I agree with you. The melody is what people will -- and should -- hear above all.

My concern, however, is that the top line of repeated notes would get buried in the chords, and not be heard as a separate voice. It requires a special technique of playing slightly louder with the pinky, and slightly softer with the rest of the fingers, which we all must learn how to do at some point in order to play many different pieces more beautifully. That top line of repeated notes creates a certain mood -- a certain background to the melody that, while not overwhelming the melody, must still have it's own effective presence. It doesn't quite have that presence when melded to the other right hand notes.

I don't know whether it's accurate (I wasn't there), but wikipedia reports:

"The funeral was held on October 30, 1849, attended by nearly three thousand people. The soloists in the Requiem included the bass Luigi Lablache, who had sung the same work at the funeral of Beethoven and had also sung at the funeral of Vincenzo Bellini. Also played were Chopin's preludes no. 4 in E minor and no. 6 in B minor."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopin

Gee, Washington P, are you from Arlington (thought that was in Oregon), anyway, I am from Walla Walla - went to Whitman...

I don't see no song. But yes, both the E minor and B minor Preludes were played at Chopin's funeral, on the organ I believe. I think his Funeral March from the Second Sonata was played as well.

They didn't play none of them tunes on a pianer?

My guess would be that these pieces were played on the organ, since that was the instrument that was considered appropriate for church at the time.

The piano was not used in church until much later. Some Lutheran and Anglican churches still use only the organ.