Description
The twenty-fourth and final prelude of Op. 28. The set passes through all twenty-four keys, alternating major and minor, and arrives at last in D minor. Schumann described the collection as ruins, eagle feathers and wild confusion, and the words fit the finale best of all.
In D minor and 6/8, the left hand holds a widely leaping figure from first bar to last while the right piles violent runs and chords above it. The writing spans more than six octaves, with over 1,400 notes in under two minutes. At the end the lowest D is struck three times and the whole cycle is cut off.
Its demands are varied even for an advanced piece: the stamina to keep the left-hand leaps constant, accuracy in the right-hand runs, and the budgeting of volume across the whole. Something has to be held back for those three low notes at the close. Played as the end of all twenty-four, planning the stamina to arrive here is itself part of the performance.
A set of 24 short pieces Chopin composed in 1838-39, covering all 24 keys, each with its own distinct character — a poetic cycle for piano.
Browse all songs in 24 Preludes Op.28 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Frederic Chopin was born in Poland and made his career in Paris, remaining unusual among great composers for writing almost exclusively for piano. He poured his longing for his homeland into mazurkas and polonaises, while his ballades and etudes combine poetic melody with harmonic innovation. This site includes the "Revolutionary" and other etudes, Ballades No. 1 and No. 4, nocturnes, and the Preludes, Op. 28.
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