Description
Only twelve bars long, yet the weightiest in sound of Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, the ninth is among the shortest pieces in the set — and needs no further explanation to feel complete.
Through a solemn tread of stacked chords, the right hand carries a dotted-rhythm melody while the left moves in triplets. That two-against-three runs through the whole of its E major common time and gives the stately walk a distinctive unevenness. With only some 420 notes, each chord is left to sound at length.
Harder to handle than its intermediate rating suggests. How the dots and the triplets are made to meet is left to the player, and playing them strictly or assimilating them changes the character entirely. Sound the chords with arm weight rather than striking, and anchor them on the lowest note. With only twelve bars, how a single chord is sounded becomes the impression of the whole.
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.
View all works by Chopin →