Description
The Prelude Op.45 in C-sharp minor was published on its own, separately from the 24 Preludes of Op.28. It dates from 1841, two years after Op.28 was published. Rather than one piece in a cycle, it is a prelude complete in itself, a short work with a depth different from that of the Op.28 pieces.
In C-sharp minor and 4/4, a meditative, deeply poetic character seeps through its freely shifting, improvisatory structure. Without a clear-cut form to lean on, the movement of the harmony itself carries the music forward, and as it modulates again and again the colour of the sound keeps changing.
It is rated advanced, running just over three minutes with a fairly high count of 1,322 notes. It calls for a delicate musicianship that follows the harmonic changes and shapes a natural flow. The range is very wide, from C♯1 to E7, covering most of the 88 keys. Slowing the playback to hear each chord change in turn, and checking the passages thick with accidentals in the score view, will bring the harmonic path into focus.
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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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