Romantic Music and Chopin - Raindrop Prelude Flashcards
Tonality and Harmony of Raindrops
Section A is in Db major.
It mainly uses diatonic harmonies however it does involve chromatic harmonies.
It modulates from Db major (tonic major) to the enharmonic tonic minor, which is C# minor, for section B.
A & B finish with imperfect cadences – the prelude ends with a perfect cadence.
There’s a dominant pedal
Rhythm, Metre and Tempo of Raindrops
C or 4/4
Dectuplet (bar 79) and septuplet (bar 4 & 23) mean 10 and 7 notes fit into a single beat.
The melody begins with a dotted rhythm to give section B a lighter feel.
Rubato – stolen time-some notes played longer and shorter for expressive feel.
Repeated quavers are a rhythmic feature.
It says sostenuto meaning it is played legato
Melody of Raindrops
Section A: Is sostenuto, sounding lyrical and legato.
Played by the right hand
Ascending and diatonic
Repetitive and uses ornaments (acciaccatura and turns)
Section B: Moves to bass – played by left hand
Conjuncted (moves by step)
More chromaticism
Develops more than A
Made up of longer notes and 4 & 8 bar phrases.
Instrumentation of Raindrops
Piano
Dynamics of Raindrops
Lots of crescendos and diminuendos
Wide range (pp and ff) but no sudden changes
Section A is quitter than B
A: piano, crescendo, diminuendo
B: piano, forte, fortissimo, crescendo, diminuendo.
Structure of Raindrops
Ternary – ABA (Db M / C# m / Db M)
A – lyrical melody accompanied by quavers in the bass / returns with brief coda
B – new melody in bass with quavers heard above & reaches ff
Texture of Raindrops
Homophonic and little monophonic at end
A: melody and broken chord accomp’
B: chordal accompaniment
A: back to opening with monophony in coda
Context of Raindrops
Composed by Chopin in 1839
From the romantic period (1825 – 1900)
He was born in 1810 in Poland
It is likely to be heard in small places e.g. homes or recital halls.
It was a prelude
The music is expressive and emotional Music of this period had descriptive titles and told stories.
