Tempo, Effect and the Emergence of Line In Chopin’s Prelude, Op. 28 No. 14

Aeron Ogden

Graduate Music Theory May 18, 2009

Frederic Chopin’s Preludes, Opus 28, completed between 1835 and 1839, are an example of the

composer’s mature style and predilection of form. They consist, primarily, of what A. Redgrave

Cripps deems “one-idea pieces.”1 They are poems, “eagle’s feathers” according to Schumann2,

rarely straying from a single subject, mood, or even compositional device. Although intensely

personal and emotionally expressive, Chopin is able to avoid melodrama through the

sophistication of his craft. And while each piece in this work retains an individual and specific

character, it can be argued that four clear expressions emerge in relation to the nature or

personality of the Preludes: elation, depression, peacefulness and agitation. Consisting of a single

piece in each major and minor key, as Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, the contrast of the cheerful

and the morose may seem too obvious. But in conjunction with this dichotomy of mood, there is

also a clear delineation in the level of emotion that is displayed. When Chopin’s mood is dark and

excited, it is expressed in agitation, even violence. When he is melancholic but reserved, we have

pieces such as the famous B minor, No. 6- somber and introspective. The same approach can be

observed, on the more jovial side, in the major key pieces. Bright mood with high emotion equals

elation in the Preludes; pleasant yet restrained emotion is presented as peacefulness. This

contrast is heightened when the pieces are played in numeric order, as a complete set. Frequently

Chopin follows an exuberant piece (bright mood, emotion high) with a piece expressing the polar

opposite, melancholy (dark mood, emotion low). And so he follows the tranquil No. 13 in F-sharp

major, with the fierce and menacing No. 14.

On paper, the harmonic parallels between the fourteenth and twentieth preludes (in C minor)

are easily noted. The former opens with a i-VI-vii-V-i progression; the latter begins with i-iv7-

1 A. Redgrave Cripps, “Chopin as a Master of Form,” The Musical Times, Vol. 55, No. 858 (Aug. 1, 1914), pp. 517-519.

2 Robert Schumann, Music and Musicians: Essays and Criticisms. London: William Reeves, 185 Fleet Street, 1877.

Vsus-V7-i, the variant chords being substitutions which share a similar sound and function. The

two preludes also share a common harmonic rhythm, with chord changes on each quarter note

throughout both pieces.

But the blitzing tempo of the fourteenth obscures this connection, especially when combined with

the devices Chopin has chosen to employ - homogenous part writing (left and right hands given

the same material) , low register, tightly spaced chords, legato and pesante articulation, and the

“buzz” that is created by unceasing volume changes. These things are joined, in symbiotic fashion,

and inextricably linked to the tempo, to achieve the sound, or line that emerges. In Chopin and

Genre, Jim Samson refers to such effects as comprising the major stylistic changes the composer

brought to the piano repertoire. “Bravura figuration3 of conventional origin became dense with

information, its formal status aspiring to that of melodic line and harmonic progression, its very

identity at times deliberately blurred with theirs. Ornamental figures, also of conventional origin,

were similarly transformed from inessential elements to essence.”4 Regarding Chopin’s performance

of one his own compositions, Schumann once wrote the following:

“…it would be a mistake to suppose that he allowed us to hear every small note in it; it was

rather an undulation of the… chord, brought out more loudly here and there with the

pedal, but, exquisitely entangled in the harmony; we followed a wondrous melody in the

sustained tones, while, in the middle, a tenor voice broke clearly from the chords, and

joined the principal melody. And when the etude was ended, we felt as though we had

seen a lovely form in a dream, and, half awake, we strove to seize it again; —but such

things cannot be described, still less can they be fitly praised.”5

Stylistically the fourteenth prelude is most similar to the nineteenth, in E-flat major. Both

consist of triadic rhythms6 in both hands from beginning to end. The triplets in each are also

similar in that they avoid consecutive pitch order (low to high, or high to low), but employ various

arpeggiations. But this is where the similarities end. The listener will hardly be aware of the

3 “Bravura figuration” refers to devices (i.e. arpeggiations, scale patterns, etc.) employed by composers which demand

virtuosic ability of the performers. “Ornamental figuration” is used to denote decorative expressions which have been conventionally used to augment melodic lines. 4 Jim Samson, “Chopin and Genre,” Music Analysis, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Oct., 1989), pp. 213-231.

5 Robert Schumann, Music and Musicians: Essays and Criticisms. London: William Reeves, 185 Fleet Street, 1877.

6 I am consciously avoiding the term “triplet” because of the conventions and associations related to their use. The

nineteenth prelude certainly employs triplets in a traditional manner; but the fourteenth prelude avoids the common accent pattern, thus avoiding the emergence of a melodic line from the first note of each triplet as is typically found. The lack of any rhythmic change throughout the piece, and the absence of any “3 over 2” patterns also confirms this decision. The 1915 Schirmer edition of this piece, in fact, does not note the figures as triplets, although they are grouped in threes by the eighth note beam.

connections I have just made unless specifically looking for them because the sound and style of

the pieces differ so greatly. Another quality which further diffuses this relationship is the variation

of the placement of the high note, or lead line, between these two preludes. In No. 19, a lyrical

line is clearly brought to the fore due to the consistent placement of the high note at the first beat

of each triplet. The natural accent and the consummation of the listener’s expectation result in a

stable and defined melody. No. 14 is equally adept in its avoidance of these qualities.

The nineteenth prelude uses the following arpeggiated patterns from beginning to end:

HIGH

MIDDLE

LOW

Right Hand Left Hand

The fourteenth prelude, in just 19 short measures, utilizes all of the following patterns:

ARPEGGIATION

INSTANCES

HIGH

MIDDLE

LOW

E F

A B C D

229 27 7 3 4

The contrast of these arpeggiated patterns illustrates that this is a primary thematic element of

the prelude. It does not play an important role in the nineteenth, where the lyrical melody takes

precedence. But a closer look at the larger sequence of these arpeggiations reveals that Chopin

used them as a structural device, every bit as important as the harmonies themselves. In the

following diagram, each measure is broken down into the arpeggiated patterns and chords that

Chopin has used. The red text in the middle row highlights the first instance of each arpeggiation;

in the top row, the red text indicates the first instance of each sequence of four arpeggiations:

MEASURE

ARPEGGIATION

CHORD

MEASURE

ARPEGGIATION

CHORD

MEASURE

ARPEGGIATION

CHORD

MEASURE

ARPEGGIATION

CHORD

MEASURE

ARPEGGIATION

CHORD

MEASURE

ARPEGGIATION

CHORD iv7 (CONT.) i (CONT.) i

16 17 18A B A B F C F

V ANTVI ET i VI ET i7 VI PT iv

C F

eb PT G7 iv PT ii iv NT i

D F B

i VI II+ (CONT.) gb Eb bE B

V (+3)

13 14 15A B A B A B

VI vii V (+3) i VI+ vi (-3)f7 F7 vii i i

E C E B

10 11 12A B A B A B A B A B A B

Eb b Eb b7 f f7 PTFb Fb7 g g7 PT g g ANT

i

A

V i gb Ab7 APP f

7 8 9

VI iv ANT vii (+R,+5) ANT i VI vii

*Key of eb *bbA B

V7 ANT

4 5 6A C A D A B

VI vii V i VI, ANT v/vi VI vii V

1 2 3A B A B A B A B A C A D

*eb

*eb*Transitional

*Transitional

B A B

A D A B A DA B A D A B

e APP C

SEQUENCE

INSTANCES

MEASURES 181-2, 5-6, 10-13, 16 3-4 7-9 14 15 17

FDFB

9 2 3 1 1 1 1

ABAB ACAD ABAD ABEC EBEB FCFC

In the final few bars of the piece, the change in sequence, on the larger scale, and the direction of

the arpeggiations, on the smaller scale, gives rise to the feeling of tension and release. It is a

creative approach, masterfully executed, and lends great interest to the prelude.

Another feature which sets the fourteenth prelude apart is its incredible brevity. Although many

of the Preludes are very short pieces, this one exceeds them all in the speed at which it is ended.

Depending on the precise tempo chosen by the performer (and the duration of the final note!) it

can be played in as little as twenty seconds. And it is this quality, more than any other, which

controls the emergence of line and the way the piece is perceived. As Thomas Higgins stated in his

essay Tempo and Character In Chopin, “Tempo is of the essence in a study; if a performer mistakes

it, the piece not only is of less value technically, but loses in character as well. All the many other

directions a composer might take pains to include- articulation, fingering, and dynamics - have

genuine relevance only at the tempo he has in mind.”7

A third piece must be mentioned at this point lest I be accused of missing the obvious. The final

movement (Presto) of Chopin’s B-flat minor Sonata (completed in 1839, the same year as the

Preludes) is the piece most clearly linked to the fourteenth prelude. But these two are so similar

that nearly everything I state in direct relation to style and line in the prelude can also be applied

to the sonata, and so my discussion of the former piece may serve to lend some understanding to

the latter as well. For the purposes of this analysis I have chosen to touch on harmonic treatment

(vertical) only briefly in preference to an explanation of line, or melody (horizontal). In Voice

Leading and Chromatic Harmony In the Music of Chopin, Richard S. Parks asserts the following:

“…except for secondary dominants and leading-tone relationships, which occur often enough but

usually account for only a portion of a given example, a look at the vertical dimension yields only

7 Thomas Higgins, “Tempo and Character in Chopin,” The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan., 1973), pp. 106-120.

an identification of a given sonority by quality - French augmented sixth, dominant seventh

sonority, or whatever. The logic of these passages with regard to tonal organization is to be found

in the melodic dimension; their function may be explained by voice leading.”8

It is here that an understanding of one practice technique employed by pianists can be helpful,

and that is the method of condensing broken chords, especially when written as triplets, into block

chords as a way of working out fingerings and quickly progressing through the physical layout of

the notes and the position of the hands. This technique, however, can yield further insight into the

composer’s intention of voice leading and melodic stress, and inform the performer as to what

should be brought out when returning to the broken chords as written. And so a simplistic

presentation of the primary melodic motive can be represented by the following:

But, as mentioned before, Chopin ingeniously obscures this motive by the placement of the line in

the triplet patterns. The first note of this motive, for instance, is assigned to the unlikely position

of the triplet 8th immediately following the downbeat, as such:

This effect, carried out over the course of the piece, serves to destroy the feeling of accent usually

ascribed to triplet patterns and is a central component of the feeling of agitation which is

achieved. The result is a “buzz” that is created, as if two bees are fighting a territorial battle over a

8 Richard S. Parks, “Voice Leading and Chromatic Harmony in the Music of Chopin,” Journal of Music Theory, Vol. 20,

No. 2 (Autumn, 1976), pp. 189-214.

flower. There is a sense of rushing ahead on the notes that do fall on the normally accented beats

(the first C-flat in the above example) and the notes that follow them (frequently a repeated note,

as in the second C-flat), and a falling behind on the notes which do not. And so the performer

would do well to deny any emphasis that is normally given to the beginning note of the triplet, on

the one level, and beats one and three in the measure on the larger level, avoiding the groupings

of six, as in the following figure, which would be an amateurish mistake:

This feeling of speeding and braking, which I assert is central to the piece, can be depicted in the

following simplified example:

I must mention that my use of notation here is not conventional. I am not attempting to make the

claim that one hears this melody as a strict quarter-eighth-eighth rhythm. This notation allows me

to show the lead line while maintaining the basic value of the quarter note in common time. But it

is also useful in that it conveys the general idea of the way the listener perceives the melodic line,

keeping in mind that at the tempo of performance an entire measure is flying by every second.

I will add credibility to my assertion that the line emerges only in relation to the tempo and the

sum of the effects employed by mentioning the instrument for which this piece was written and

the performance style of its composer. It is not correct to say this piece was written for the piano,

at least if one has in mind the piano of our time. In the 1830s the cast iron plate had not yet been

incorporated into the design of the piano, a feature which amplified the volume of the instrument,

by means of its reflective quality and the structural strength which gave manufacturers the ability

to tremendously increase string tension. The pianoforte of Chopin’s day was a vastly different

instrument, and this is crucial to a proper understanding of the “sound” of Chopin’s music. It is

widely documented that Chopin had an alarmingly light and soft touch on the keyboard, and his

preference for the Pleyel grands is no wonder, as they were known for possessing a delicate sound

even for pianos of the day. So the performer may justifiably wonder, upon coming to a fortissimo

in measure 11, followed by a crescendo, as to how to achieve the massive volume required. But

we would do well to consider the historical facts I have just mentioned in order to steer clear of an

overpowering dynamic level at any point in the prelude. We must also acknowledge the register of

this piece as being a primary factor of sound and the emergence of line. Acoustically, equal

intervals do not have equal effect across the spectrum of frequency. An octave, for example, at the

extreme low end of the keyboard is separated by a narrower variation, in terms of cycles per

second, than the half step between B4 and C5 (above middle C). Because of this, there is a

reduction in the clarity of intervals the lower they are played on the keyboard. And so, imagining a

performance of this piece that is duly quiet, and recognizing the low range of notes throughout

this piece, the incessant crescendos and diminuendos, and the feverish tempo, the question of

what the listener actually perceives becomes incredibly pertinent.

SOURCES

“Chopin as a Master of Form.” A. Redgrave Cripps, The Musical Times, Vol. 55, No. 858 (Aug. 1, 1914), pp. 517-519, Musical Times Publications Ltd., http://www.jstor.org/stable/910651

“Tempo and Character in Chopin.” Thomas Higgins, The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan., 1973), pp. 106-120, Oxford University Press, http://www.jstor.org/stable/741462

“Chopin and Genre.” Jim Samson, Music Analysis, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Oct., 1989), pp. 213-231, Blackwell Publishing, http://www.jstor.org/stable/854288

“Voice Leading and Chromatic Harmony in the Music of Chopin.” Richard S. Parks, Journal of Music

Theory, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Autumn, 1976), pp. 189-214, Duke University Press on behalf of the Yale

University Department of Music , http://www.jstor.org/stable/843684

“Concepts of Closure and Chopin's Opus 28.” V. Kofi Agawu , Music Theory Spectrum, Vol. 9

(Spring, 1987), pp. 1-17, University of California Press on behalf of the Society for Music Theory,

http://www.jstor.org/stable/746116

“The Chronology of Chopin's Preludes.” Maurice J. E. Brown, The Musical Times, Vol. 98, No. 1374

(Aug., 1957), pp. 423-424, Musical Times Publications Ltd., http://www.jstor.org/stable/937215

Chopin: Preludes for the Piano. Ed. by Rafael Joseffy, Comments by James Huneker. G. Schirmer,

Inc., Library of Musical Classics, Vol. 34, 1915.

Schumann, Robert. Music and Musicians: Essays and Criticisms. London: William Reeves, 185 Fleet

Street, 1877.