An Analysis of Chopin's Prelude in C, Op.28 No.1
Written by Andrew Schartmann
Like the first prelude of Bach's Clavichord, it offers at the start a very pure phrase, which develops fully only after taking a new breath. A first impulsion forms a perfect unit, or four measures in Bach, of eight measures in Chopin, and returns to the starting-point; then takes off anew for a more complete prize whose possibility was merely indicated by the first departure.
-André Gide
The first prelude of opus 28 is a fine example of how motivic economy can serve to bind a short work together. The idea of building a work around a short repeated gesture, or at least the essence of it, is often seen in etudes because it forces the student to focus on a particular technical issue continuously. In light of this, the germinal idea should be the focus of one's technical study and the way in which its various manifestations are strung together should be the focus of one's musical study.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this work is how Chopin adheres to the one-measure motive throughout yet still manages to achieve an incredible degree of musical richness. His success is partly due to the brevity of the prelude - such a short composition does not demand fresh material in the same way a work on a larger scale does - but lies more in the multi-layered structure of the fundamental gesture. This quality renders the work difficult for the pianist who must balance four distinct lines according to their hierarchical place in the music. The bass line must remain distinct from the accompaniment-like triplet figures and the syncopated inner-voice melody must be distinguished from its echo an octave higher. Both layers of the melody are syncopated and represent different divisions of the meter: the soprano follows the simple duple meter and the inner-voice accentuates a subdivision of the simple meter (the triplet). As Chopin chose to notate the work in 2/8 rather than in its compound counterpart of 6/16, prevalence should be given to the melody of the soprano and the inner-voice should be regarded as an agitating element.
The work consists of three distinct formal sections whose respective harmonic content reveals an interesting correlation between tension and structure. The opening section consists of eight measures and is dominated by diatonic harmony: a prolongational progression (I-V6/5-I) is followed by a simple cadential progression (I6-ii6/5-V6/5 of V-V7-I). The middle section consists of sixteen measures and is also dominated by diatonic harmony; however, chromaticism is introduced via prolonged auxiliary notes of various types[1] that form extremely dissonant intervals with the harmonic tones and create a significant amount of tension. The final ten-measure section is devoted entirely to tonic pedal. It is obvious when examining the final section that mm. 29-32 could be omitted without destroying the feeling of closure; however, doing so would cause an imbalance between the framing sections of the piece. As stability and affirmation of the home key are sustained by the opening eight measures, an even greater stabilizing element is required to bring the work to a close. In order to fulfill this requirement, Chopin allots a slightly greater amount of time to the tonic pedal than he does to the entire opening section. At risk of sounding monotonous, he avoids the tonic scale degree in the melody until m. 29 by circling around it to increase the listener's anticipation. When the tonic is finally sounded, it occurs without the characteristic non-harmonic tone; the ommitance of this motivic element enhances the sense of closure.
A more in-depth study of the sections described above sheds light on Gide's rather poetic description of the overall form. The general shape of this prelude is often described as being wavelike; the up-down motion of the triplet figures in the basic idea represent this quality locally and the swelling contour of the melody provides a sense of undulation on the global scale. Gide's observation that the work is written in two waves, the second of which is larger and richer than the first, is evident in the bass line. Measure 9 is where Chopin "takes off anew" and "the more complete prize whose possibility was merely indicated by the first departure" is the chromatic rise that overshoots the tonic by a whole-tone at the climax (m.21).
Chopin strengthens the sense of surging in the second wave with directional non-harmonic tones in the melody thus giving the weightiest section of the piece an unprecedented intensity. Also note that the general motion of the melody usually mimics that of the bass line. When the bass and melody move in contrary motion away from each other, the resulting spatial expansion changes the texture and, in such a short work, comprises the homogeneity of the musical discourse. The two cases where Chopin significantly expands the texture in this work both occur at formally significant places: the cadence at m.8 and the beginning of the post-climactic descent at m.22.
Although no tempo indication is given, Chopin marks the movement agitato. The performer may choose to reflect this expression by altering his style of playing but, unlike many compositions, the character of the composer's indication is inherent in the music itself; the very idea is in conflict with itself. In accordance with the meter, one should treat each measure as a single beat. This will ensure that the music propels forward and that the agitated character remains unforced and natural. One area that is bound to cause technical difficulty is Chopin's inclusion of quintuplets in measures 18, 19, 20, 23, 25, and 26. Coupled with the inner-voice melody on the downbeat, the first occurrence (m.18) coincides with the stretto marking and serves to give a sense of expansion and propulsion. At m.23, the static bass line (on G) lends a stressing quality to the quintuplet (emphasizing the dominant) and the two final quintuplets provide a version of the opening gesture that exhibits the influence of previous events; a transformation of sorts. Several editions divide the quintuplet into two sixteenths and a triplet even though the number five appears clearly in the original sources. One may argue that Chopin was using a shorthand notation that was intended to indicate the division mentioned above[2]; however, the argument is futile. As long the performer hastens forward and achieves a sense of expansion, Chopin's musical intentions will have been realized.
The prelude in C major, op.28 no.1, is both vigorous and transparent, flowing coherently, even within its surprising turns, from beginning to end. Those who have recognized this quality in the first vignette of Op.28 have often attributed its presence to Chopin's documented reverence for and devoted study of J.S. Bach's music. As James Huneker writes in his biography of Chopin, "the first one [Opus 28/1] is not Bach-ian, yet it could have been written by no one but a devout Bach student. The pulsating, passionate, agitated, feverish, hasty qualities of the piece are modern; so is the changeful modulation."[3] The qualities that could be seen as reminiscent of the famous prelude from BachÕs BWV 846 are numerous, including: the common key of C major, the rising arpeggio figures, and the numerous layers of counterpoint cloaked under a single gesture the prevails throughout. This said, those who seek common features with mathematical precision will be thoroughly disappointed. From the opening measures of Op.28 No.1 it is clear that the student has found a path of his own.
Huneker, James. Chopin: The Man and His Music. New York: Dover, 1966.
Kresky, Jeffrey. A Reader's Guide to the Chopin Preludes. London: Greenwood Press, 1994.
Gide, André. Notes on Chopin, transl. Bernard Frechtman, New York, 1949.
© 2008 Andrew Schartmann