Frederick Chopin was a master of piano miniatures. We all know that. And his preludes was a fertile soil for all kinds of acrobatics regarding harmony and musical form. In this article, we will talk about his Prelude in C minor op. 28 no. 20; its form, its harmony and its overall musical expression.
When you think of Frederic Chopin, what is your first thought? I bet it has something to do with lyricism, romantic soul, artist with incredible talent and so on. But, would you ever think of Chopin as the anti-semit? I know, I know, it is quite a strong word and possibly even slender, but would you think of that when it comes to Chopin? I think you would not. But, did you read his letters? If not, than this article may be a very good read for you.
There is a certain level of mysticism in this Ballade Op. 23. From the very first listening a careful listener could be in the position to recognize the strange change of characters throughout the musical flow. Isn’t that intriguing? How is it possible for all these different characters to coexist in such a dense piece, one might ask themselves. Well, I’ll try to answer on this and some other questions, and perhaps, find new ones to ask so someone else can answer them.
