Prelude in C minor, Op. 28 No. 20
Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Op. 28 No. 20, is thirteen slow measures of chords in 4/4, Octotune grade 5 of 8: a solemn procession, loud at first, then soft, then softer still.
At a glance
| Composer | Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭) |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 42 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 13 measures, about 1:14 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | C3 to E♭5 |
| Left hand | C1 to C4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Prelude in C minor, Op. 28 No. 20 | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
The Prelude in C minor is No. 20 of Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28 (1839). It is only thirteen measures long, marked Largo, and made almost entirely of chords, one on each beat: a slow, solemn procession. Rachmaninoff later wrote a set of variations on it.
How it is built. The right hand plays full chords, four or five notes, with the melody on top. The left hand plays octaves deep in the bass; in the soft measures they walk down step by step. The first four measures are loud and grand; the next four fall to a whisper; then those are repeated, softer still, and the piece ends on a final chord. A dotted rhythm on the third beat of many measures gives each one a little lean.
The tricky parts
- Reading big chords. Read from the bottom note up, and learn each chord as a hand shape.
- Accidentals. Three flats in the key signature, plus many naturals and other flats written in.
- Low octaves. The left hand reaches down near the bottom of the keyboard. Read those notes from low C and count the ledger lines.
- Loud, then soft. Keep the soft chords even: every note of each chord down together.
Practice plan
- The top line alone with the Melody level, to hear the melody inside the chords.
- Each hand alone at the Full level in Wait for me, a measure at a time.
- Both hands, slowly, with Loop this measure on the thickest chords.
Also try: the Prelude in E minor, No. 4, another slow chordal prelude.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 11, which teaches chords. The flats and the lowest bass notes go beyond it.
Questions
Is Chopin's Prelude in C minor hard?
It is early intermediate, Octotune grade 5 of 8. It is short and slow, but every beat is a full chord, four or five notes in the right hand and octaves in the left, with many accidentals.
Which famous piece uses Chopin's C minor Prelude?
Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op. 22, is built on it.
Credits and license
- Music: Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
- Typeset by Magnus Lewis-Smith for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece