Prelude in D flat major, Op. 28 No. 15, "Raindrop"
Chopin's Prelude in D flat major, Op. 28 No. 15, the Raindrop, is an Intermediate piece (Octotune grade 6 of 8). A soft repeated A flat runs through the whole piece; the middle section turns darker and much louder before the opening returns.
At a glance
| Composer | Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 6 of 8 |
| Key | D♭ major (5 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭)) |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 80 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 89 bars, about 4:27 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | A♭3 to B♭5 |
| Left hand | E1 to G♭4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Prelude in D-flat, "Raindrop", Op. 28 No. 15 | 6 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
The Raindrop is the fifteenth of Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, completed in 1839. It is in D flat major (five flats) and marked Sostenuto. The nickname, not Chopin's own, comes from the repeated A flat that drips through almost every bar.
How it is built. A calm, singing melody over the repeated note. Then a long middle section in C sharp minor, where the repeated note (now written as G sharp) continues and a heavy, chant-like line rises in the bass, growing to a thunderous climax. Then the calm opening returns, briefly, to end.
The tricky parts
- The repeated note. Soft, even and never louder than the melody, for page after page. Play it from the key's surface with a relaxed hand.
- Balance. In the opening the melody is on top in the right hand, sharing the hand with the repeated note. In the middle, the melody moves down into the bass, under the repeated note.
- The build-up. The middle section's climax needs full, heavy chords in both hands without banging. Plan where the loudest point is.
- Reading. Five flats, then four sharps in the middle, where the music turns to C sharp minor: the minor key on the same keyboard note as D flat, spelled with sharps.
Practice plan
- The melody alone with Octotune's Melody level.
- The repeated note alone with its melody hand, softly, in long stretches.
- The middle section separately, left hand first, at 50–60% speed with the A–B loop.
- Put the sections together and plan the dynamics across the whole piece.
Before you start: the whole Octotune path, and practice with key signatures of many flats and sharps.
Questions
Is the Raindrop Prelude hard?
It is intermediate (Octotune grade 6 of 8) and long for a prelude. The notes are not fast; the challenge is keeping the repeated note soft and even for pages, balancing the melody over it, and building the big middle section.
Why is it called the Raindrop Prelude?
Because of the repeated note, A flat, that sounds all the way through like dripping rain. The name was not Chopin's; it was given later.
Credits and licence
- Music: Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
- Typeset by Magnus Lewis-Smith for the Mutopia Project
- Licence: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece