“Raindrop” Prelude Opus 28 No. 15

The Anacrouse collection offers pianists, beginners and advanced alike, a wide choice of classical works from the Renaissance to the present day. It brings together major works of the repertoire as well as rarer pieces, and also offers transcriptions for piano solo or four hands, selected for their musical and educational interest. Each score, available individually, benefits from careful editorial work: a rigorously established musical text, clear and legible engraving, accompanied by a short biography of the composer and a note on the work.

The “Raindrop” Prelude (in D flat major) rests on a haunting rhythmic cell: the constant hammering of a single note (A flat, then G sharp) that runs through the whole piece. For the pianist, the challenge is twofold: to maintain this “drip-drip” with hypnotic regularity while making a melody of great nobility sing. The central section, dark and chorale-like, demands mastery of sonic power and deep handling of the chords, contrasting radically with the melancholy light of the outer sections. It is essential work on stamina of touch and dramatic narrative.

Composed during the winter of 1838-1839 during Frédéric Chopin’s (1810-1849) stay at the charterhouse of Valldemossa (Majorca), this 15th prelude is the longest in the Opus 28 collection. Its nickname, although disputed by the composer himself, was popularised by George Sand, who recounted how the rain beating on the monastery roofs had turned, in the mind of the ailing Chopin, into a vision of anguish. This work perfectly embodies Chopin’s genius for transforming a repetitive constraint into a masterpiece of musical psychology.