Prelude in E minor (Op. 28 No. 4)

Background

Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, contain one short piece in every major and minor key. Instead of following the order of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Chopin arranged them round the circle of fifths, pairing each major key with its relative minor: C major, A minor, G major, then this one, E minor. Most of the set was finished during the winter of 1838–39, which he spent on Majorca with the writer George Sand, and the preludes were published in 1839.

Earlier preludes were usually introductions to something else, such as a fugue. Chopin's stand alone: each one is a complete little world, some lasting barely half a minute. No. 4 is among the simplest to play and the most often heard. It was one of the pieces performed on the organ at Chopin's funeral at the Madeleine church in Paris in 1849.

How to practise it

The whole prelude rests on one idea. The right hand sings a slow, almost motionless melody that keeps leaning between B and C, while the left hand repeats soft chords in even eighth notes. Bar by bar, one note of the chord at a time slips down by a half step, so the harmony slowly sinks.

Learn the left hand first, and learn it as harmony. Play each chord as a single long chord, as in the diagram, and notice which note moves each time. Then play the written repeated eighths. Keep the hand close to the keys and press from the fingertips, so the chords pulse quietly like a heartbeat rather than knock. Change fingers on the moving note when it helps you hold the others.

The right hand looks easy, but its long notes must sing over the pulse without being pushed. Play them with a little arm weight and listen to each one fade before the next arrives. The tiny step from B to C should feel like a sigh.

The one outburst comes around bars 16 to 18, where the melody suddenly rises and the music grows loud and urgent before falling back. Practise that passage hands separately at a slower tempo, then make sure you return to a hush afterwards.

A plan:

1. Left-hand chords as long chords, then as eighth notes, at 40 beats a minute.
2. Right hand alone, singing.
3. Hands together at 40, then 48, then the full 56.
4. Add the pedal, changing it with each change of harmony so the sinking chords do not blur.

The marking is Largo, very slow, and the piece needs patience: resist any urge to speed up in the quiet bars. Let the closing chords fade completely before you lift your hands.

Reading chords in the bass clef is covered in the how to read notes guide.