Chopin Preludes

The 24 Preludes Opus 28

Published in September 1839, Chopin organized the Preludes so that each was written on one of the 24 tonalities. He presented them in the order of the scales, with each major key followed by its relative minor key, in the same fashion that J.S. Bach had written his Preludes and Fugues nearly 100 years earlier.

Chopin wrote most of the Preludes during his stay with George Sand in Mallorca, Spain in 1838. However, before leaving Paris, to join Sand, he had already composed and presented some of them to his friend and editor, Camille Pleyel, to whom he dedicated the collection in the first French edition.

This collection that Chopin so modestly called "Preludes" are not just what the title suggests - short pieces to be played as an introduction to other pieces. They are musical poems, portraits of emotional moments from an artist faced with mortality. The diversity in writing, technical demands, and beauty are remarkable. Some reveal the terror and visions of death present in moments of hallucination. Others are filled with passion and tenderness, revealing the unity of art and nature. As one delves deeply into this masterpiece, either as a listener or as a performer, it is a never-ending journey of emotional experiences and discoveries.

- G.D. 10/97