24 Preludes. Op.28. 15-16 (mm. 1-14)

Op. 28, 24 Preludes, was composed between 1835 and 1839 and is comprised of 24 short pieces for piano, one in each of the 24 keys.  Term "prelude" is used loosely because normally a prelude is generally thought of as an introductory piece, however, Chopin's preludes represent stand alone thoughts.  The longest prelude is 90 measures long (prelude No. 17) and the shortest, No. 9, is only 12 measures long.  Bidou accounts that the preludes were not initially met with wide acceptance, writing:

      It was this rudimentary development of the Prelude which later disconcerted Shumann.  "I must confess," he says, "that I had imagined them to be different, and treated, like his Etudes, in the grandest style.  Almost opposite is the case: they are sketches, beginnings of studies, or, if you prefer, ruins, a few feathers dropped by an eagle."  But he at once modifies this harsh judgment. "Yet in every piece," he adds, "there is the same speaking style - which is Frederick Chopin; he can be recognised even in his silences, which are instinct with passion.  He is and remains the proudest and most audacious poetic genius of his time." (174)

Although the preludes are short and often disjunctive, they are beautiful pieces that offer insight into Chopin's creative mind.

The two pages I read today only covered prelude 15 and a page of 16.  Prelude 15 is a beautiful prelude that takes on an almost ternary ABA1 form changing from Db Major, to c# minor, back to Db Major with the enharmonic Ab/G# blurring the key change.  Taken slowly, the piece was a nice sight read.
The below image is Chopin's sketch of prelude 15.

Since I'm only a page into prelude 16 I'll write more tomorrow.

Total time spent sight reading: 30 minutes
Total time spent writing: 40 minutes