Staying Dry Inside with Chopin's Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No 15 "Raindrop"
The Listen Guide

Ten Fingers and One Stubborn Key

When you sit down to listen to my Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No 15 "Raindrop", the only instrument you will hear is a solo piano. Instead of dividing the work between an orchestra, I give the pianist's two hands very distinct jobs to do at the same time. One hand sings out the main melodies, while the other keeps up a steady, pulsing A-flat note that barely takes a breath from start to finish. If you focus on how that single repeated note changes its character depending on the chords around it, you will hear the secret to the whole piece.

Blame the Novelist, Not the Composer

As for why I called my Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No 15 "Raindrop" by that damp nickname, the short answer is that I did not. I published all twenty-four preludes in Op. 28 without any descriptive titles at all, leaving each listener free to imagine their own scene. It was my partner, the French writer George Sand, who later wrote in her memoir Histoire de ma vie about a stormy night on Majorca when raindrops beat on the monastery roof while I played. Even though she never actually named which prelude I played that night, the public attached her story to this one, much to my annoyance at being accused of merely imitating the weather.

A Musical Sandwich with a Dark Filling

Although this piece lasts between five and seven minutes and is the longest of all my Op. 28 preludes, its layout is wonderfully simple. Rather than building a complex sonata or a rondo, I organized my Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No 15 "Raindrop" in a three-part A-B-A form. You can think of it as a quiet walk that gets interrupted by a sudden, heavy shadow before stepping back out into the light. In the next three paragraphs, I will walk you through each of those three sections so you know just what to listen for along the way.

Section 1: Sunshine Between the Drops

I open the first section at a calm Sostenuto pace in the warm, comforting key of D-flat major. The right hand floats above the keyboard with a gentle, singing melody that descends like a quiet sigh of relief. All the while, the left hand softly repeats that steady A-flat note in common time, acting like a calm heartbeat underneath the tune. Nothing feels hurried here, and even when the melody wanders through a few wistful shadows, the peaceful mood stays intact.

Section 2: When the Ceiling Starts Caving In

For the middle section, I switch the key signature to C-sharp minor, which is simply the dark twin of D-flat major on the piano keyboard. That gentle A-flat note is now written on the page as a G-sharp, meaning the pianist's finger keeps striking the exact same key while the mood around it turns grim. The melody moves down into the deep, heavy bass notes, while the repeated pitch moves up and begins to pound with growing urgency. Twice the music swells from a low mutter to a towering, dramatic roar, like a nightmare that refuses to let you wake up.

Section 3: Wiping the Fog from the Window

Just when the tension in the middle section reaches its peak, I abruptly clear away the storm clouds and return to D-flat major. The opening melody comes back like an old friend entering the room to tell you that the worst is finally over. Just before the end, the persistent repeated note briefly stops for a high, dreamy flourish, as if someone finally remembered to close the window. Rather than repeating the whole first section at full length, I keep this return brief and let the music fade peacefully into silence.

Your Turn at the Keyboard

Now it is time to press play and experience my Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No 15 "Raindrop" for yourself. Let yourself sink into the sound of the solo piano, whether the day outside your window is sunny or pouring. As the piece unfolds, keep an ear on that tireless middle note and notice how it carries you from calm to drama and safely back again. I hope listening to this journey brings you just as much pleasure as I found when putting these notes onto the page.