Musical Contribution – June 2020

Prelude in E-minor op.28 no.4                                                                              Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

(LiVE Sampleset: Amsterdam, Vater-Müller)

There’s a great deal that can be said about the life and works of Chopin, the Polish pianist and composer. However, we’ll restrict ourselves to the prelude we’re focusing on this month. This prelude is the fourth in a series of 24 and was written during his stay in a monastery on Mallorca in the winter of 1838/39.

It’s just 25 bars long, but is enormously expressive. A famous pianist once named the work “Suffocation”, while a colleague called it “Shed Tears”. The piece has been used in many films and soundtracks, and was played at Chopin’s funeral at his own request.

And now we’ve arranged it for the organ. We haven’t made many changes:

The second half now has a pedal part.

In the organ part, there is one stop that persists through all of the repeating chords.

We have provided registration requirements for the work.

When I received piano lessons as a child, I was always very moved by this piece. Even now, it still strikes a chord with me. I can’t explain precisely why... and perhaps that’s just as well.

Warm regards,

André van Vliet