Raindrop Prelude

https://youtu.be/pCx5g4FnAXU

This composition by Frederic Chopin is my favorite piece of music–to play and to listen to. The song and alleged story behind it inspired me to write this poem:

“Raindrop Prelude”Dripping, dripping, dropping,Constant, never stopping.My health is in despair,And so I must repair;Banished to this cloister,Full of cold and moisture.Clouds beginning to form,A prelude to a storm.I’m sure my lady’s dead;It is not in my head!Run out into the rain,Before I go insane!Water will kill or save;This lake shall be my grave.Drip, dripping on my head,Telling me I’m not dead.She then returned from town,And so we had a row.She said ‘twas in my dream;Aha! So it would seem.If not for this torment,I would but give consent.The rain is dripping still,Into my soul it drills.Dripping, dripping, dropping,Constant, never stopping.Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich

Frederic Chopin was in poor health and travelled to Mallorca; unfortunately, the weather was terrible, causing his lung disease to worsen. He was then banished to a cold monastary. It is said that he had a dream of drowning in a lake (which might have been prompted by the storm). It is during this period of time that he composed Prelude Op. 28 no. 15, nicknamed “Raindrop” Prelude. There is a repeating A♭ throughout the piece, mimicking the constant dripping of rain.

Photo by Paul Arky on Unsplash

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Published on January 05, 2023 00:01
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