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Prélude in D-flat major, op. 28 no. 15 "Raindrop": Sostenuto

by Frederic Chopin

PianoOrganGuitarCelloKeyboardSaxophoneViola RomanticBaroqueOperaFreeGuitar tabsScoresRomantic Period

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62 retailer listings for this; we have no current price for any of them. 55 archives offer it free.

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About this piece

Prélude in D-flat major, op. 28 no. 15 "Raindrop": Sostenuto is a work by Frederic Chopin. Editions in our index are scored for piano, organ, guitar and cello. We track 62 editions for sale, from Music44, Encore Music, Universal Edition and Great Scores. We do not hold a current price for any of them, so check the retailer before you buy. 55 public-domain archives publish it free of charge, including 8notes, mfiles and Piano Street.

The "Raindrop" nickname, and who gave it

The fifteenth of the twenty-four Preludes, Op. 28, mostly completed during the winter of 1838–39 that Chopin spent with George Sand at the abandoned monastery of Valldemossa on Mallorca. He was seriously ill, the weather was terrible, and the piano he had ordered from Paris was held at customs for weeks.

The repeated A-flat that runs through nearly the whole piece is the reason for the nickname. Sand's account describes Chopin composing during a storm and imagining water falling on the roof. Chopin himself did not name the prelude, and Sand also records that he rejected the suggestion that his music imitated anything — so the title is his companion's image, attached later by editors, and the set as Chopin published it has no descriptive titles at all.

On the page: the difficulty is not the notes but the repeated note, which has to stay even for four minutes while shifting from inner voice to melody and back, and while the middle section turns it into something ominous. It is longer than any other prelude in the set.

Published in

This piece appears in 68 published collections.

Common questions

Is Prélude in D-flat major, op. 28 no. 15 "Raindrop": Sostenuto available for free?
Yes. 55 archives in our index publish it at no cost, typically as a public-domain scan or engraving. Free editions vary in quality and edition; a paid edition may be easier to read or better fingered.
What instruments is Prélude in D-flat major, op. 28 no. 15 "Raindrop": Sostenuto arranged for?
The editions we track are scored for piano, organ, guitar, cello, saxophone and viola. Specific arrangements listed include Easy Piano and Piano.

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