Prelude In Db Major was composed in 1839, and was taken from a set of 24 preludes. This prelude is nicknamed the Raindrop Prelude as the use of the persistent repeated notes sound like raindrop falling. However, Chopin disliked descriptive titles and he did not give it this nickname.
The score is very detailed – it includes a lot of markings for the performer to follow. These include pedal markings, fingerings, dynamic markings, and Italian terms. The pedal markings are given under the bass stave. They show the pianist where to depress the pedal (ped.) and release it (a star-shaped sign). The fingerings are given by small numbers on some of the notes. The dynamic markings refer to the loudness or quietness of the notes.
The prelude is in ternary form - where the second A section is the same as, or very similar to, the first A section. The B section provides a contrast to the outer sections. Section A lasts from bars 1-27 and is a long melody repeated several times in a major key. This is follow by section B which lasts from bars 28-75 and is a new melody which is mainly heard in the bass in a minor key. For section A1, it is just a shorter version of section A which lasts from bars 76 - the end of the prelude.
The time signature of the piece is 4/4, and is in the key of Db major - hence the title. The melody is accompanied by broken chords, which makes the texture homophonic. Most of the opening is based on chords 1 and V (the tonic (Db) and dominant (Ab)). The repetition of the A flat quavers (the raindrops) is used from the beginning, and these notes act as a pedal throughout the piece.
