Polish composer Frederic Chopin was a master of both the short and long forms, and one of the great pianists of the nineteenth century. Like Bach, he composed a piece in each of the 24 keys, calling them preludes. But while Bach's preludes were introductory pieces to his fugues, Chopin's preludes are pieces unto themselves. Nobody at that time had ever composed a prelude by itself. Though often short, and based on one musical idea, there is an art to creating musical tension within a limited amount of time - even 30 seconds! To illustrate how this is done, we shall explore Chopin's Prelude in G Major, thus opening the key to the rest of this impressive musical compendium!
