Frédéric Chopin’s Prelude in C minor, Op. 28, No. 20

E699241

Frédéric Chopin’s Prelude in C minor, Op. 28, No. 20 is a brief yet powerful Romantic piano piece renowned for its dramatic chordal writing and enduring influence on later popular music.

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Romantic-era composition
piano prelude
solo piano composition
approximateDuration about 1 minute
associatedWith somber, funeral-like atmosphere
catalogueNumber Op. 28 No. 20
character dramatic
solemn
composer Frédéric Chopin NERFINISHED
compositionEndYear 1839
compositionStartYear 1835
countryOfOrigin Poland
cycleContainsAllMajorAndMinorKeys true
difficultyLevel intermediate to advanced
firstPublicationYear 1839
form short ternary-like form
genre classical music
prelude
influenced film music
jazz adaptations
popular music arrangements
instrumentation solo piano
ISWCCode T-801.104.623-3
key C minor
languageOfTitle French
notableFeature dramatic dynamic contrasts
powerful block chords
simple, hymn-like progression
numberInSet 20
oftenPerformedIn recitals
recordings of complete Op. 28 set
opusNumber Op. 28
partOf 24 Preludes, Op. 28 NERFINISHED
pedagogicalUse study of Romantic harmony
study of expressive rubato
study of voicing in chords
period Romantic period NERFINISHED
placeOfComposition Paris NERFINISHED
Valldemossa, Majorca NERFINISHED
publisher Breitkopf & Härtel NERFINISHED
setFollowedBy Prelude in B-flat major, Op. 28, No. 21 NERFINISHED
setPrecededBy Prelude in E-flat major, Op. 28, No. 19 NERFINISHED
Prelude in F minor, Op. 28, No. 18 NERFINISHED
tempoMarking Largo
texture chordal
timeSignature 4/4
tonalCenter C minor
usedAsBasisFor Barry Manilow’s song “Could It Be Magic” NERFINISHED
Sarah Brightman’s “A Question of Honour” prelude section NERFINISHED
numerous popular music covers

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Could It Be Magic basedOn Frédéric Chopin’s Prelude in C minor, Op. 28, No. 20