A Riddle in Chopin’s Preludes, Op. 28

Abstract

In m. 23 of Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor, op. 28, no. 4, the music comes to a halt on what is spelled as a dominant 4/2 chord. Yet the B♭ in the bass “resolves” upwards across the ensuing silence, prolonged by a fermata, to B♮ in m. 24. This silence embodies a “negative action”—a gesture defined by an underlying intention not to carry out a premeditated act. Its notation calls upon the agency of the performer to subvert an implied harmony at the last possible moment. This enigmatic moment has its roots in a close relationship between the E-Minor and the A-Minor Prelude (op. 28. no. 2), as revealed by a sketch-leaf that holds the keys for deciphering Chopin’s enigmatic spelling and recalls the troubled personal circumstances in the days surrounding the production of the sketch-leaf in Majorca.