Op. 28 No. 15. One repeated note falls like rain through the whole piece; in the dark middle section it turns into a tolling bell.
The story
The nickname did not come from Chopin. It grew out of George Sand’s memory of rain dripping on the monastery roof while he composed on Majorca.
A calm melody in D♭ major opens the piece. Then the same repeated note, now spelled G♯, drives a slow, menacing middle section in C♯ minor, before the opening returns.
Two things to know
- The repeated A♭ (or G♯) sounds in almost every bar.
- At about five minutes it is the longest of the 24 preludes.
How to play it
The repeated note should be steady and soft, like rain in the background; the melody stays in front.