General Structure and Shaping

This prelude, with the exception of the secondary melody in the left hand starting from measure 9, fundamentally features the melody line in the right hand and the accompaniment figure in the left hand. When a secondary melody appears, resulting in two voices, both lines must be shaped logically. For instance, one must avoid accentuating the whole note F in the left hand at measure 10, which would be the end of a phrase.

Right-Hand Melody and Harmonic Progression

When performing this prelude, it is advisable to consider the harmonic progression for the right-hand melody line.

For example, in measures 1-2, the chord in measure 1 is F A C Eb, which is a dominant, and the chord in measure 2 is Bb D F, which is a tonic. Since the chord resolves from V to I, measure 2 should be softer than measure 1. The same applies to measures 3-4. Measures 5-6 form a descending sequence, so a diminuendo should be applied. In measure 7, a crescendo leads to a peak in measure 8, followed by another diminuendo within that same measure, transitioning to the next section.

Left-Hand Secondary Melody and Dynamics

In measures 9-10, the left-hand secondary melody descends, and the harmonic progression itself moves from chords with high tension to chords where the tension relaxes, if not fully resolves, thus a diminuendo should be applied. Measures 11-12 are a descending sequence of measures 9-10, so the volume should be further reduced.

Dynamics and Important Notes

Measures 13-16 contain a crescendo and diminuendo, so a hairpin crescendo and diminuendo with measure 15 as the peak point would be appropriate. The same applies thereafter.

There are sections where certain notes in the right-hand melody line are particularly important, while others merely constitute the chord. For example, in measure 10, the right hand is written as A B G G E G D D. The important notes are those on the main beats: A G E D, while the notes on the off-beats: B G G D, do not need to be played loudly, do they?

Interpretation and Flow

When one starts to consider this, interpretations may vary from person to person. However, that is perfectly acceptable. For instance, in measure 33, some might hear the B on the first beat, C on the second off-beat, B on the third beat, and C on the fourth off-beat as B C B C. Others might omit the D in the right hand of this measure and hear it as B Eb C B Eb C. This is a matter of freedom.

Con Moto and Rubato

Now, regarding this prelude, there is a challenge we must consider together: the issue of flow. At the beginning, it is marked "Con moto," meaning "with motion." This implies that the tempo should be varied to some extent, not played like a metronome. However, have you noticed that the eighth notes in the right hand never cease from the beginning to the end of the piece?

This might be the composer's way of indicating that the flow should not be interrupted. If one emphasizes "Con moto" and applies rubato, for example, I, as the author, would want to taper and slow down slightly at measure 8. I would also want to take a little time at measures 10 and 11 to change the color of the sequences in measures 9-10 and 11-12. While such desires are valid, doing so would result in interrupting the continuous flow of the eighth notes in the right hand.

Consequently, the challenge is to what extent movements like rubato are permissible. Let's consider this. By the way, when I watch my own video now, I feel that I might have interrupted the flow a bit too much. What do you think?