Performance Notes for This Prelude

When performing this Prelude, please keep two important things in mind:

• There are many solo sections where the left hand is absent, and only the right hand plays. While you may wish to play them improvisationally and expressively with rubato, be careful not to disrupt the 3/4 time signature of this piece. Ensure that notes with tenuto are not held excessively long, or that dotted half notes do not extend beyond their value, thereby avoiding any disruption to the beat. That is the first point.
• Consider the piu mosso sections beginning at measures 11 and 42. Piu mosso means 'more moved' (piu = more, mosso = moved), implying a desire for more motion or added movement compared to what precedes it; it does not signify a sudden acceleration of tempo from this point.
  Incidentally, observe the sections other than piu mosso. These are often right-hand solo sections, very relaxed and improvisatory, aren't they? In other words, have you noticed that the first beat is filled by the left hand for the first time only after piu mosso begins? In sections other than piu mosso, the left hand plays the first beat in only a few measures. In other words, piu mosso can also be interpreted as an instruction to stabilize the tempo.
  Furthermore, what kind of depiction is this piu mosso section in the first place? The marking for this piece is Lamentoso (sadly). Although the piu mosso section is in a major key, it can be interpreted as an expression of loss, or as a depiction of old memories resurfacing. In any case, avoid a tempo that suddenly accelerates and creates an entirely different mood in this section.

Please observe measures 18-19; the notes and rhythm are identical. This can be considered a stage before entering the real world, where memories gradually fade from one's mind. Therefore, apply a diminuendo.

In this Prelude, while the melody line is primarily in the right hand, the left hand's counter-melody should also be treated with importance.

For example, the left-hand material from measures 5-6 is repeated four times throughout the piece: measures 5-6, 7-8, 30-31, and 32-33. Taking measures 5-6 as an example, on the first beat of measure 6, the uppermost note in the left hand should crescendo towards the D-sharp chord, and upon reaching D-sharp, play the E with a diminuendo so that it fades away. This is a non-harmonic tone known as a double suspension, which strongly expresses sadness. Such left-hand sections should also be played with care.