The Raindrop Prelude by Chopin for kids

The Raindrop Prelude is a slow piano piece by Frédéric Chopin. One note repeats from the first bar to the last, like steady rain on a roof. Chopin finished it in the winter of 1838 to 1839 on the island of Majorca. It lasts about five to seven minutes.

Quick facts

• Composer: Frédéric Chopin, who lived from 1810 to 1849
• Real title: Prelude in D flat major, Op. 28, No. 15
• Finished: 1839
• For: piano alone
• Length: about 5 to 7 minutes
• Shape: gentle rain, a dark middle, and gentle rain again

A wet winter on an island

Chopin spent one winter on Majorca, an island off the coast of Spain. He went with the writer George Sand and her two children. He hoped the warm air would help his weak lungs.

It rained and rained. The family stayed in rooms in an old monastery in the hills. Chopin was ill for much of the winter, and he worked on a set of 24 preludes.

George Sand later wrote that she came back from town one night in a storm and found Chopin at the piano, playing one of his preludes while the rain fell. She did not say which one. Chopin never gave the piece a name. The nickname “Raindrop” came from other people.

The note that never stops

The repeating note is A flat, a black key. It sits in the middle of the music and ticks along in even beats.

In the dark middle part, the same key keeps going, with a new name: G sharp. A flat and G sharp are two names for one key on the piano. Read sharps, flats, and naturals explained for kids.

What to listen for

Part	What happens
Gentle rain	A calm, singing tune over the repeating note
The storm	The music moves low and turns minor. The repeating note grows heavy, and the sound swells to a roar, twice
The rain returns	The first tune comes back for a short time
The end	A few quiet notes alone, and the rain stops

One of 24

Chopin’s preludes are a set of 24 short pieces, one in each major and minor key. Some last less than a minute. This is the longest one.

A prelude was once a piece that came before something else. Chopin’s preludes stand alone. Read short piano pieces explained.

Loud and soft

The piece begins soft. In the middle, it grows little by little until it is loud, and then it falls back. The word for growing louder is crescendo. Read dynamics in music.

Things to do together

Tap the rain. Tap the repeating note on a knee with one finger. See how long your child can keep it going.

Raise the storm. Lift both arms as the music gets louder, and lower them as it gets softer.

Paint the weather. Use light colors for the first part and dark colors for the middle.

Listen in the rain. Save the piece for a wet day, and play it by a window.

Questions to ask

• Can you hear the note that repeats? Does it ever stop?
• What happens to the weather in the middle?
• How does the ending feel?

Words to know

• Prelude: a short piece. Long ago, it came before a longer one
• Crescendo: growing louder
• Minor key: a set of notes that often sounds sad or serious

Print and play

Print a listening journal page. Read Chopin for kids and print the Chopin fact sheet. For a fast piece by Chopin, read the Minute Waltz for kids. For more rain and thunder, read classical music about storms and weather.