the difference between a Chopin Prelude/Etude

[Beyond Within]

I bought this book which has every Prelude/Etude he did, because I wanted to see what this stuff looks like on paper when listening to it. I listened through all the preludes/etudes while looking at the sheet music and cannot really tell the difference in terms of what is actually there. I know etudes are meant to work on a certain aspect of technique, but both forms look indistinguishable on paper. Both are very breif, both are very repetetive, they seem to all declare one idea initially and continue it through-out. I thought beforehand that etudes would be naturally more difficult, but then I hear etudes (like #3 op. 10) that look and sound much easier than some of the preludes (like the first of the set of 24).

So basically, what is the difference, if there is any? I may be missing some structural subtlety, because I havent music theory analyzed the works, I just followed them with the music.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Beyond Within:
I bought this book which has every Prelude/Etude he did, because I wanted to see what this stuff looks like on paper when listening to it. I listened through all the preludes/etudes while looking at the sheet music and cannot really tell the difference in terms of what is actually there. I know etudes are meant to work on a certain aspect of technique, but both forms look indistinguishable on paper. Both are very breif, both are very repetetive, they seem to all declare one idea initially and continue it through-out. I thought beforehand that etudes would be naturally more difficult, but then I hear etudes (like #3 op. 10) that look and sound much easier than some of the preludes (like the first of the set of 24).

So basically, what is the difference, if there is any? I may be missing some structural subtlety, because I havent music theory analyzed the works, I just followed them with the music.

Well there isn't much of a difference except they work through a cycle of keys and are often performed as a set. Many of Bach's preludes are also in fact studies. Chopin's etudes though do in general make far greater technical demands, not that the preludes are easy - nos 8 (a favourite of mine) & 24 for example!

------------------
'Man know thyself'

[urtextmeister]

Interesting question.

The Etudes while short are never as short as some of the most fleeting of the preludes, which are almost like a half thought, a fragment.

The preludes, I think, work best when played as a whole. The etudes can be broken up any which way.

There are specific technical purposes to many of the etudes: one for thirds, one for octaves, etc. I'm not sure that the preludes are quite that methodical.

Both sets are some of the most brilliant and wonderful things ever conceived for piano (in my opinion).