ABSTRACT
Abridged statements of fugue subjects are common in fugues episodes; likewise, thematic fragmentation is a normal developmental procedure in homophonic music. Chopin uses this compositional technique in the Preludes, as well, regardless whether its origin is polyphonic or homophonic. The conversion of melodic thirds into harmonic ones is not at all unusual. In fact, this transformation is described in Johann Philipp Kirnbergers textbook, which illustrates how melodies consisting of broken thirds can be reconsidered in a vertical alignment. The opening diptych of Preludes is joined together by both shared single pitches and common short motifs. The hermeneutic reading of the A-minor Prelude may well account for its unorthodox tonal structure. As many commentators have noted, the Prelude has an unusually ambiguous tonal construction. Abridged statements of fugue subjects are common in fugues episodes; likewise, thematic fragmentation is a normal developmental procedure in homophonic music.
