Could it Be Magic?

My husband and I were out to dinner one evening at one of our favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor which frequently plays music from the 70s. On this particular night they were playing a song composed by Barry Manilow called "Could It Be Magic." My husband loves trivia, and he shared that Manilow had written this song, incorporating music written by a famous classical composer. This immediately piqued my interest due to the fact that I'm a self-proclaimed music nerd and pianist.

When we came home I looked up the song, "Could it Be Magic" and found out that the introduction and ending were based on Frederic Chopin's Prelude in C Minor. Manilow had spent an afternoon playing Chopin music, and this piece inspired him to write his song.

The Prelude in C Minor is one of the most underrated pieces within Chopin's prelude repertoire. It is a very short piece, originally written in two sections. The melody begins with a loud, slow chord progression before moving to a softer more expressive melody and finally coming full-circle with loud sweeping crescendos.

Although the piece appears to be simple, it has a certain level of technical difficulty requiring great precision and skill.

I loved the piece the moment I heard it, and I knew I had to play it. It took a great deal of time and patience, due to the fact I had shattered my wrist a year earlier, and I couldn't play octaves without a great deal of strain and pain in my tendons.

My piano teacher helped me modify several measures where my fingers couldn't stretch far enough to play a group of notes. Eventually, I learned the piece and found that practicing octaves was actually good therapy for my hand.

I am part of an adult piano group and twice a year we play in recitals together sharing our love for beautiful music.

Thanks to Barry and Chopin, I will happily be playing the Prelude in C Minor as a testament to what can be achieved when you are passionate about your art.

Abby playing Chopin’s Prelude in C Minor.