Preludes book 2 debussy preludes, opus 32 rachmaninoff by lawrence budmen while an entire concert of preludes may seem repetitive at first glance, the term had a very different meaning to various composers. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it. Book 1s fantasy has been replaced by a certain weary or ominous realism, and you get the feeling that book 1 was more explicitly imagistic in nature, while book 2 is symbolic its going. Debussys literary inspirations were mostly french, but he did not overlook foreign writers.
A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. A new album from marcandre hamelin is always cause for celebration. Despite the research i have done regarding the title, the results i have found are still only speculation. Surviving proofs of the 1st book of preludes show there was so much to correct and mark in a short time that several details including some lefthand chords in 2 of the preludes were overlooked.
Here are the categories well talk about in turn with mendelssohns music. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for. Pianist imogen c ooper painted evocative sound pictures in a bbc radio 3 lunchtime recital featuring music by debussy, beethoven and chopin. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. The paperback of the complete preludes, books 1 and 2. Claude debussy s painterly preludes the subtle, elusive quality of debussy s twentyfour preludes is captured perfectly by pianist paul jacobs, who plays them with a tolling, belllike sound. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each.
Also recorded here is the second book of preludes, in a poetic and evocative performance. Claude debussy composed the second book of preludes during 1910 12. Although the composer did not think the preludes should be performed as a cycle, book two is perfectly symmetrical with two showpieces at the start and end on the twelve pieces. All the piano greats completed a set of preludes for solo piano, but why is debussys that little bit different. Along with maurice ravel, he is considered one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions. Szymanowski, faure, martin, ohana conclusion chopin as pianist and teacher performing. Not only is the title full of mystery, but the piece. All the legends of the piano completed their own set, including bach the original and, some say, the best, chopin and rachmaninov, so there mustve been. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. But where bach and chopin used their preludes as something of a technical exercise, composing one for each musical key, debussy s were freeform and full of his signature expressive indulgences. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. In his music mendelssohn largely observed classical models and practices while initiating key aspects of romanticismthe.
A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy. Listening schubert to debussy music and theater arts. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. Roy howat, debussy in proportion cambridge up, 19831986, pp. Of course, mendelssohns interest in counterpoint and. I provide the original scanned version and the filtered, because the filter does some changes smoothening, sharpening borders and some portions of the scan get lost sometimes when they are too small e. My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book ii. Debussy piano sheet music best sheet music editions. From the results, it is also clear that he was trying to find a newly romantic voice for the fugue at a time when it was widely considered an outofdate, archaic means of. Preludes why are they so important to piano composers. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off. You get two discs for the price of one here, but the discs are only about 42 and 43 minutes worth.
The following 96 pages are in this category, out of 96 total. Mendelssohns motivation in writing the six preludes and fugues was, as he expressed to his sister fanny, to impose a strict discipline upon his piano writing after having produced several series of songs without words. In general i prefer arrau to most recordings of debussy, but even he struggles to bring out the best of book. Alkan, heller, busoni, scriabin, rachmaninoff, shostakovich preludes. University of wollongong thesis collection university of.
Les sons et les parfums tournent dans lair du soir modere 3. Jul 05, 2011 pianist imogen c ooper painted evocative sound pictures in a bbc radio 3 lunchtime recital featuring music by debussy, beethoven and chopin. During the 1830s, mendelssohn composed prolifically for the piano this decade saw the publication of the first three sets of lieder ohne worte, five works for piano and orchestra and several other keyboard works. Mybqcmvsdwrlcybhbmqgrnvndwvzlcbpcc4znyaotwvuzgvsc3nvag4siezlbgl4kq identifier. In the preludes and fugues, mendelssohn s essentially romantic character exists side by side with a learned but fresh contrapuntal sense. Additional specific references for this tempo issue. Claude debussys painterly preludes the subtle, elusive quality of debussys twentyfour preludes is captured perfectly by pianist paul jacobs, who plays them with a tolling, belllike sound. My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book.
Uhldqwx1zgvzichcb29ridipichezwj1c3n5lcbdbgf1zgup genre piano piece. The beams on even the 32nd notes are very easy to distinguish many printers do not get such a high resolution and the spaces between 2 or 3 beams are often poorly defined resulting in fat black patches instead of distinct lines. Debussys colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. May 21, 2018 surviving proofs of the 1st book of preludes show there was so much to correct and mark in a short time that several details including some lefthand chords in 2 of the preludes were overlooked. This album contains the preludes, books 1 and 2 by debussy, presented by piano classics, a label of brilliant classics. Mendelssohn six preludes and fugues, piano sheet music. Click on the following link to see a sample of the alfred masterwork debussy preludes. Preludes, for piano, scores featuring the piano, for 1 player collection. Felix mendelssohn, in full jakob ludwig felix mendelssohnbartholdy, born february 3, 1809, hamburg germanydied november 4, 1847, leipzig, german composer, pianist, musical conductor, and teacher, one of the mostcelebrated figures of the early romantic period. The performances tell it like it is or almost, for not all debussys very demanding contrasts of dynamics are observed, and i imagine collard has small hands, though she. Achilleclaude debussy august 22, 1862 march 25, 1918 was a french composer.
This edition was published in 1989 and contains 128 pages. Given the improvisatory character of the keyboard prelude, even in the time of bach, mendelssohn was free to indulge his pianism and imagination in the preludes of op. Provided to youtube by universal music group debussy. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. The easiest mendelssohn pieces for piano intermediate. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. The music becomes more dramatic toward the end of the set. Introduction and allegro for harp claude debussy, maurice ravel. I confess that when i first listened to michelangeli in book 2 not a thought crossed my mind about doing them any other way. Well, debussy obviously agreed but that didnt stop him putting his own stamp on the genre. Aug 19, 2016 debussy did nothing less than liberate music from the domination by functional harmony which had prevailed for three centuries.
Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at princeton university. A thoughtful note by the german writer in dgs booklet reminds us that debussy wasnt in favour of performing each book in its entirety, 12 pieces at a time. Here in his first debussy recording for hyperion he presents the two books of images. While the solo piano version of debussys preludes will always remain fundamental to.
While in an opera or ballet, a prelude may be a mood setting introduction to. All 96 recordings 33 naxos 90 s scores 93 p parts 17 v vocal scores 4 a arrangements and transcriptions 54 d sketches and drafts 2 aimonsnous et dormons. Most pianists play book 2 as though they had to make the best out of a debussy whose creative power had fallen since book 1. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Debussy preludes, bk 1 alfred masterwork edition debussy preludes, bk 2 alfred masterwork edition dover edition. Debussy preludes book 2 free downloadable sheet music.