Debussy, unlike owen, never saw battle, and as an ardent frenchman and anti german. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. Of course, it still needs to be executed in french. In general i prefer arrau to most recordings of debussy, but even he struggles to bring out the best of book. The fifth prelude of book 2, entitled bruyeres heather, seems from its simple style to have been one of the. Module 5 analysis of piano repertoire lessons 1 and 2 debussy preludes the student must look for the book the piano works of claude debsusy, by e. 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. Unlike chopins, bachs and many other composers homonymous series, these pieces arent sorted by key signature. They were published in two booksseries, each consisting of three pieces. These works are distinct from debussy s images pour orchestre. Unlike other collections of preludes by great composers, debussy s do not follow a strict pattern of key signature. Initially, debussy and other pianists who gave early performances of the works including ricardo vines played them in groups of three or four preludes, which remains a popular approach today. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems.
Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. The clarity in his playing, and minimal use of pedal, gives sharp definition where others prefer a more reverberant haze. The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. Works for piano four hands and two pianos, series one includes two suites debussy composed specifically for piano four hands, his piano transcriptions deriving from two early choral works, and his own transcription for two pianos of his most famous orchestral work. Bachs ubiquitously known welltempered clavier namely, a prelude in each of the major and minor keys and imitated by several other composers, including frederic chopin, charlesvalentin alkan, and sergei. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy. Despite the research i have done regarding the title, the results i have found are still only speculation. Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at princeton university. High quality classical piano scores from the piano street sheet music library. 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. Claude debussy preludes download piano sheet music. Chopins nocturnes and more on amazon music unlimited. The first book was composed between 1901 and 1905, and the second book was composed in 1907.
Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. This allows performers to choose preludes with which they have the strongest affinity, or those to which their individual interpretive gifts are most suited. Debussy s two books of preludes amount to a revolution in piano writing, and reflect better that any of his other works the span of debussy s achievement. Walter gieseking plays scriabin prelude in e major op. Written between 1909 and 19, preludes are probably claude debussys most important work for piano. I cannot possible reach a 10note chord and there are many in this prelude. The music expresses a vast repertoire of emotions, colors and moods. Images usually pronounced in french is a suite of six compositions for solo piano by claude debussy. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. There is much in american pianist ivan ilics performances of debussy s book 1 and 2 preludes to draw fresh responses from such wellknown works.
A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. Originally recorded in 1953 and 1954 in monaural sound, walter giesekings magisterial performances of debussy s preludes were first released on cd in 1987 as a single disc, and they have been reissued in various guises many times since. My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book ii. The most important early example of the prelude being exemplified in the forty eight preludes and fugues of books i and ii of the well tempered clavier of bach, where the prelude served to establish the tonal center of the fugue that followed it. Claude debussy composed the second book of preludes during 1910 12. Debussy preludes, bk 2 by claude debussy, paperback. Preludes books 1 and 2 paperback april 1, 1999 by claude debussy composer 4. Debussy writes similar leaps for both hands in mirroring movements and builds the. Debussy may have contributed the last important evolution to the prelude. Join a community of music enthusiasts with a passion for music education. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions.
Emi eminence emx 4120551,emi eminence emx 41 2055 1 format. The leaps bring to mind the lefthand octaves in chopins etudelike 16th prelude. Ministrels krystian zimerman youtube preludes book i. Not only is the title full of mystery, but the piece itself leaves the listener in awe and wonder. Debussys preludes demand a great deal from pianists. Debussy preludes 1 12 book 1 complete paul barton, feurich hp piano duration. Claude debussy had been toying with the idea of writing a book of preludes for some time, and once he began, the process was a speedy one with his first volume completed within two months. Gieseking more or less owned these pieces during his lifetime and his performances have been judged as definitive by many critics. Helpful english translations of french terms as well as debussy s performance. Debussy played nos 1, 2, 10 and 11 at a concert on 5 may and we know that all of them, apart possibly from no 7, were heard in paris over the next ten months. Dates for book ii are harder to come by, but the volume was published almost exactly three years after the first, on 19 april 19. It is not necessary to be a virtuoso in order to play the notes of many of the pieces, but formidable technique and vision are required to create the colours and capture the changing moods. Listen to your favorite songs from 35 debussy playlist by claude debussy now. I cannot make up about how to play them a with the bottom note first and then the top 2 notes or b rolled.
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. List of books and articles about claude debussy online. Breiner by royal scottish national orchestra on amazon music. It consists in a series of 24 short pieces, equally subdivided into two books. Oct 31, 2006 though totaling twentyfour in number between the two books, debussys preludes do not follow the precedent established by j. Orchestral reimaginings of debussys piano pieces which are entertaining, intriguing and very satisfying. Ive invested a lot of passion and faith in the future of. Piano solo 2 violin fiddle guitar, violin 1harp harp 1clarinet clarinet choir 1.
Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. This significant compilation of 12 preludes represents debussy s mature writing style and is filled with a great diversity of compositional styles. 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. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. Feux dartifice krystian zimerman youtube debussy, preludes livre 2. Often dubbed a musical impressionist, but his music always has a strong sense of form. The music becomes more dramatic toward the end of the set. Book i was written between december 1909 and february 1910, and book ii. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off.
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