I have one other schirmer debussy piano book and this compilation book was what led me to purchase this set of preludes. Sep 29, 2006 claudio arrau considered it to be one of debussys greatest preludes and said its miraculous that he created, in so few notes, this kind of depth. Preludes daniele callegari on allmusic 2005 known as a composer of spectral symphonic. Also recorded here is the second book of preludes, in a poetic and evocative performance. The two final preludes of book i are more lighthearted. Puck is shakespeares elf, in all likelihood found by debussy, as roy howat has suggested, in an edition of 1908 with illustrations by arthur rackham. Jul 05, 2011 the crosseyed pianist is free to access and adfree, and takes many hours every month to research, write, and maintain. Claude debussy composed the second book of preludes during 1910 12. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910.
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. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it was. Here in his first debussy recording for hyperion he presents the two books of images. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Book ii was published in paris on april 19, 19, just six weeks before stravinskys le sacre du printemps stood that city on its head. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. General performance notes on the preludes and more detailed, individual notes for preludes nos.
Claude debussy composed his two books of preludes during a remarkably brief periodthe first, between december 1909 and february 1910. The paperback of the complete preludes, books 1 and 2. The crosseyed pianist is free to access and adfree, and takes many hours every month to research, write, and maintain. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. 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. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. A new album from marcandre hamelin is always cause for celebration. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. Claudio arrau considered it to be one of debussys greatest preludes and said its miraculous that he created, in so few notes, this kind of depth. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems.
Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant. My mom who went through years of piano lessons with 5 kids heard my sixyearold play last week and couldnt believe it. That this was general we can to some extent see from the sales figures quoted by roy howat. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Debussy s colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. Information from its description page there is shown below. The piano pronto book is exactly what they needed for their best start with the piano. While in an opera or ballet, a prelude may be a mood setting introduction to. Known as a composer of spectral symphonic music, luc brewaeys has demonstrated his prodigious orchestration skills in numerous concert works, though most of them are challenging experimental pieces that casual listeners are unlikely to find accessible. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans lair du soir modere 3. Hiroko sasakis performances, on an immaculately restored piano from 1873. Hamelins stature, extraordinary from the start, increases with every new issue. This is as tragic as mozart gets, and the return to.
These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and. Debussys preludes demand a great deal from pianists. Claudio arrau considered it to be one of debussy s greatest preludes and said its miraculous that he created, in so few notes, this kind of depth. If you find joy and value in what i do, please consider making a donation to support the continuance of the site. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Chopin wrote them between 1835 and 1839, partly at valldemossa, majorca, where he spent the winter of 183839 and where he had fled with george sand and her children to escape the damp paris weather. Commons is a freely licensed media file repository.
However, each of bachs preludes leads to a fugue in the same key, and bachs pieces are arranged, in each of the works two volumes, in ascending chromatic order with major preceding parallel minor, while chopins are arranged in a circle of fifths with major preceding relative minor. The composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussy s music by kodaly in 1907. Pucks aerial acrobatics are first interrupted by and then blended with trumpet and horn calls. Achilleclaude debussy 22nd august 1862 25th march 1918 was a french composer. Prelude and fugue in csharp minor bach 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. Debussys most dramatic contribution to music history was his disregard for traditional chord structures and tonality. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy showing 14 of 68 pages in this thesis. Debussys two books of preludes amount to a revolution in piano writing, and reflect better that any of his other works the span of debussys achievement. It helps that we have a stellar teacher, of course, but this is really a terrific book.
The first appeared in 1910, and he composed the second book of twelve preludes over the next several years while he was completing one of his most subtle orchestral scores, the ballet jeux. Maybe i am a lazy pianist but i like editions that have some fingering suggestions so i dont have so much work to do. The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. The book has good weight to it because there are many, many compositions contained within it. The music becomes more dramatic toward the end of the set. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano debussy, claude on. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. 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. He was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th century.
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. The one clear fault of the osborne recording is dynamic extremes, which is, i assume, an engineering decision. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for. A recording of the preludes, by artisteditor brian ganz, is also included with the print edition. Another critic wrote that book 2 of the preludes is played more successfully than book 1.
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. Claude debussys two books of preludes, implying homage to both chopin and bach, revel in the composers innovative piano techniques. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by. The iconic examples of such works are those of johann sebastian bach appearing in his the welltempered clavier, much of which was composed in. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. The late mary antonietti, a pianist and cousin of gustav holst who met debussy when he came to london in 1909, remembered that book ii of the preludes. Among french musics most avantgarde expressions, they also contain some of debussys most atonal sorties. Preludes, book 2 by claude debussy 18621918 sheet music. Ok, technically a duet, but there are only so many notes in the original scor read more. 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. The twentyfour preludes of debussy are published in two books of twelve preludes each. Debussy dover music for piano by debussy, claude isbn. Bac h the welltempered clavier, book i prelude and fugue no.