Debussy preludes book 1 program notes for cpe

Debussys preludes demand a great deal from pianists. 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. One only prays and hopes that the rest of debussy s piano music is somewhere in the near future, probably along with at least the core ravel piano works if not all the ravel piano music. Bach and chopin, debussy s do not follow a strict pattern of key signatures. Giesekings brilliant debussy preludes in superlative xr remasters. Claude debussy, alexei lubimov, alexei zuev debussy. Debussy is closer to the expressionism of schoenberg than to the chiselled sonorities of a chopin or the extravagant virtuosity of a liszt, even if his refined art can still be seen in the line of tradition of 19thcentury music.

Debussy slightly shortens the first half of the beat of each syncopated two note figure in the bass while slightly emphasizing and elongating the second half. Claude debussy h18621918 by the time he began writing the first book of preludes, claude debussy had established himself as an important and prolific composer having already produced most of the works that history would label masterpieces. To debussy, preludes were the musical equivalent of impressionistic painting. The notes to the present collection describe literary or pictorial associations intended by debussy. In 1872 he entered the paris conservatoire, where he abandoned the plan of becoming a virtuoso. The two pieces by claude debussy chosen for this program share the ambience of a habanera. These works have been central to stevens repertoire for many years and he brings them to the studio after. The form of the keyboard prelude research online uow. The first book was composed between 1901 and 1905, and the second book was composed in 1907. 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. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. Images usually pronounced in french is a suite of six compositions for solo piano by claude debussy.

I would suggest that each book of the preludes be listened to separately. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. Apr 03, 2014 unlike previous collections of preludes, such as those of j. Shop and buy complete preludes, books 1 and 2 sheet music. Bach bach cpe bach j c badings barber bartok bauer bax beach. The beams on even the 32nd notes are very easy to distinguish. Often dubbed a musical impressionist, but his music always has a. Musical analysis as a technique for performance decisions in selected preludes by claude debussy a monograph submitted to the graduate faculty of the louisiana state university and agricultural and mechanical college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of musical arts in the school of. Breiner for orchestra debussy completed his two books of preludes in 1910 and 19 respectively, and they contain some of his most visionary and poetic writing for piano. P ierrelaurent aimards muchpublicised recent claim in an interview with a german newspaper that debussy is a greater composer than wagner is by no. Douze etudes by claude debussy a pianists view helda. Johann sebastian bach welltempered clavier book i prelude and.

Works for piano by bach, mozart, beethoven, schumann, debussy. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. These works are distinct from debussy s images pour orchestre. Debussy, claude martinu, bohuslav villalobos, heitor muczynski, robert. This piano piece was initially published in the year 1908 and is included in preludes by debussy. Both books 1 and 2 of debussy s popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. 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.

Debussy was the composer who freed western music from the claustrophobic confines of functional harmony, the set of rules that for 300 years had governed which chords fit best with which others according to how well their bass notes got along. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. They were published in two books series, each consisting of three pieces. Playing debussys piano works an amateurs thoughts about. Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant. Published in two sets of twelve in 1910 and 19, the preludes comprise a profusion of ideas for connecting sound, mood, and image. The preludes are bravura works, each written to take advantage of the orchestral scope of a concert grand piano.

Piano smp level 10 advanced composed by claude debussy 18621918. Program notes and biographical note on the performer in english 1 folded sheet. Recorded oktaven audio, yonkers, new york 2015 january 45 and 11 2015 april 7. California state university, northridge works for piano. This creates a rhythmic feel much closer to black africanamerican ragtime performances than to white imitation rhythms. Not only are 24 short works a great deal to take in at one time, but there are some stylistic differences between them also. The composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussy s music by kodaly in 1907. Among the most important 20th century composers, and the most influential. This is the first book of twelve preludes composed by debussy, the second. Preludes books 1 and 2 piano solo sheet music schirmer. There are, of course, many other complete recordings of the preludes, books iii.

He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it was. Im only an amateur pianist, but have been playing debussys piano works since the late 70s. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off. Claude debussy s two books of preludes, implying homage to both chopin and bach, revel in the composers innovative piano techniques. Recorded live during the marion rubin berman 31 piano honors concert april 12, 2012 in necs jordan hall in boston. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. A new album from marcandre hamelin is always cause for celebration. The more one learns about claude debussy, the more the enigma grows a composer who revered. This is frequently forgotten in the interpretation as well as the assessment of his oeuvre. The d major prelude, written in 1903, features what biographer david fanning calls consoling lyricism, as it combines dense piano textures with a meditative melodic line.

Music for relaxation, reliance and relief 10,533,468 views 1. That this was general we can to some extent see from the sales figures quoted by roy howat. The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. Each book was written in a matter of months, at an. 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. This sonata is probably one of the most profound and difficult piano pieces written. There are evocations of calm seascapes, delicate wind tracery, and snowcovered landscapes. 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. While in an opera or ballet, a prelude may be a mood setting introduction to. Free sheet music l 117, debussy, claude preludes, book 1. Thus, for example, instead of heading his 24 preludes in two books with programmatic titles in his autograph score, he appended them at the.

Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems. 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. This blog is dedicated to discussion of the performance of the piano pieces of claude debussy. Any recordings you find of sviatoslav richter playing any of debussy s preludes are also worthy of consideration. Soyoung choe performs excerpts from debussys preludes, book 1. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. Roy howats editions of debussy piano music for the. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. Perhaps the most impressionistic of the preludes, its cloudy textures inhabit a remote harmonic world. My concert programme notes on debussys etudes began to grow and finally took the. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. Often dubbed a musical impressionist, but his music always has a strong sense of form.

The paperback of the complete preludes, books 1 and 2. Among french musics most avantgarde expressions, they also contain some of debussy s most atonal sorties. Achilleclaude debussy august 22, 1862 march 25, 1918 was a french composer. Daniel ericourt books iii ivory classics 73006 4cd priced as 2 vladimir viardo books iii propiano 224525. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. 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. 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. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. Bach trio sonata in d minor for flute, violin, and continuo. Debussy preludes, bk 1 alfred masterwork edition and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.

This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy. Here he reaches between those two to tackle one of the pinnacles of the piano repertoire debussy s two books. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 by claude debussy 18621918. Debussy may have contributed the last important evolution to the prelude. As for his piano compositions, after he completed the second book of preludes the only. Bachs adagio assai mesto e sostenuto, and bachs cantata. Debussys piano pieces require deep thought and understanding. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. Still, as musicologist rollo myers notes, the pictorial element is not unduly stressed if stressed at all.

Debussy s colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. Debussy images book 1 free downloadable sheet music. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy. Audio recording, 2000 to 2099, debussy, claude, no. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op.

This thesis is a set of program notes that cover the historical background and a. Much too prosaic when translated as dead leaves, the title may derive from a book of verse by the littleknown georges turpin. With standard notation, introductory text and performance notes does not include words to the songs. A habanera rhythm is consistently heard in the left. The sleeve states that there are full programme notes available online, but when i. 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 was greeted in britain with slight disappointment. His second book of preludes published in 19 consists of twelve generous vignettes painted in a pastel kaleidoscope of pianistic colors. Traditional diatonic harmonies have little driving force in these pieces, replaced by modal melodies and.

Nature was central to debussy s artistic aesthetic. Publication date 1910 topics preludes, for piano, scores featuring the piano, for 1 player collection. Topflight debussy preludes march 23, 2019 by joseph f. Music for relaxation, reliance and relief 10,415,940 views 1. I bought these recently on cd, because i gave away my lps when i moved into a manhattan apartment in the late 1980s, i still miss them. 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. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for. 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. His readings of the first book of preludes, and the first set of images is going to be much, much, much more than soothing pastel background music listening.