Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. This project aims to facilitate the learning process of the preludes for piano by. Maurizio pollinis main qualities as an artist are neither humor nor abundance of keyboard color. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off. But where bach and chopin used their preludes as something of a technical exercise, composing one for each musical key, debussys were freeform and full of his signature expressive indulgences. A colleague at work said every time i play piano music on youtube he looks. In french literary circles, the style of this period was known as symbolism, a movement that directly inspired debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant. The two final preludes of book i are more lighthearted. Book i was written between december 1909 and february 1910, and book ii between the last months of 1912 and early april 19. Publication date 1910 topics preludes, for piano, scores featuring the piano, for 1 player collection. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy.
Now, these happen to be among the requisites necessary to play debussys preludes in the right frame of mind lets not speak about that woolly notion called style. 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. Claude debussy composed his two books of preludes between late 1909 and early 19. The work that ushers debussy into his second impressionistic period is prelude to. Her willingness to give her time so generously and her commitment. Music for relaxation, reliance and relief 10,415,940 views 1. In these pages ill try to summarize what references i have on the performance of. The paperback of the complete preludes, books 1 and 2. Debussy preludes book 2 free downloadable sheet music. 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. Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy.
Aug 19, 2016 the composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussys music by kodaly in 1907. Jan 22, 2009 after sonatas by beethoven and chopin, a disc of schumann and magisterial accounts of the two brahms piano concertos comes this recital of debussy centred on the first book of preludes. Achilleclaude debussy 22nd august 1862 25th march 1918 was a french composer. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Dance of puck from claude debussys claude debussy plays his finest works for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists.
That this was general we can to some extent see from the sales figures quoted by roy howat. 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. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. Im only an amateur pianist, but have been playing debussy s piano works since the late 70s. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. He was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th century.
After sonatas by beethoven and chopin, a disc of schumann and magisterial accounts of the two brahms piano concertos comes this recital of debussy centred on the first book of preludes. Debussys piano preludes ondine and brouillards, both from book. The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. Preludes, book 1 6 epigraphes antiques en blanc et noir robert and gaby casadesus 1956 by claude debussy. Several of them look ahead to debussys later style, in which the composers earlier impressionistic, almost romantic poetry was supplanted by a greater concentration upon technique and neoclassical objectivity. P ierrelaurent aimards muchpublicised recent claim in an interview with a german newspaper that debussy is a greater composer than wagner is by no.
If debussy were to use only one articulation at a time, uncovering his intent would be a. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. 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. Two excerpts from the emperor concerto, showing beethovens use of uneven groups of notes. Debussys piano pieces require deep thought and understanding. My personal journey through the 24 debussy preludes. 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. Im only an amateur pianist, but have been playing debussys piano works since the late 70s. Preludes, book 1 6 epigraphes antiques en blanc et noir robert and gaby casadesus 1956 ns 0105. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. This blog is dedicated to discussion of the performance of the piano pieces of claude debussy. 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. Debussy provided the first real alternative to the music and style of the.
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. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for. A novelty about these preludes is that the titles are not printed as a header above the first page, but as a footer on the last page, almost like an afterthought, suggesting that the title is inspired by the music and not the other way around. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. Achilleclaude debussy august 22, 1862 march 25, 1918 was a french composer.
Debussy dover music for piano by debussy, claude isbn. Preludes, an album by claude debussy, krystian zimerman on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Topclassicalmusic music history channel 22,749,772 views. P ierrelaurent aimards muchpublicised recent claim in an interview with a german newspaper that debussy is a. Debussys literary inspirations were mostly french, but he did not overlook foreign writers. Preludes books 1 and 2 paperback april 1, 1999 by claude debussy composer 4. As for his piano compositions, after he completed the second book of preludes the only. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918.
Debussys preludes demand a great deal from pianists. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. Well, debussy obviously agreed but that didnt stop him putting his own stamp on the genre. The works in debussys second book of preludes are similar in intent to those of book i 1907 1910. 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. Playing debussys piano works an amateurs thoughts about. Pollini will go down in history as one of the most objective pianists, scrupulously observant of what the composer.
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