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{{Short description|Piano pieces by Claude Debussy}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Italic title}}
[[Claude Debussy]]'s '''''Préludes''''' are 24 pieces for solo [[piano]], divided into two books of 12 [[prelude (music)|preludes]] each. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]]'s [[Preludes (Chopin)|Op. 28 preludes]], or the preludes from [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]'s [[The Well-Tempered Clavier|Well-Tempered Clavier]], Debussy's do not follow a [[Music written in all 24 major and minor keys|strict pattern]] of [[key centers|Key (music)]].
[[Claude Debussy]]'s ''<span lang="fr" dir="ltr">'''Préludes'''</span>'' are 24 pieces for solo [[piano]], divided into two books of 12 [[prelude (music)|preludes]] each. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]]'s [[Preludes (Chopin)|Op. 28 preludes]], or the preludes from [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]'s ''[[The Well-Tempered Clavier]]'', Debussy's do not follow a [[Music written in all 24 major and minor keys|strict pattern]] of [[Key (music)|tonal centers]]. Each book was written in a matter of months, at an unusually fast pace for Debussy. Book I was written between December 1909 and February 1910, and Book II in 1911 and 1912.

Each book was written in a matter of months, at an unusually fast pace for Debussy. Book I was written between December 1909 and February 1910, and Book II between the last months of 1912 and early April 1913.


==Pieces==
==Pieces==
Line 12: Line 11:
|2.||''[[Voiles]]'': Modéré<br>(Veils/Sails)||2.||''Feuilles mortes'': Lent et mélancolique<br>(Dead Leaves)[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- II. Feuilles Mortes.oga]]
|2.||''[[Voiles]]'': Modéré<br>(Veils/Sails)||2.||''Feuilles mortes'': Lent et mélancolique<br>(Dead Leaves)[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- II. Feuilles Mortes.oga]]
|-
|-
|3.||''Le vent dans la plaine'': Animé<br>(The Wind in the Plain)||3.||''La puerta del Vino'': Mouvement de Habanera<br>(Wine Gate)[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- III. La Puerta Del Vino.oga]]
|3.||''Le vent dans la plaine'': Animé<br>(The Wind in the Plain)||3.||''La puerta del Vino'': Mouvement de Habanera<br> The title refers to one of the gates of the Alhambra in Granada (a city previously evoked in ''[[soirée dans Grenade|La soirée dans Grenade]]'')[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- III. La Puerta Del Vino.oga]]
|-
|-
|4.||''«Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir»'': Modéré<br>("The sounds and fragrances swirl through the evening air")||4.||''«Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses»'': Rapide et léger<br>("Fairies are exquisite dancers")[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- IV. 'Les Fees Sont D'Exquises Danseuses'.oga]]
|4.||''«Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir»'': Modéré<br>("The sounds and fragrances swirl through the evening air")||4.||''«Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses»'': Rapide et léger<br>("Fairies are exquisite dancers")[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- IV. 'Les Fees Sont D'Exquises Danseuses'.oga]]
|-
|-
|5.||''Les collines d'Anacapri'': Très modéré<br>(The Hills of [[Anacapri]])||5.||''Bruyères'': Calme<br>(Heather/Town in Eastern France)[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- V. Bruyeres. Giorgi Latsabidze.oga]]
|5.||''[[Les collines d'Anacapri]]'': Très modéré<br>(The Hills of [[Anacapri]])||5.||''Bruyères'': Calme<br>(Heather/Town in Eastern France)[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- V. Bruyeres. Giorgi Latsabidze.oga]]
|-
|-
|6.||''[[Des pas sur la neige]]'': Triste et lent<br>(Footsteps in the Snow)
|6.||''[[Des pas sur la neige]]'': Triste et lent<br>(Footsteps in the Snow)

[[file:02_Debussy_Preludes,_Book_1,_L_117_-_Des_Pas_Sur_La_Neige.flac]]
|6.||''Général Lavine – eccentric:'' Dans le style et le mouvement d'un [[Cakewalk]]
|6.||''Général Lavine – eccentric:'' Dans le style et le mouvement d'un [[Cakewalk]]
''[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- VI. 'General Lavine' - Excentric.oga]]''
''[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- VI. 'General Lavine' - Excentric.oga]]''
Line 29: Line 28:
|9.||''[[La sérénade interrompue]]'': Modérément animé<br>(Interrupted [[Serenade]]) [[File:Claude Debussy - I Livre Prelude IX... (...La serenade interrompue) - Patrizia Prati.ogg]]||9.||''[[Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C.]]'': Grave<br>(Homage to [[The Pickwick Papers|S. Pickwick]])[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- IX. Hommage a S. Pickwick, Esq., P.P.M.P.C.oga]]
|9.||''[[La sérénade interrompue]]'': Modérément animé<br>(Interrupted [[Serenade]]) [[File:Claude Debussy - I Livre Prelude IX... (...La serenade interrompue) - Patrizia Prati.ogg]]||9.||''[[Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C.]]'': Grave<br>(Homage to [[The Pickwick Papers|S. Pickwick]])[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- IX. Hommage a S. Pickwick, Esq., P.P.M.P.C.oga]]
|-
|-
|10.||''[[La cathédrale engloutie]]'': Profondément calme<br>(The Submerged Cathedral)||10.||''Canope'': Très calme et doucement triste<br>([[Canopic jar|Canopic Jar]])[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- X. Canope.oga]]
|10.||''[[La cathédrale engloutie]]'': Profondément calme<br>(The engulfed Cathedral)||10.||''Canope'': Très calme et doucement triste<br>([[Canopic jar|Canopic Jar]])[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- X. Canope.oga]]
|-
|-
|11.||''La danse de Puck'': Capricieux et léger<br>([[Puck (Shakespeare)|Puck]]'s Dance)||11.||''Les tierces alternées'': Modérément animé<br>(Alternating Thirds)[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- XI. Les Tierces Alternees.oga]]
|11.||''La danse de Puck'': Capricieux et léger<br>([[Puck (Shakespeare)|Puck]]'s Dance)||11.||''Les tierces alternées'': Modérément animé<br>(Alternating Thirds)[[File:Debussy- Preludes, Book 2- XI. Les Tierces Alternees.oga]]
Line 36: Line 35:
|}
|}


⚫
==Performance==
⚫
Two of the titles were set in [[quotation mark]]s by Debussy because they are, in fact, quotations: ''«Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir»'' is from [[Charles Baudelaire]]'s poem ''Harmonie du soir'' ("Evening Harmony"). ''«Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses»'' is from [[J. M. Barrie]]'s book ''[[Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens]]'', which Debussy's daughter had received as a gift.
⚫
On 3 May 1911, pianist Jane Mortier premiered the first book of preludes at the [[Salle Pleyel]] in Paris.<ref name="debussy1">{{cite web|url=http://www.debussy.fr/cdfr/bio/bio6_10-14.php |title=Claude Debussy – Biographie: 1910–1914|publisher=Centre de documentation Claude Debussy|access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref> German-English pianist [[Walter Morse Rummel]], a student of [[Leopold Godowsky]], premiered the second book in 1913 in London.<ref name="debussy1"/>


⚫
Debussy and other pianists who gave early performances of the preludes (including [[Ricardo Viñes]]) played them in groups of three or four, which remains a popular approach today. This allows performers to choose preludes with which they have the strongest affinity, or those to which their particular gifts are most suited.
⚫
==Performance practice==
There is no proof that Debussy necessarily intended the preludes to be performed as a cycle, although the musical language throughout each book is so consistent that performers usually do so.{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}<!--Really?-->


⚫
There is a strong tonal relationship between the preludes that suggests that their published order is not arbitrary.<ref name="autogenerated1996">{{harvnb|Roberts|1996}}</ref> For example, the first three preludes of the first book (''Danseuses de Delphes'', ''[[Voiles]]'', and ''Le Vent dans la Plaine'') make continued references to the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[B-flat major|B{{music|flat}}]].<ref name="autogenerated1996" /> Although these references come and go, it creates a strong sense of fluidity and connection between these preludes.
⚫
An important precedent was set on 3 May 1911 by the pianist Jane Mortier (to whom works were dedicated by [[Bohuslav Martinů]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://patachonf.free.fr/musique/martinu/catalogue.php?p=101-200 |title=Bohuslav Martinu : catalogue des oeuvres, numéro 101–200|publisher=Patachonf.free.fr |access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref> and [[Erik Satie]]) who played the entire first book of preludes at the [[Salle Pleyel]] in Paris.<ref name="debussy1">{{cite web|url=http://www.debussy.fr/cdfr/bio/bio6_10-14.php |title=Claude Debussy – Biographie: 1910–1914|publisher=Centre de documentation Claude Debussy|access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref> The German-English pianist [[Walter Morse Rummel]], a student of [[Leopold Godowsky]], gave the premiere of the entire second book of preludes in 1913 in London.<ref name="debussy1"/>


⚫
The order of the preludes is not considered imperative (as it is with [[Preludes (Chopin)|Chopin's preludes]], for example). Several pianists have performed them out of order; and at least one recording, by [[Ivan Ilić (pianist)|Ivan Ilić]], changes the order entirely.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_cd_review.php?id=6145 |title=Classical Music – The Classical Source – Debussy's Préludes – Ivan Ilić|publisher=The Classical Source|access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref>
⚫
Initially, Debussy and other pianists who gave early performances of the works (including [[Ricardo Viñes]]) played them in groups of three or four preludes, which remains a popular approach today. This allows performers to choose preludes with which they have the strongest affinity, or those to which their individual interpretive gifts are most suited.


⚫
The first complete recording of both books was made in England in 1938 by South African pianist [[Adolph Hallis]].<ref>Siek, Stephen (2011). ''England's Piano Sage: The Life and Teachings of Tobias Matthay.'' Washington: Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|978-0810881617}}, pp. 324-25</ref>
⚫
There is a strong tonal relationship between the preludes that suggests that the published order of the preludes is not arbitrary.<ref name="autogenerated1996">Roberts, Paul. ''The Piano Music of Claude Debussy''. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1996</ref> For example, the first three preludes in the first book (''Danseuses de Delphes'', ''[[Voiles]]'', and ''Le Vent dans la Plaine'') revolve around the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[B-flat major|B{{music|flat}}]].<ref name="autogenerated1996" /> In these first three preludes, allusions to the key of B{{music|flat}} disappear and reappear, yet a strong sense of fluidity and connection between the preludes is still maintained.


==Titles==
⚫
However, the order of the preludes is not considered imperative, as is the case with [[Preludes (Chopin)|Chopin's preludes]], for example. Several pianists have performed the set out of order, and at least one recording, by [[Ivan Ilić (pianist)|Ivan Ilić]], changes the order of the set entirely.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_cd_review.php?id=6145 |title=Classical Music – The Classical Source – Debussy’s Préludes – Ivan Ilić|publisher=The Classical Source|access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref>
In the original editions, Debussy had the titles placed at the end of each work,<ref>See {{harvnb|IMSLP scores}}.</ref> allowing performers to experience each prelude without being influenced by its titles beforehand.


⚫
Two of the titles were set in [[quotation mark]]s by Debussy because they are, in fact, quotations: ''«Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir»'' is from [[Charles Baudelaire]]'s poem ''Harmonie du soir'' ("Evening Harmony"), from his volume ''[[Les Fleurs du mal]]''.<ref>[http://fleursdumal.org/poem/142 Charles Baudelaire's ''Les Fleurs du mal'']</ref> ''«Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses»'' is from [[J. M. Barrie]]'s book ''[[Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens]]'', which Debussy's daughter had received as a gift.
⚫
The first complete recording of both sets was made in England in 1938 by the South African pianist [[Adolph Hallis]].<ref>Siek, Stephen (2011). ''England's Piano Sage: The Life and Teachings of Tobias Matthay.'' Washington: Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|978-0810881617}}, pp. 324-25</ref>


⚫
At least one title is poetically vague: The exact meaning of ''Voiles'', the first book's second prelude, is impossible to ascertain; in French, ''voiles'' can mean either "veils" or "sails".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://toddtarantino.com/hum/debussy_voiles.html |title=Claude Debussy: Voiles |publisher=Toddtarantino.com |access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref>
==The titles==
The titles of the preludes are highly significant, both in terms of their descriptive quality and in the way they were placed in the written score. The titles are written at the end of each work,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://imslp.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A9ludes_(Book_1)_(Debussy,_Claude)#Piano_Scores|title=Préludes (Book 1) (Debussy, Claude)|publisher=IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music|access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref> allowing the performer to experience each individual sound world without being influenced by Debussy's titles beforehand.


⚫
==Orchestrations and adaptations==
⚫
At least one of the titles is poetically vague: the exact meaning of ''Voiles'', the title of the second prelude of the first book, is impossible to determine for certain, since plural nouns do not distinguish [[grammatical gender|gender]]s as the singular forms may do (in French, ''voiles'' can mean either "veils" or "sails").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://toddtarantino.com/hum/debussy_voiles.html |title=Claude Debussy: Voiles |publisher=Toddtarantino.com |access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref>
⚫
Numerous [[orchestration]]s have been made of the various preludes, mostly of ''La fille aux cheveux de lin'' and ''La cathédrale engloutie''. Complete orchestrations of all 24 preludes include versions by Pavica Gvozdić, [[Peter Breiner]], [[Luc Brewaeys]], [[Hans Henkemans]] and [[Colin Matthews]].<ref>''[http://www.naxos.com/feature/Debussy_at_150.asp Debussy at 150: Peter Breiner Orchestrates Debussy's 24 Préludes]'', [[Naxos Records]], Hong Kong, n.d.</ref><ref>''[http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/t/tal81004a.php Preludes: Recomposition for Symphony Orchestra]'', Classical.net, 2006</ref><ref>''[http://classicalcdreview.com Debussy: The Philharmonia]'', Classical CD Review, 2002</ref><ref>''[http://www.barnesandnoble.com/enwiki/w/colin-matthews-the-debussy-preludes-mark-elder/21180625?EAN=5065001341267 Colin Matthews: The Debussy Preludes]'', Barnes and Noble, 2011</ref> [[Sean Osborn]] and conductor [[Noam Zur]] have orchestrated the first book.<ref>{{YouTube|GxdCw4ZyKwM|Book I, "Minstrels"}}, [[Noam Zur]] orchestration and conducting, [[Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]], December 2014</ref><ref>[http://osbornmusic.com/debussy.html "Debussy ''Préludes'', Book 1"], Sean Osborne Music, 2008.</ref>


Some of the ''Préludes'' were adapted to form the dynamic soundtrack of ''[[Untitled Goose Game]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/23/20879792/untitled-goose-game-nintendo-switch-debussy|title=How ''Untitled Goose Game'' adapted Debussy for its dynamic soundtrack|last=Lee|first=Dami|date=23 September 2019|website=[[The Verge]]|access-date=23 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/358217/Road_to_the_IGF_House_Houses_Untitled_Goose_Game.php | title = Road to the IGF: House House's ''Untitled Goose Game''| first = Joel | last = Couture | date = 17 February 2020 | access-date = 17 February 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref>
The title of the fourth prelude ''«Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir»'' represents a citation from [[Charles Baudelaire]]’s poem ''Harmonie du soir'' from his volume of poems ''[[Les Fleurs du mal]]''.<ref>[http://fleursdumal.org/poem/142 Charles Baudelaire's ''Les Fleurs du mal'']</ref>

⚫
==Orchestrations==
⚫
Numerous [[orchestration]]s have been made of the various preludes, mostly of ''La fille aux cheveux de lin'' and ''La cathédrale engloutie''. Complete orchestrations of all 24 preludes include versions by [[Peter Breiner]], [[Luc Brewaeys]], [[Hans Henkemans]], and [[Colin Matthews]].<ref>''[http://www.naxos.com/feature/Debussy_at_150.asp Debussy at 150: Peter Breiner Orchestrates Debussy's 24 Préludes]'', [[Naxos Records]], Hong Kong, n.d.</ref><ref>''[http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/t/tal81004a.php Preludes: Recomposition for Symphony Orchestra]'', Classical.net, 2006</ref><ref>''[http://classicalcdreview.com Debussy: The Philharmonia]'', Classical CD Review, 2002</ref><ref>''[http://www.barnesandnoble.com/enwiki/w/colin-matthews-the-debussy-preludes-mark-elder/21180625?EAN=5065001341267 Colin Matthews: The Debussy Preludes]'', Barnes and Noble, 2011</ref> [[Sean Osborn]] and conductor [[Noam Zur]] have orchestrated the first book.<ref>''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxdCw4ZyKwM Debussy Minstrels orch. N.Zur]'', N.Zur orchestration and conducting, Minstrels, Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, December 2014</ref> <ref>''[http://osbornmusic.com/debussy.html Debussy Preludes, Book 1]'', Sean Osborne Music, 2008.</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


'''Sources'''
== Bibliography ==
⚫
* {{cite book|last=Roberts|first=Paul|year=1996|title=Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy|location=Portland, Oregon|publisher=Amadeus Press}}
⚫
*[[François Lesure|Lesure, François]] and Howat, Roy. "Debussy, Claude." ''Grove Music Online''. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/07353 Oxford Music Online, accessed 14 December 2009]
⚫
*Roberts, Paul (1996). ''Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy''. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
⚫
*[[Gatti, Guido M.]] "The Piano Works of Claude Debussy." ''[[The Musical Quarterly]]'' 7.3 (1921): 418–60. Print.
⚫
{{Portal|Classical music}}
⚫
*[[François Lesure|Lesure, François]] and Howat, Roy. "Debussy, Claude." ''Grove Music Online''. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/07353 Oxford Music Online, accessed 14 December 2009]
⚫
*Gatti, Guido M. "The Piano Works of Claude Debussy." ''[[The Musical Quarterly]]'' 7.3 (1921): 418–60. Print.


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMSLP2|work=Pr%C3%A9ludes_%28Book_1%29_%28Debussy%2C_Claude%29|cname=Preludes, Book 1|work2=Pr%C3%A9ludes_%28Book_2%29_%28Debussy%2C_Claude%29|cname2=Book 2}}
* {{wikicite|ref={{harvid|IMSLP scores}}|reference={{IMSLP|work=Préludes, Livre 1 (Debussy, Claude)|cname=''Préludes'', Book 1|work2=Préludes, Livre 2 (Debussy, Claude)|cname2=Book 2}}}}
*[https://theclassicreview.com/beginners-guides/debussy-preludes-a-beginners-guide/ Debussy's ''Préludes'' – A Beginners' Guide – Overview, analysis and the best recordings], The Classic Review
*Performances of [http://traffic.libsyn.com/gardnermuseum/debussy_12preludes_jumppanen.mp3 Book 1] and [http://traffic.libsyn.com/gardnermuseum/debussy_12preludesbook2_jumppanen.mp3 Book 2] of the Preludes by Paavali Jumppanen from the [[Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]] in [[MP3]] format
*Performances of [http://traffic.libsyn.com/gardnermuseum/debussy_12preludes_jumppanen.mp3 Book 1] and [http://traffic.libsyn.com/gardnermuseum/debussy_12preludesbook2_jumppanen.mp3 Book 2] of the Preludes by Paavali Jumppanen from the [[Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]] in [[MP3]] format

{{Debussy preludes}}
{{Debussy preludes}}
{{Claude Debussy}}
{{Claude Debussy}}
{{Impressionist music}}
{{Impressionist music}}
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{{Portal bar|Classical music}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preludes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preludes}}
[[Category:Preludes by Claude Debussy| ]]
[[Category:Preludes by Claude Debussy| ]]

Latest revision as of 17:54, 1 September 2024

Claude Debussy's Préludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as Chopin's Op. 28 preludes, or the preludes from Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, Debussy's do not follow a strict pattern of tonal centers. Each book was written in a matter of months, at an unusually fast pace for Debussy. Book I was written between December 1909 and February 1910, and Book II in 1911 and 1912.

Pieces

[edit]
Book I Book II
1. Danseuses de Delphes: Lent et grave
(Dancers of Delphi) 		1. Brouillards: Modéré
(Mists)
2. Voiles: Modéré
(Veils/Sails)		 2. Feuilles mortes: Lent et mélancolique
(Dead Leaves)
3. Le vent dans la plaine: Animé
(The Wind in the Plain)		 3. La puerta del Vino: Mouvement de Habanera
The title refers to one of the gates of the Alhambra in Granada (a city previously evoked in La soirée dans Grenade)
4. «Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir»: Modéré
("The sounds and fragrances swirl through the evening air")		 4. «Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses»: Rapide et léger
("Fairies are exquisite dancers")
5. Les collines d'Anacapri: Très modéré
(The Hills of Anacapri)		 5. Bruyères: Calme
(Heather/Town in Eastern France)
6. Des pas sur la neige: Triste et lent
(Footsteps in the Snow) 		6. Général Lavine – eccentric: Dans le style et le mouvement d'un Cakewalk

7. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest: Animé et tumultueux
(What the West Wind Has Seen)		 7. La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune: Lent
(The Terrace of Moonlight Audiences)
8. La fille aux cheveux de lin: Très calme et doucement expressif
(The Girl with the Flaxen Hair) 		8. Ondine: Scherzando
9. La sérénade interrompue: Modérément animé
(Interrupted Serenade) 		9. Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C.: Grave
(Homage to S. Pickwick)
10. La cathédrale engloutie: Profondément calme
(The engulfed Cathedral)		 10. Canope: Très calme et doucement triste
(Canopic Jar)
11. La danse de Puck: Capricieux et léger
(Puck's Dance)		 11. Les tierces alternées: Modérément animé
(Alternating Thirds)
12. Minstrels: Modéré 12. Feux d'artifice: Modérément animé
(Fireworks)

Performance

[edit]

On 3 May 1911, pianist Jane Mortier premiered the first book of preludes at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.[1] German-English pianist Walter Morse Rummel, a student of Leopold Godowsky, premiered the second book in 1913 in London.[1]

Debussy and other pianists who gave early performances of the preludes (including Ricardo Viñes) played them in groups of three or four, which remains a popular approach today. This allows performers to choose preludes with which they have the strongest affinity, or those to which their particular gifts are most suited.

There is a strong tonal relationship between the preludes that suggests that their published order is not arbitrary.[2] For example, the first three preludes of the first book (Danseuses de Delphes, Voiles, and Le Vent dans la Plaine) make continued references to the key of B♭.[2] Although these references come and go, it creates a strong sense of fluidity and connection between these preludes.

The order of the preludes is not considered imperative (as it is with Chopin's preludes, for example). Several pianists have performed them out of order; and at least one recording, by Ivan Ilić, changes the order entirely.[3]

The first complete recording of both books was made in England in 1938 by South African pianist Adolph Hallis.[4]

Titles

[edit]

In the original editions, Debussy had the titles placed at the end of each work,[5] allowing performers to experience each prelude without being influenced by its titles beforehand.

Two of the titles were set in quotation marks by Debussy because they are, in fact, quotations: «Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir» is from Charles Baudelaire's poem Harmonie du soir ("Evening Harmony"), from his volume Les Fleurs du mal.[6] «Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses» is from J. M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, which Debussy's daughter had received as a gift.

At least one title is poetically vague: The exact meaning of Voiles, the first book's second prelude, is impossible to ascertain; in French, voiles can mean either "veils" or "sails".[7]

Orchestrations and adaptations

[edit]

Numerous orchestrations have been made of the various preludes, mostly of La fille aux cheveux de lin and La cathédrale engloutie. Complete orchestrations of all 24 preludes include versions by Pavica Gvozdić, Peter Breiner, Luc Brewaeys, Hans Henkemans and Colin Matthews.[8][9][10][11] Sean Osborn and conductor Noam Zur have orchestrated the first book.[12][13]

Some of the Préludes were adapted to form the dynamic soundtrack of Untitled Goose Game.[14][15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Claude Debussy – Biographie: 1910–1914". Centre de documentation Claude Debussy. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  2. ^ a b Roberts 1996
  3. ^ "Classical Music – The Classical Source – Debussy's Préludes – Ivan Ilić". The Classical Source. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  4. ^ Siek, Stephen (2011). England's Piano Sage: The Life and Teachings of Tobias Matthay. Washington: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810881617, pp. 324-25
  5. ^ See IMSLP scores.
  6. ^ Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal
  7. ^ "Claude Debussy: Voiles". Toddtarantino.com. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  8. ^ Debussy at 150: Peter Breiner Orchestrates Debussy's 24 Préludes, Naxos Records, Hong Kong, n.d.
  9. ^ Preludes: Recomposition for Symphony Orchestra, Classical.net, 2006
  10. ^ Debussy: The Philharmonia, Classical CD Review, 2002
  11. ^ Colin Matthews: The Debussy Preludes, Barnes and Noble, 2011
  12. ^ Book I, "Minstrels" on YouTube, Noam Zur orchestration and conducting, Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, December 2014
  13. ^ "Debussy Préludes, Book 1", Sean Osborne Music, 2008.
  14. ^ Lee, Dami (23 September 2019). "How Untitled Goose Game adapted Debussy for its dynamic soundtrack". The Verge. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  15. ^ Couture, Joel (17 February 2020). "Road to the IGF: House House's Untitled Goose Game". Gamasutra. Retrieved 17 February 2020.

Sources

  • Roberts, Paul (1996). Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press.

Further reading

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