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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

Performance

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

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. 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♭. 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.

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

Titles

In the original editions, Debussy had the titles placed at the end of each work, 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. «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".

Orchestrations and adaptations

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. Sean Osborn and conductor Noam Zur have orchestrated the first book.

Some of the Préludes were adapted to form the dynamic soundtrack of Untitled Goose Game.

References

1. ^ "Claude Debussy – Biographie: 1910–1914". Centre de documentation Claude Debussy. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
2. ^ 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

• Gatti, Guido M. "The Piano Works of Claude Debussy." The Musical Quarterly 7.3 (1921): 418–60. Print.
• Lesure, François and Howat, Roy. "Debussy, Claude." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, accessed 14 December 2009

External links

• Préludes, Book 1, Book 2: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Debussy's Préludes – A Beginners' Guide – Overview, analysis and the best recordings, The Classic Review
• Performances of Book 1 and Book 2 of the Preludes by Paavali Jumppanen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format

v t e Impressionist music
People	Claude Debussy John Ireland Gabriel Pierné Maurice Ravel
Techniques	Bitonal chords Parallel chords Pentatonic scales Unprepared modulation Whole tone scale
Compositions	Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied Jeux d'eau L'isle joyeuse La mer Nocturnes Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Préludes (Debussy)
Other	Modernism (music) Romantic music

• Classical music

• Preludes by Claude Debussy
• 1910 compositions
• 1913 compositions