The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. The twentyfour preludes of debussy are published in two books of twelve preludes each. Debussy rather admired english sangfroid those were the days, but was not beyond giving it the occasional dig in the ribs, as here in his quotation of god save the king. Preludes, book 2 another collection of 12 pieces composed as tone poems. The next two preludes take us abroad for the last time. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works.
P ierrelaurent aimards muchpublicised recent claim in an interview with a german newspaper that debussy is a greater composer than wagner is by no. Review of cd recording centaur records debussy preludes, bks. Playing debussys piano works an amateurs thoughts about. 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. While in an opera or ballet, a prelude may be a mood setting introduction to. 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. In 1872 he entered the paris conservatoire, where he abandoned the plan of becoming a virtuoso. 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. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it was.
Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at princeton university. Book i was written between december 1909 and february 1910, and book ii between the last months of 1912 and early april 19. Debussy preludes book 2, william fried piano on vimeo. The repeated grace notes create parallel lines, and the restatement of the motive at the end of the section starts with a grace note on a but ends on g to transition to the restatement of section b b, measures 2123. Like book 1, each piece was composed with the intention of being an individual piece, representing a visual. Among french musics most avantgarde expressions, they also contain some of debussys most atonal sorties. 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. These works have been central to stevens repertoire for many years and he brings them to the. Two excerpts from the emperor concerto, showing beethovens use of uneven groups of notes. May 17, 2012 program notesjeremy siskind at weill hallmay 30, 2012 such harmonious madness world premiere jeremy siskind 1 pourest thy full heart in profuse strains of unpremeditated art2 the pale purple even melts around thy flight3 the moon rains down its beams, and heaven is overflowd4 keen as are the arrows of that silver sphere5 panted forth.
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. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Maybe i am a lazy pianist but i like editions that have some fingering suggestions so i dont have so much work to do. There are evocations of calm seascapes, delicate wind tracery, and snowcovered landscapes. Debussys intent becomes clear, and for the first time i realized how this music was meant to sound. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. Program notesjeremy siskind at weill hallmay 30, 2012 such harmonious madness world premiere jeremy siskind 1 pourest thy full heart in profuse strains of unpremeditated art2 the pale purple even melts around thy flight3 the moon rains down its beams, and heaven is overflowd4 keen as are the arrows of that silver sphere5 panted. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy. This blog is dedicated to discussion of the performance of the piano pieces of claude debussy. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. This album contains the preludes, books 1 and 2 by debussy, presented by piano classics, a label of brilliant classics. Debussy composed his two books of piano preludes relatively late in life. Debussy himself is recording human experience, revealing veiled messages ranging from bemused comedy to the shards of a shattered universe.
My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book. 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. Complete your debussy, walter gieseking collection. Debussy takes an ordinary moment, a cell of life, as in a hint at the marseillaise in the final prelude, and imbues it with a sense of eternity and otherworldly significance. 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. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few. Debussys piano pieces require deep thought and understanding. 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.
I had not heard any of these pieces until i purchased this set, but all are wonderful. Maybe debussy, who distrusted prolixity and technical brilliance, was saying. That this was general we can to some extent see from the sales figures quoted by roy howat. Jul 05, 2011 pianist imogen c ooper painted evocative sound pictures in a bbc radio 3 lunchtime recital featuring music by debussy, beethoven and chopin. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems. Program notes weill recital hall, may 30, 2012 miscellany. 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. Program notes by phillip huscher claude debussy born august 22, 1862, saintgermainenlaye, france. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. Claude debussys two books of preludes, implying homage to both chopin and bach, revel in the composers innovative piano techniques. The first performance was given on october 15 of that year in paris. In these pages ill try to summarize what references i have on the performance of. In a programme note for the first performance debussy wrote that the title. 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.
Debussy s intent becomes clear, and for the first time i realized how this music was meant to sound. Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant. Debussys literary inspirations were mostly french, but he did not overlook foreign writers. Preludes ii, l1 debussy from cda67920 hyperion records. Claude debussy composed the second book of preludes during 1910 12. Aug 19, 2016 the composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussys music by kodaly in 1907. Sep 29, 2009 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. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off.
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. In brouillards, the fog is depicted by the simultaneous use of whitenote and. Steven osborne has already made a name for himself in french music with a disc of alkan and a profoundly moving performance of messiaens vingt regards. I can do just as good a water nymph as you in fewer notes. This is debussy preludes book 2, william fried piano by creative performing arts channel on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who. Claude debussy h 18621918 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. Hamelins stature, extraordinary from the start, increases with every new issue. Databases and publications erasmus programme research service. The first thing to know about debussys symphonic poem prelude to the afternoon of a faun is that it is one of the foundational works of the. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. This piece is pure debussy a beautiful, quiet contemplative tone poem. But with time, the attractions of book ii have become clearer, and it seems likely. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans lair du soir modere 3.
Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. Corner 1908 and on to the two books of preludes of 1910 and 19. The music becomes more dramatic toward the end of the set. 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. Music for relaxation, reliance and relief 10,415,940 views 1. Wvk002 debussy preludes book 2 albums nativedsd music. The composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussy s music by kodaly in 1907. 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.
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. Pianist imogen c ooper painted evocative sound pictures in a bbc radio 3 lunchtime recital featuring music by debussy, beethoven and chopin. Debussy, walter gieseking preludes book ii discogs. 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. Brouillards is the first prelude in debussys second book of preludes and was completed at. Preludes books 1 and 2 paperback april 1, 1999 by claude debussy composer 4.