He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it. He is one of the most important exponents of the whole tone scale in classical music history. Dates for book ii are harder to come by, but the volume was published almost exactly three years after the first, on 19 april 19. In the opening of the first prelude, the moving line is in the middle voice, playing a chromatic figure, and the outer voices playing octaves and sixths ex. Soyoung choe performs excerpts from debussys preludes, book 1. I was very taken indeed with that disc so im delighted that the remainder of the.
Debussy preludes, book 1 download free sheet music. Claude debussy preludes download piano sheet music. Debussy had been planning preludes for two or three years before the first book was published in 1910, with the second book following in 19. One only prays and hopes that the rest of debussys piano music is somewhere in the near future, probably along with at least the core. Preludes, book ii was composed during 1912 and represent the composers late style. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. 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. Orchestral reimaginings of debussys piano pieces which are entertaining, intriguing and very satisfying. Not only is the title full of mystery, but the piece itself leaves the listener in awe and wonder. Debussys most dramatic contribution to music history was his disregard for traditional chord structures and tonality.
Gifted from his early years with a preternatural and keen understanding of writing for the piano, this cd displays debussys prodigious gifts in full display as rendered by baldis sensitive playing. Like chopin, debussy explores a range of technical. The same can be said for his debussy preludes, although some selections succeed more than others. 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.
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. He felt no overwhelming need to do so, but a desire to record them gradually imposed itself upon him. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off. Debussy henkemans decca 4829490 sg classical music. The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. Krystian zimerman plays debussy, szymanowski and brahms in. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book ii. My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book. What debussy was doing in the preludes and earlier works with a similar inspiration. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for. 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. 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. Ce quq vu le vent douest is the most difficult prelude in book i.
Bruyeres grade 8 general lavinne, eccentric grade 8 canope grade 8 hommage a s. Helpful english translations of french terms as well as debussys. 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 often do so. His compositions flowed without a strict sense of metre or rhythm, and are considered the pioneering works of the impressio read more. Pianist marita viitasalos solo album on ondine is a program focused on works by claude debussy 18621918. Preludes, book 1 6 epigraphes antiques en blanc et noir robert and gaby casadesus 1956 ns 0105. Chopin twentyfour preludes opus 28 research online uow. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems. Find concerts featuring music by claude debussy with classical events. He performed across europe and made regular guest appearances at the salzburg and edinburgh festivals. Unlike other collections of preludes by great composers, debussy s do not follow a strict pattern of key signature. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic.
Achilleclaude debussy 22nd august 1862 25th march 1918 was a french composer. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans lair du soir 5. The project goal was to revive the origins of chamber music organizing concerts on private settings. Dance of puck from claude debussys claude debussy plays his finest works for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Recorded live during the marion rubin berman 31 piano honors concert april 12, 2012 in necs jordan hall in boston. Spellbinding debussy and franck from the takacs quartet and marc. Suite bergamasque, published in 1905, is one of the most wellknown pieces in classic piano literature. The outer voices move apart, forming a wedge, however this is an example of debussy considering harmony over just the visual. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Dressed in a chic tan turtleneck, untucked, but with a belt clasped around it, arturo benedetti michelangeli sits at the piano in an intimate studio in october, 1978. 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. Among french musics most avantgarde expressions, they also contain some of debussys most atonal sorties.
Preludes, book 1 claude debussy s preludes are two sets of pieces for solo piano, written in 191010 and 1912, and published as book i and ii respectively. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Debussy played nos 1, 2, 10 and 11 at a concert on 5 may and we know that all of them, apart possibly from no 7, were heard in paris over the next ten months. The music expresses a vast repertoire of emotions, colors and moods. Debussy preludes, bk 1 alfred masterwork edition debussy, claude, hinson, maurice on. Preludes, book 1 6 epigraphes antiques en blanc et noir robert and gaby casadesus 1956 by claude debussy. Topflight debussy preludes march 23, 2019 by joseph f. 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. By contrast, the pianists decisive, angular approach to no. 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. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Readers can be forgiven if they have no knowledge of, or familiarity with, the dutch pianist hans henkemans. Debussy preludes, bk 1 by claude debussy, paperback.
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. In this piece, debussy creates an engaging sonic atmosphere with just the piano, one that, if you let it, will conjure up images and ideas. Each book contains twelve preludes for the piano, many of them known to todays musical audiences because of their great popularity with pianists worldwide. Not only is the title full of mystery, but the piece.
He was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th century. This significant compilation of 12 preludes represents debussys mature writing style and is filled with a great diversity of compositional styles. The paperback of the complete preludes, books 1 and 2. Critically acclaimed pianist angela brownridge explores the debussy preludes books 1 and 2 for her third recording on challenge classics. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. Stream debussy, c preludes, book 1 images, series 1 by sergey schepkin and tens of millions of other songs on all your devices with amazon music unlimited. I heard about this excellent pianist last year at the edinburgh festival where his solo playing of. Here, in one volume, are two bodies of work that, perhaps more than any others, reveal the essence of claude debussys extraordinary expressiveness and his innovative gifts for musical imagery. 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. Authority, again, was the watchword for hamelins debussy preludes, taking six from book 2.
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. Debussy s two books of preludes amount to a revolution in piano writing, and reflect better that any of his other works the span of debussy s achievement. As for his piano compositions, after he completed the second book of preludes the only. 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. One pleasure of staying with friends is to explore their collections of books and recordings. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each.
As he plays debussys book 1 preludes, you notice how effortlessly his arms, hands, and fingers are choreographed to the music. Debussy preludes, bk 1 alfred masterwork edition skip to main content. Zimerman then traversed six of the popular book 1 preludes with a. Feux dartifice is the hardest prelude of book ii and overall. Henkemans preludes books 1 and 2 are amongst the finest ive heard.