The Preludes of Debussy: An Overview

For centuries, if a work has a prelude, it usually accompanies another work that serves to be the backbone. Such was the case in Bach’s The Well Tempered Clavier or his various keyboard suites and partitas. When Chopin came to the scene, his preludes were game changers in the sense that they are solitary pieces, leaving critics baffled at his intent. Years after Chopin, the likes of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff took off from the idea —the former maintained the brevity of character whereas the latter made them into substantial works of four- or five-minute length. Outside of the vein of Romanticism, Debussy’s contribution definitely was another game changer, exploiting the capabilities of the piano in creating new sounds and the technique of pianists.

Compared to Bach’s or Chopin’s, Debussy was not concerned with the order of major and minor tonalities in his 24 preludes. The approach to these preludes reflected a break away from the standard I-IV-V-I progression but still tonal. The 24 preludes are divided into two books, the first set was composed from 1909 to 1910 while the second set was composed from 1912-1913. Unlike other sets of music which have to be played in their entirety, they can be played as individual pieces or in groups of three or four, depending on the ideas of the performer. Another “innovation” on Debussy’s end was to place the name of the prelude at the bottom of the final page, instead of the usual title at the first page. His intentions were for the pianists to think for themselves instead of relying on the title for an idea. Pianistically speaking, Debussy exploits piano technique to attain the various colors and effects for these pieces. It requires a great amount of mastery to convey each prelude well, not to mention as well a keen attention to Debussy’s markings. The difficulty is not solely on the ability to handle technically awkward passages but also to balance the touch on the keyboard and use of the pedals —think of how painters master their colors and brush strokes on the canvas. In my opinion, these preludes truly show what a pianist is capable of, not the etudes of Chopin nor the Beethoven piano sonatas —a hot take right there.

Here is the order for the first book:

1. Danseuses de delphes

2. Voiles

3. Le vent dans la plaine

4. 'Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir'

5. Les collines d'Anacapri

6. Des pas sur la neige

7. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest

8. La fille aux cheveux de lin

9. La sérénade interrompue

10. La cathédrale engloutie

11. La danse de Puck

12. Minstrels

Here is Pascal Rogé performing the first book:

Here is the order of the second book:

1. Brouillards

2. Feuilles mortes

3. La puerta del Vino

4. «Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses»

5. Bruyères

6. Général Lavine - eccentric

7. La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune

8. Ondine

9. Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C.

10. Canope

11. Les tierces alternées

12. Feux d'artifice

Here is Ilya Itin performing the second book: