Here in his first debussy recording for hyperion he presents the two books of images. Types of triplets found in piano compositions of debussy and places where they are found. Publication date 1910 topics preludes, for piano, scores featuring the piano, for 1 player collection imslp. The paperback of the complete preludes, books 1 and 2. Debussys colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. The two final preludes of book i are more lighthearted. Often dubbed a musical impressionist, but his music always has a strong sense of form. Of debussy and ravel thesis presented to the graduate council of the north texas state teachers college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of. Puck is shakespeares elf, in all likelihood found by debussy, as roy howat has suggested, in an edition of 1908 with illustrations by arthur rackham.
The preludes, he believes, also appeal in large part to the intuition. Later he could not compose without having his favorite porcelain frog. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy. You can learn it with our synthesia piano tutorial, or from the sheet music at the top of the description. Pucks aerial acrobatics are first interrupted by and then blended with trumpet and horn calls. Claude debussy, in full achilleclaude debussy, born august 22, 1862, saintgermainenlaye, francedied march 25, 1918, paris, french composer whose works were a seminal force in the music of the 20th century. Book awards book club selections books by author books by series coming soon kids books new releases teens books this months biggest new releases. In 1909 and 1910, claude debussy wrote a series of 12 preludes for solo piano. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. I have had several people request that i record some debussy preludes so here is the first. Debussys most dramatic contribution to music history was his disregard for traditional chord structures and tonality. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. He developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the impressionist and symbolist painters and writers of his time aspired. Find the best clips, watch programmes, catch up on the news, and read the latest claude debussy interviews.
Claude debussy s musical style background debussy provided the first real alternative to the music and style of the german romantic wagnerians. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano claude debussy. Sheet music download is a site dedicated to all amateur music performers around the world, giving them the opportunity to download the sheet music for free for trial purposes. An analogy might be drawn from one of debussys own musical subjects, the sea. Both books 1 and 2 of debussys popular piano preludes are contained in this one sturdy volume. Schirmer library of classics volume 2105 schirmers library of musical classics claude debussy. Preludes, book 1 6 epigraphes antiques en blanc et noir robert and gaby casadesus 1956 by claude debussy. 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. Achilleclaude debussy 22nd august 1862 25th march 1918 was a french composer.
Achilleclaude debussy august 22, 1862 march 25, 1918 was a french composer. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. You get two discs for the price of one here, but the discs are only about 42 and 43 minutes worth. Sep 29, 2006 here are my thoughts about playing this piece. Our fingers exist to recreate this marvellous realm of fancy.
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. Claude debussys prelude to the afternoon of a faun prelude a lapresmidi dun faune l. Some traumatizing events in his childhood caused him a depression and he never spoke about his early years. Like his music, the waves of the sea form a powerful surge of undulating motion in varying crests and troughs without necessarily any real movement underneath. These works have been central to stevens repertoire for many years and he brings them to the studio after. Sep 11, 2017 in 1909 and 1910, claude debussy wrote a series of 12 preludes for solo piano. 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. He was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th century. Debussy preludes, book 1 download free sheet music. Please add your thoughts in the comments at the bottom. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. In his notes to this cd, he points out that voiles, in the plural, can mean either veils or sails. See all 3 formats and editions hide other formats and.
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. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 sep29 by steve bryson here are my thoughts about playing this piece. The performances tell it like it is or almost, for not all debussys very demanding contrasts of dynamics are observed, and i imagine collard has small hands, though she makes splitting big stretches sound quite acceptable. The success of pelleas et melisandes longdelayed premiere in 1902 made debussy a celebrity. Achilleclaude debussy was born in saintgermainenlaye, france. Aimard praises the power of debussys sonic imagination.
If you like the piece of music you have just learned playing, treat the artist with respect, and go buy the original sheet music. This is music about the sea, and it is music about passionate love. Helpful english translations of french terms as well as debussy s performance. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. It was published in 1910 as the tenth prelude in debussys first of two volumes of twelve piano preludes each. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. The music expresses a vast repertoire of emotions, colors and moods. Of the manifold wonders in preludes, book i, i will mention several in which i think schepkin especially shines. Claude debussys use of the tritone the book of threes. Aug 19, 2016 the composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussys music by kodaly in 1907. Childrens corner 1908, written for chouchou and featuring the famous golliwoggs cakewalk, and the first book of preludes 1910.
A clear delight can be read in his features, and it also finds expression in his words as he talks about how ideally realised these pieces are, how indefinable and divorced from all rules and norms. 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 addition he started two operas on poe subjects, the devil in the belfry and the fall of the house of usher, but would never. Read about preludes book 1 by claude debussy and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Almost humbly, he insists that they do not demand any great degree of virtuosity. Trust me, if the crowd youre hangin with has a book of debussy preludes, first you need new friends, and second they would not think about how nerdy you sound, but just be impressed. Recorded live during the marion rubin berman 31 piano honors concert april 12, 2012 in necs jordan hall in boston. Of debussy and ravel thesis presented to the graduate council of the north texas state teachers college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of music by elizabeth rose jameson, b. Motion, metaphor and meaning in music indiana university press, 2012, pp. The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. He developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the. Among the most important 20th century composers, and the most influential.
These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Larson defines these stable positions as 18 robert hatten, a theory of musical gesture and its application to beethoven and schubert, in music and gesture, p. He established france as a musical power and opened up western music to nonwestern influences. 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. It is characteristic of debussy in its form, harmony, and content. Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant. Soyoung choe performs excerpts from debussys preludes, book 1. A quintessential example of musical impressionism, the piece depicts the rise of a cathedral from the water and subsequent return to the. 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. Mar 21, 2020 claude debussy, french composer whose works were a seminal force in the music of the 20th century. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions.
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. Passion that is undoubtedly the word that best sums up pierrelaurent aimards attitude to debussys preludes. 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. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both. May 10, 2016 7 personal favorite pieces by claude debussy. The performances tell it like it is or almost, for not all debussys very demanding contrasts of dynamics are observed, and i imagine collard has small hands, though she. The recording is performed by jeremiah jones and is 5 minutes and 49 seconds in length. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy showing 14 of 68. Unlike other collections of preludes by great composers, debussy s do not follow a strict pattern of key signature. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it.
This significant compilation of 12 preludes represents debussy s mature writing style and is filled with a great diversity of compositional styles. There is a strong tonal relationship between the preludes that suggests that the published order of the preludes is not arbitrary. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. This piece is pure debussy a beautiful, quiet contemplative tone poem. Built by pairing two major triads a tritone apart, and then placing those notes in scale order, the tritone scale brings a nice level of tension to your lines that you can use to build energy when soloing over 7th chords in a jazz or fusion context.