He was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th century. His interpretations of debussy were justly celebrated. The bosendorfer piano he uses has a sound similar to that of debussys early 20thcentury pianos. This short list contains none of the pieces on this album and so i suspect the. Preludes books 1 and 2 paperback april 1, 1999 by claude debussy composer 4.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The works in debussys second book of preludes are similar in intent to those of book i 1907 1910. The esoteric style of writing in both books was in accordance with the nature of yogic study. Unt theses and dissertations and was provided to unt digital library by the unt libraries. The outer voices move apart, forming a wedge, however this is an example of debussy considering harmony over just the visual. Each of debussys preludes, book i 19071910 is a short but substantial work that conveys a particular mood or impression suggested by its title. Check out debussy rameau by vikingur olafsson on amazon music. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet.
Jun 18, 2010 debussy effectively manipulates register changes as musical changes, subtle variations in his motivic ideas and short bursts of melodic interlude. Chopin, debussy composed twentyfour preludes in two books 1910 and 19. My personal journey through the 24 debussy preludes. Claude debussy composed his two books of preludes between late 1909 and early 19. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. Help opus details for feedback and questions, please contact victor gomersall. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. Achilleclaude debussy 22nd august 1862 25th march 1918 was a french composer. We see other examples of debussy catering to dance styles in his playing. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. Among the most important 20th century composers, and the most influential. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for.
A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. The form of the keyboard prelude research online uow. The girl with the flaxen hair is almost a plain jane here, and the sounds and scents of the evening scarcely linger as impalpable impressions. Two of the titles were set in quotation marks by debussy because they are, in fact, quotations. Aug 19, 2016 the composer who benefited most from this liberation was bartok, who was introduced to debussys music by kodaly in 1907.
Unlike chopins, bachs and many other composers homonymous series, these pieces arent sorted by key signature. These beautiful french works are a must for all pianists. As for his piano compositions, after he completed the second book of preludes the only. Claude debussy preludes, book i amazon web services. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy showing 14 of 68 pages in this thesis. Topflight debussy preludes march 23, 2019 by joseph f. Debussy preludes, book 1 by claude debussy 18621918. Claude debussy on the piano in the summer of 1893 in the house of.
Similarly, the great german pianist walter gieseking seemed to have dibs on the debussy preludes. This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. A change of certain notes, phrase lengths and rhythms would be. It consists in a series of 24 short pieces, equally subdivided into two books. Book i was composed in a short time between december 1909 and february 1910. Claude debussy plays his finest works by claude debussy on. Some pedaling marks at the bottom if these pages were cut off.
The form of the prelude developed from short improvisatory flourishes performed either by a. Usually ships in 24 hours, unless stock becomes depleted. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 sep29 by steve bryson. 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. Then comes another remarkable transition, as the next cut takes us back to debussy, this time the magical girl with the flaxen hair, featuring a. At one time his music was made to sound bleached and anaemic, but pianists are now ready to show it in much sharper focus. Flex your piano fingers with these 7 easiest debussy preludes and piano pieces.
Media in category preludes by claude debussy the following 28 files are in this category, out of 28 total. Debussy rameau by vikingur olafsson on amazon music. 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. In the following example from preludes, book 1, we again see ties from. In these pages ill try to summarize what references i have on the performance of. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy. Claude debussy is one of the greatest pianists of all time and one of the most prominent composers connected with. His book i of preludes conatains 12 such works of which this is is one of the two most wellknown. 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.
Often dubbed a musical impressionist, but his music always has a strong sense of form. The present release in emis great recordings of the century series marks the third time giesekings 1953 versions are reissued on cd. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. 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. Check out claude debussy plays his finest works by claude debussy on amazon. The girl with the flaxen hair debussy, preludes book 1 piano. These works have been central to stevens repertoire for many years and he brings them to the studio after. Debussy took great care in assigning these titles, and several contain quotations from various poems. Unhappily, the technology emi possessed at the time these renditions of the preludes were captured, in 1953 and 1954, does only marginal justice to him. This blog is dedicated to discussion of the performance of the piano pieces of claude debussy. 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. Piece published in 1908 prelude ce qua vu le vent douest, book 1 no.
Over the past few decades the way pianists play debussy has changed. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Dance of puck from claude debussys claude debussy plays his finest works for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Topclassicalmusic music history channel 22,749,772 views. But the piano playing is superbly brilliant and precise, and the more energetic pieces, like no. Im only an amateur pianist, but have been playing debussy s piano works since the late 70s. The paradox is that debussy succeeded in a series of piano works starting with estampes in 1903 and culminating in the two books of preludes in 1910 and 1912 respectively in creating what can only be called an impressionist technique. Claude debussy, preludes, book i debussys preludes are divided into two parts.
Publication date 1910 topics preludes, for piano, scores featuring the piano, for 1 player collection. Debussy dover music for piano by debussy, claude isbn. Claude debussy in 1908 this is a complete list of compositions by claude debussy initially categorized by genre, and sorted within each genre by cd citation needed number according to the 2001 revised catalogue by musicologist francois lesure, 1 which is generally in chronological order of composition date. The title is in french and translates roughly to the girl with the flaxen hair. Using an analysis discovered in a canceled subject for 2010, i will attempt to describe the general form of the piece. The twentyfour preludes of debussy are published in two books of. 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. Adopting the major piano works including the preludes, bartok absorbed the liberated message as deeply as he absorbed the idiom of the hungarian peasant. Impressionism piano sheet music by claude debussy to download and print instantly. Gieseking was an extraordinary stylist and perhaps the centurys greatest sonorist. Several of them look ahead to debussys later style, in which the composers earlier impressionistic, almost romantic poetry was supplanted by a greater concentration upon technique and neoclassical objectivity. And if the parties you attend are full of people knowledgeable enough about music, they might have the first book of debussy preludes and since this is on the very first. The piece is 39 measures long and takes approximately two and a.
Debussy wrote many evocative tone poems for the piano. Chapter 1 opens with a short story about my quest in musical study, which is followed by a. Provided to youtube by naxos of america preludes, book 1. 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. 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. Music for relaxation, reliance and relief 10,415,940 views 1. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy page. Im only an amateur pianist, but have been playing debussys piano works since the late 70s.
Claudio arrau considered it to be one of debussys greatest preludes and said its miraculous that he created, in so few notes. A novelty about these preludes is that the titles are not printed as a header above the first page, but as a footer on the last page, almost like an afterthought, suggesting that the title is inspired by the music and not the other way around. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. It is the eighth piece in the composers first book of preludes, written between late 1909 and early 1910. Playing debussys piano works an amateurs thoughts about. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it. Debussys piano pieces require deep thought and understanding. The titles are provided at the end of each prelude and left without dedication, with inspiration from impressionist artwork, literature, and nature. 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. In the following example, from the popular prelude, the girl with the flaxen hair, the rolled. His 193839 versions were staples of the 78 rpm catalog, as well as his 1951 and 1953 lp remakes. Publication date 1910 topics preludes, for piano, scores featuring the piano, for 1 player collection imslp. Debussys most dramatic contribution to music history was his disregard for traditional chord structures and tonality. Krystian zimerman is a prime example of the modern interpreter who presents debussy as a composer of sense as well as sensibility.