Ilya itin, piano this video was recorded at the golandsky institute international piano festival at princeton university. 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. Debussys intent becomes clear, and for the first time i realized how this music was meant to sound. Order of difficulty of debussy preludes is there a general guide to the difficulty of the debussy preludes. 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. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Dovers book of debussy preludes is made of extremely high quality print on heavier paper than usual. Playing debussys piano works an amateurs thoughts about. Two excerpts from the emperor concerto, showing beethovens use of uneven groups of notes. He was too good a composer to imitate debussy, although there are a few examples of direct influence it. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano works. It is the second piece in a set of twelve preludes published in 1910. Debussy preludes, bk 2 by claude debussy, paperback. 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.
Debussy preludes book 2 free downloadable sheet music. Chopin, debussy composed twentyfour preludes in two books 1910 and 19. Debussy preludes 2e livre piano solo henle urtext advanced. You get two discs for the price of one here, but the discs are only about 42 and 43 minutes worth. There are evocations of calm seascapes, delicate wind tracery, and snowcovered landscapes. They were published in two booksseries, each consisting of three pieces. 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.
This paper also includes a brief history of preludes as well as possible influences upon debussy and his compositions. Three years exist between the publication of the first and second book, with the former appearing in 1910. The first book was composed between 1901 and 1905, and the second book was composed in 1907. Images usually pronounced in french is a suite of six compositions for solo piano by claude debussy. This album contains the preludes, books 1 and 2 by debussy, presented by piano classics, a label of brilliant classics.
They are abrsm grades, but not all the preludes, only the easiestmost approachable ones. Achilleclaude debussy august 22, 1862 march 25, 1918 was a french composer. The music expresses a vast repertoire of emotions, colors and moods. Debussys piano pieces require deep thought and understanding. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude. 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.
Except for some mild, localized chromaticism and a short pentatonic passage, the entire piece uses the whole. 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. In these pages ill try to summarize what references i have on the performance of. Aug 19, 2016 debussy did nothing less than liberate music from the domination by functional harmony which had prevailed for three centuries. A descriptive analysis of the preludes book 1 of claude debussy. Usually ships in 24 hours, unless stock becomes depleted. Voiles is a composition by claude debussy for solo piano from 1909. Claude debussy s preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each.
Topflight debussy preludes march 23, 2019 by joseph f. Debussy preludes, book 2 by claude debussy 18621918. Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. A new album from marcandre hamelin is always cause for celebration. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. Debussy s intent becomes clear, and for the first time i realized how this music was meant to sound. Claude debussy composed the second book of preludes during 1910 12. 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. Roy howats editions of debussy piano music for the. P ierrelaurent aimards muchpublicised recent claim in an interview with a german newspaper that debussy is a greater composer than wagner is by no. The titles are provided at the end of each prelude and left without dedication, with inspiration from impressionist artwork, literature, and nature. Im aiming to get through them over the next couple of years, but would like to start with the easiest few and work my way up, while also bubbling along with any that are crazy difficult so that i spend more time overall on them, and then. P ierrelaurent aimards muchpublicised recent claim in an interview with a german newspaper that debussy is a.
The twentyfour preludes of debussy are published in two books of twelve preludes each. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans lair du soir modere 3. This piece is pure debussy a beautiful, quiet contemplative tone poem. Also recorded here is the second book of preludes, in a poetic and evocative performance. I have one other schirmer debussy piano book and this compilation book was what led me to purchase this set of. Claude debussy composed his two books of preludes between late 1909 and early 19. Here in his first debussy recording for hyperion he presents the two books of images. 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. Guide to the levels of difficulty i dont know what difficult means. L numbers are also given from lesures original 1977 catalogue. These works are distinct from debussys images pour orchestre. Ondine by claude debussy from book 2 of the preludes. Either you can play or you cant this was the rather terse comment by the great violinist nathan milstein, on being asked about the unbelievable difficulty of niccolo paganinis caprice no.
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. Complete preludes, books 1 and 2 dover music for piano. The beams on even the 32nd notes are very easy to distinguish many. Media in category preludes by claude debussy the following 28 files are in this category, out of 28 total. Module 5 analysis of piano repertoire lessons 1 and 2 debussy preludes the student must look for the book the piano works of claude debsusy, by e. The title of the piece may be translated to english as either veils or sails. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for.
Helpful english translations of french terms as well as debussy s performance. 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. Debussys colouristic masterpiece, a bewitching compendium of scents, colours and sounds. 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. Preludes books 1 and 2 paperback april 1, 1999 by claude debussy composer 4. These works are distinct from debussy s images pour orchestre.
This blog is dedicated to discussion of the performance of the piano pieces of claude debussy. The first book 1910 proved to be his most successful work. These compositions, while endearing themselves to both pianist and listener, also occupy an important place in musical. The music becomes more dramatic toward the end of the set. Review of cd recording centaur records debussy preludes, bks. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and give a descriptive analysis of twelve of the twentyfour preludes written by claude debussy. Pianist imogen c ooper painted evocative sound pictures in a bbc radio 3 lunchtime recital featuring music by debussy, beethoven and chopin. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. 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.
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