These wonderful, brief Preludes are clearly articulated little studies in new textures for the piano. Each is written in a basic ABA form with striking textural and timbral contrasts between the A and B sections. They are most often performed as a set.

In the 1st Prelude, we hear winding chromatic lines contrasted with jazz-like smeared notes.

The 2nd Prelude, opens with short repeated chords followed by flashing ascending arpeggios like fireworks. This soon becomes a harp-like texture, quickly leading back into the beginning gestures.

The 3rd Prelude begins with a lovely, lyrical chromatic melody. And then a jazzy, lopping-along rhythm provides a lively contrast before the music returns to the first texture.

For the 4th Prelude, a lovely, winding chromatic melody is contrasted with quick doubly-reiterated tones. The music climbs dramatically toward the higher registers, and soon returns to the initial opening idea.

In the 5th Prelude, a slowly pulsing, slowly harmonically evolving left hand chord underscores flightly, mellismatic figures that move in small arcing motions. Bits of a more serious melody emerge in the foreground from time to time.

The 6th Prelude openw with light, starry dissonances in even pulse that are surrounded and eventually engulfed by massive arpeggios in the left hand. This happens once more. And then a brief coda of extreme low and high tones ends this piece.

The energetic 7th Prelude features ascending arpeggios in the constant rhythm of a long tone followed by five speedy ones This idea is contrasted against single melody notes.

In the 8th Prelude, energetic, jumpy fifths hop up and down, interspersed at times with slides. A hint of a tango emerges in the middle section.

For the concluding 9th Prelude, the composer obsesses on mysterious low gong-like pulses with slowly unwinding intervals above. A full, sonorous chordal development in the middle provides the contrast. A slow repeat of the chromatically wandering intervals finishes the piece.

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