Each of Debussy's Préludes, Book I (1907-1910) is a short but substantial work that conveys a particular mood or impression suggested by its title. Still, as musicologist Rollo Myers notes, "the pictorial element [is not] unduly stressed if stressed at all; these Préludes are pure music." In accordance with the composer's practice of assigning a title only after the completion of a work, the titles of the Préludes are placed at the foot of each, rather than at the head. The Préludes represent the pinnacle of Debussy's keyboard art; each may be rightly regarded as a miniature masterpiece.

1. Danseuses de Delphes (Delphic Dancers): This is a slow, hypnotic, stately sarabande that utilizes multiple layers of parallel chords in unusual five-bar groupings.

2. Voiles (Sails): Whole-tone scales and pentatonic harmonies provide the musical substance of this mysterious and evocative tone poem. The spirit and character of this work recall "Jeux de vagues" (Play of waves), the second movement of La mer (1903-1905).

3. Le vent dans la plaine (Wind on the Plain): Rapid figuration depicts the whirling winds, twice interrupted by sudden chordal outbursts. Much of the work's impact derives from the extreme, effective economy of its material.

4. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir (Sounds and Scents Mix in the Evening Air): The title of this Prélude was taken from Baudelaire's Fleurs du mal, the inspiration for this slow, waltz-like nocturne. The work makes active use of three themes, all in the same key, demanding the utmost sensitivity and imagination from the pianist.

5. Les collines d'Anacapri (The Hills of Anacapri): This is a lively scherzo in tarantella rhythm, with a slower central section in imitation of Italian folk song. The piano writing is particularly colorful and brilliantly effective.

6. Des pas sur la neige (Footprints in the Snow): Debussy depicts a barren winter snowscape with a plaintive, harmonically static dirge. The slow, sustained legato underpins the powerfully hypnotic atmosphere.

7. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest (What the West Wind Saw): Rapid, sweeping arpeggios, fast alternating chord passages, and thundering tremolos characterize this brilliant, virtuosic showpiece. It is virtually an etude, fiercely aggressive and calling upon the full resources of the pianist.

8. La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with Flaxen Hair): The title of this, one of the most familiar of the Préludes, comes from Leconte de Lisle's Scottish Song. Debussy's use of modality lends an archaic air to this charming, delicate work.

9. La sérénade interrompue (The Interrupted Serenade): A Spaniard wooing his sweetheart with the sounds of his voice and his guitar is thwarted by several noisy interruptions. Debussy effectively recreates a Spanish-inflected guitar sound on the keyboard, treating the interruptions with wry humor.

10. La cathédral engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral): Debussy effects a striking musical depiction of the mythical submerged cathedral of Ys with "archaicisms" like modality and parallel harmonies. The work's rhythmic stasis, combined with its massive sonorities, creates an overwhelming sense of awe and grandeur.

11. La danse de Puck (The Dance of Puck): Shakespeare's Puck is depicted here as a witty and capricious elf. Light, rapid figurations and sudden shifts of register and dynamics require an exceptional degree of pianistic control.

12. Minstrels (Minstrels): The last of the Préludes from Book I is a sardonic parody of the music heard in turn-of-the-century music halls. Crisp rhythms and "popular" harmonies punctuated by sharp dissonance anticipate elements in the music of Stravinsky and Poulenc.

© All Music Guide

2.Voiles

Coming after the slow and sensuous Danseuses de Delphes, the opening piece in Book I of the Preludes, this equally slow work hardly seems to offer necessary contrast. Yet, in its ethereal manner, Voiles (Sails) takes the listener into an altogether different world, or perhaps into two different worlds. Ostensibly, the piece seems an atmospheric depiction of a seascape or voyage on a calm sea. But the word Voiles can also be translated as Veils, an interpretation fitting the claim of composer Edgar Varèse that the music here portrays the movements of dancer Loie Fuller, who used veils and unusual lighting to produce imaginative visual effects during her act. In any event, this Prelude comes across as mysterious and somewhat eerie, but without suggesting anything threatening or sinister. The piece opens with a gentle theme of mostly descending contour in the upper register. Gradually, tension accumulates around it, largely from the bass regions. When a more-animated, intense manner grips the sonic landscape, the music seems headed for some unsettling eruption, but it never quite comes, turning ethereal and somber with periodic upward swirls that could represent waves of water or the movement of Fuller's veils. This interesting work typically lasts three to four minutes.

© Robert Cummings, Rovi

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

This is the fourth of the Preludes (12) that comprise Book I of Debussy's preludes for piano. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir (The sounds and scents turn in the evening air) was inspired by the poem by Charles Baudelaire, "Harmonie du soir" (Evening Harmony). It contains poetry suggesting many images and quiet but colorful moods, quite the perfect springboards for Debussy's highly imaginative and deftly atmospheric Impressionism. This prelude is one of five nature pieces in

Book I and is surely among the most evocative and compelling of them. The work opens with a tranquil, mysterious theme, which seems to bring with it a sense of wandering or uncertainty. It is a short-breathed creation surrounded by Debussy's voluptuous harmonies—harmonies that evoke a pastoral calm, but suggest some strange though not threatening world. The music turns livelier and more muscular in the middle section, but quickly becomes subdued again to make way for the return of the main theme, which restores the peaceful, otherworldly atmosphere from the first half. This prelude lasts three-and-a-half to four minutes in typical performances.

© Robert Cummings, All Music Guide

5.Les collines d'Anacapri

This is the fifth of the 12 works that comprise Debussy's Book I of Preludes for piano. Typically, the pieces in both Books I and II deal with nature, with the earthy or contemporary world, or with legend. This is one of the set's nature pieces, but in a sense also partly falls into the second category, owing to its use of the theme from an Italian folk song. Les collines d'Anacapri (The Hills of Anacapri) is a playful, joyous work whose theme exudes the sunny, slightly exotic flavors of Italy. After a brief introduction mixing the slow and somber with the playful, a lively happy theme is presented in the upper register. It has an energetic, driven manner about it, but soon yields to a more moderately paced melody of Italianate character. Some listeners might even mistake it for a melody of Spanish origin, especially in its second subject, which divulges rhythmic features associated with that ethnic style. There follows a lively partial reprise of the themes and the piece closes amid bright colors and a sense of playfulness and joy. This Prelude typically has a duration of three minutes.

© Robert Cummings, All Music Guide

6.Des pas sur la neige

Each of Debussy's préludes, Book I (1907 - 1910) is a short but substantial work that conveys a particular mood or impression suggested by its title. Still, as musicologist Rollo Myers notes, "the pictorial element [is not] unduly stressed if stressed at all; these Préludes are pure music." In accordance with the composer's practice of assigning a title only after the completion of a work, the titles of the préludes are placed at the foot of each, rather than at the head. The préludes represent the pinnacle of Debussy's keyboard art; each may be rightly regarded as a miniature masterpiece.

1. "Danseuses de Delphes" (Delphic Dancers): This is a slow, hypnotic, stately sarabande that utilizes multiple layers of parallel chords in unusual five-bar groupings.

2. "Voiles" (Sails): Whole-tone scales and pentatonic harmonies provide the musical substance of this mysterious and evocative tone poem. The spirit and character of this work recall "Jeux de vagues" (Play of waves), the second movement of La mer (1903 - 1905).

3. "Le vent dans la plaine" (Wind on the Plain): Rapid figuration depicts the whirling winds, twice interrupted by sudden chordal outbursts. Much of the work's impact derives from the extreme, effective economy of its material.

4. "Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir" (Sounds and Scents Mix in the Evening Air): The title of this prélude was taken from Baudelaire's "Fleurs du mal," the inspiration for this slow, waltz-like nocturne. The work makes active use of three themes, all in the same key, demanding the utmost sensitivity and imagination from the pianist.

5. "Les collines d'Anacapri" (The Hills of Anacapri): This is a lively scherzo in tarantella rhythm, with a slower central section in imitation of Italian folk song. The piano writing is particularly colorful and brilliantly effective.

6. "Des pas sur la neige" (Footprints in the Snow): Debussy depicts a barren winter snowscape with a plaintive, harmonically static dirge. The slow, sustained legato underpins the powerfully hypnotic atmosphere.

7. "Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest" (What the West Wind Saw): Rapid, sweeping arpeggios, fast alternating chord passages, and thundering tremolos characterize this brilliant, virtuosic showpiece. It is virtually an etude, fiercely aggressive and calling upon the full resources of the pianist.

8. "La fille aux cheveux de lin" (The Girl with Flaxen Hair). The title of this, one of the most familiar of the préludes, comes from Leconte de Lisle's "Scottish Song." Debussy's use of modality lends an archaic air to this charming, delicate work.

9. "La sérénade interrompue" (The Interrupted Serenade): A Spaniard wooing his sweetheart with the sounds of his voice and his guitar is thwarted by several noisy interruptions. Debussy effectively recreates a Spanish-inflected guitar sound on the keyboard, treating the interruptions with wry humor.

10. "La cathédral engloutie" (The Sunken Cathedral): Debussy effects a striking musical depiction of the mythical submerged Cathedral of Ys with "archaicisms" like modality and parallel harmonies. The work's rhythmic stasis, combined with its massive sonorities, creates an overwhelming sense of awe and grandeur.

11. "La danse de Puck" (The Dance of Puck): Shakespeare's Puck is depicted here as a witty and capricious elf. Light, rapid figurations and sudden shifts of register and dynamics require an exceptional degree of pianistic control.

12. "Minstrels" (Minstrels): The last of the préludes from Book I is a sardonic parody of the music heard in turn-of-the-century music halls. Crisp rhythms and "popular" harmonies punctuated by sharp dissonance anticipate elements in the music of Stravinsky and Poulenc.

© All Music Guide

7.Ce qu'à vu le vent d'ouest

This is the seventh of the 12 Preludes in Book I of Debussy's Preludes (24), a group of works of generally high quality, though even the composer acknowledged there were a few in the collection that were not entirely successful. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest (What the west wind has seen) follows the peaceful, glacially paced Des pas sur la niege (Footprints on the snow) with stormy music that offers powerful contrast and fully lives up to the most extreme images conjured by its title. This prelude opens with an agitated rhythmic figure in the bass that builds into an upward run, after which the tension in the music gradually increases. It subtly builds and soon erupts with anger, the upper register seeming to howl while the lower growls. If ever a Debussy piece attempts to imitate the sounds of nature, this is it. And it does so imaginatively. The work does not exhibit typical thematic elements, but is based more on rhythmic and harmonic features that imitate the wailing, bluster, and detached manner of one of nature's greatest forces. This work lasts about three minutes in a typical performance.

© All Music Guide

8.La fille aux cheveux de lin

The eighth number in Claude Debussy's first book of piano Preludes, a volume the composer worked on between about 1907 and 1910, is the celebrated La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair), two pages of delicate, superbly-crafted music that rival the Clair de lune from the Suite bergamasque and the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun as the most widely recognized entry in the composer's catalog.

One of Debussy's happiest decisions when composing his Preludes is, sadly, one that has been all but undone by publishers. Nowadays one finds the Preludes' picturesque little descriptions (such as "girl with the flaxen hair") at the top of each piece in bold, assertive type. When Debussy put the pieces to paper, however, he placed the descriptions at the end of each piece, as hints, even questions—these are not the miniature, concrete-subjected tone poems we are sometimes led to believe. Indeed, the title La fille aux cheveux de lin is so famous that it can sometimes distract from the fact that the piece is as perfectly poised and flawlessly balanced a work of piano music as one might hope for.

The unaccompanied melody at the opening glistens (it is really just an arpeggio, so guilelessly drawn that one marvels at the effect it has). The mild climax in the middle of the piece is fine china—radiant but ever so brittle, always in danger of being irreparably cracked or even smashed by an over-zealous pianist. The uncertain parallel fourths of the final pianissimo "murmuring" (called thus by Debussy) are turned on their heads after four bars, rising up into the warm sun of one last sonorous G flat major chord.

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9.La sérénade interrompue

La sérénade Interrompue (The Interrupted Serenade) is one of the more interesting pieces in Book I of Debussy's preludes, evoking both the flavors of Spain and the sounds of the guitar. Of course, the composer often wrote music exhibiting Spanish styles, such as La puerta del vino No. 3 (The Gate of Wine) from Book 2, and Ibéria (1905 - 1908), the well-known second movement from the Images for Orchestra. Along with Spanish elements and guitar-like sonorities, this prelude is also quite a quirky creation, but absolutely Debussyian in its Impressionistic character. The piece opens with an introductory passage whose chief feature is its hesitant pizzicato manner. Already, the strains of the guitar come to mind, but when the ensuing rhythmic elements are heard, the unmistakable flavors of Spain emerge. The main theme slowly evolves, as if fighting for elbow room at first. It is not a combative force here, however, coming across as somewhat nocturnal in mood and having both nonchalance and allure in its lithe manner. The rhythmic elements appear throughout and close the piece in the same kind of hesitant fashion heard in the opening. This masterful prelude has a duration of about three minutes.

© All Music Guide

11.La danse de Puck

There has been at least minor controversy over whether Debussy's La danse de Puck (Puck's dance) was inspired by the mischievous fairy (also known as Robin Goodfellow) in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream or the Puck in Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill. The composer was familiar with both works, but seemed to have taken the former as his springboard for this, the penultimate of the Preludes (12) in Book I. Both literary characters, however, fit the lighthearted and playful manner of the music in the work, and thus either or both can be taken as the composer's inspiration here. The piece opens with a playful, carefree theme that often stops or shifts its cutely menacing focus. Its second subject maintains the mischievous mood, but a second theme soon appears, bringing on an ethereal, somewhat fairy tale-like atmosphere. All the material goes through some level of development, but the overall sense of playful mischief dominates throughout the piece. This work typically lasts three minutes and however its source of inspiration is viewed (some even believe Debussy is depicting himself in the music), this Prelude will appeal to a wide audience.

© Robert Cummings, All Music Guide

12.Minstrels

Each of Debussy's préludes, Book I (1907 - 1910) is a short but substantial work that conveys a particular mood or impression suggested by its title. Still, as musicologist Rollo Myers notes, "the pictorial element [is not] unduly stressed if stressed at all; these Préludes are pure music." In accordance with the composer's practice of assigning a title only after the completion of a work, the titles of the préludes are placed at the foot of each, rather than at the head. The préludes represent the pinnacle of Debussy's keyboard art; each may be rightly regarded as a miniature masterpiece.

1. "Danseuses de Delphes" (Delphic Dancers): This is a slow, hypnotic, stately sarabande that utilizes multiple layers of parallel chords in unusual five-bar groupings.

2. "Voiles" (Sails): Whole-tone scales and pentatonic harmonies provide the musical substance of this mysterious and evocative tone poem. The spirit and character of this work recall "Jeux de vagues" (Play of waves), the second movement of La mer (1903 - 1905).

3. "Le vent dans la plaine" (Wind on the Plain): Rapid figuration depicts the whirling winds, twice interrupted by sudden chordal outbursts. Much of the work's impact derives from the extreme, effective economy of its material.

4. "Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir" (Sounds and Scents Mix in the Evening Air): The title of this prélude was taken from Baudelaire's "Fleurs du mal," the inspiration for this slow, waltz-like nocturne. The work makes active use of three themes, all in the same key, demanding the utmost sensitivity and imagination from the pianist.

5. "Les collines d'Anacapri" (The Hills of Anacapri): This is a lively scherzo in tarantella rhythm, with a slower central section in imitation of Italian folk song. The piano writing is particularly colorful and brilliantly effective.

6. "Des pas sur la neige" (Footprints in the Snow): Debussy depicts a barren winter snowscape with a plaintive, harmonically static dirge. The slow, sustained legato underpins the powerfully hypnotic atmosphere.

7. "Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest" (What the West Wind Saw): Rapid, sweeping arpeggios, fast alternating chord passages, and thundering tremolos characterize this brilliant, virtuosic showpiece. It is virtually an etude, fiercely aggressive and calling upon the full resources of the pianist.

8. "La fille aux cheveux de lin" (The Girl with Flaxen Hair). The title of this, one of the most familiar of the préludes, comes from Leconte de Lisle's "Scottish Song." Debussy's use of modality lends an archaic air to this charming, delicate work.

9. "La sérénade interrompue" (The Interrupted Serenade): A Spaniard wooing his sweetheart with the sounds of his voice and his guitar is thwarted by several noisy interruptions. Debussy effectively recreates a Spanish-inflected guitar sound on the keyboard, treating the interruptions with wry humor.

10. "La cathédral engloutie" (The Sunken Cathedral): Debussy effects a striking musical depiction of the mythical submerged Cathedral of Ys with "archaicisms" like modality and parallel harmonies. The work's rhythmic stasis, combined with its massive sonorities, creates an overwhelming sense of awe and grandeur.

11. "La danse de Puck" (The Dance of Puck): Shakespeare's Puck is depicted here as a witty and capricious elf. Light, rapid figurations and sudden shifts of register and dynamics require an exceptional degree of pianistic control.

12. "Minstrels" (Minstrels): The last of the préludes from Book I is a sardonic parody of the music heard in turn-of-the-century music halls. Crisp rhythms and "popular" harmonies punctuated by sharp dissonance anticipate elements in the music of Stravinsky and Poulenc.

© All Music Guide

Préludes, Book 1, L.117 (arr. sound effects and piano) - 10.La cathédrale engloutie

Each of Debussy's préludes, Book I (1907 - 1910) is a short but substantial work that conveys a particular mood or impression suggested by its title. Still, as musicologist Rollo Myers notes, "the pictorial element [is not] unduly stressed if stressed at all; these Préludes are pure music." In accordance with the composer's practice of assigning a title only after the completion of a work, the titles of the préludes are placed at the foot of each, rather than at the head. The préludes represent the pinnacle of Debussy's keyboard art; each may be rightly regarded as a miniature masterpiece.

1. "Danseuses de Delphes" (Delphic Dancers): This is a slow, hypnotic, stately sarabande that utilizes multiple layers of parallel chords in unusual five-bar groupings.

2. "Voiles" (Sails): Whole-tone scales and pentatonic harmonies provide the musical substance of this mysterious and evocative tone poem. The spirit and character of this work recall "Jeux de vagues" (Play of waves), the second movement of La mer (1903 - 1905).

3. "Le vent dans la plaine" (Wind on the Plain): Rapid figuration depicts the whirling winds, twice interrupted by sudden chordal outbursts. Much of the work's impact derives from the extreme, effective economy of its material.

4. "Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir" (Sounds and Scents Mix in the Evening Air): The title of this prélude was taken from Baudelaire's "Fleurs du mal," the inspiration for this slow, waltz-like nocturne. The work makes active use of three themes, all in the same key, demanding the utmost sensitivity and imagination from the pianist.

5. "Les collines d'Anacapri" (The Hills of Anacapri): This is a lively scherzo in tarantella rhythm, with a slower central section in imitation of Italian folk song. The piano writing is particularly colorful and brilliantly effective.

6. "Des pas sur la neige" (Footprints in the Snow): Debussy depicts a barren winter snowscape with a plaintive, harmonically static dirge. The slow, sustained legato underpins the powerfully hypnotic atmosphere.

7. "Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest" (What the West Wind Saw): Rapid, sweeping arpeggios, fast alternating chord passages, and thundering tremolos characterize this brilliant, virtuosic showpiece. It is virtually an etude, fiercely aggressive and calling upon the full resources of the pianist.

8. "La fille aux cheveux de lin" (The Girl with Flaxen Hair). The title of this, one of the most familiar of the préludes, comes from Leconte de Lisle's "Scottish Song." Debussy's use of modality lends an archaic air to this charming, delicate work.

9. "La sérénade interrompue" (The Interrupted Serenade): A Spaniard wooing his sweetheart with the sounds of his voice and his guitar is thwarted by several noisy interruptions. Debussy effectively recreates a Spanish-inflected guitar sound on the keyboard, treating the interruptions with wry humor.

10. "La cathédral engloutie" (The Sunken Cathedral): Debussy effects a striking musical depiction of the mythical submerged Cathedral of Ys with "archaicisms" like modality and parallel harmonies. The work's rhythmic stasis, combined with its massive sonorities, creates an overwhelming sense of awe and grandeur.

11. "La danse de Puck" (The Dance of Puck): Shakespeare's Puck is depicted here as a witty and capricious elf. Light, rapid figurations and sudden shifts of register and dynamics require an exceptional degree of pianistic control.

12. "Minstrels" (Minstrels): The last of the préludes from Book I is a sardonic parody of the music heard in turn-of-the-century music halls. Crisp rhythms and "popular" harmonies punctuated by sharp dissonance anticipate elements in the music of Stravinsky and Poulenc.

© All Music Guide, All Music Guide