3 Preludes

Melding jazz syncopations, classical pianism and a touch of Broadway pizzazz, Gershwin’s 3 Preludes are a testament to his fluency and panache as a pianist. The composer had originally intended to write a set of 24 preludes in the tradition of Bach, Chopin and Debussy, and which would be collectively titled The Melting Pot. But the number was whittled down to seven preludes in manuscript form, then five at the premiere (at New York’s Roosevelt Hotel), and finally three when the set was published in 1927. The first prelude opens with a five-note blues motif and pulses with touches of jazz and Brazilian baião rhythms. The second prelude is “a sort of blues lullaby”, according to Gershwin, and features a steady bass line under a sultry melody, while the third, which Gershwin called “Spanish”, contains two melodies in question-and-answer phrases. The Three Preludes have thrived in various arrangements, notably one that Jascha Heifetz made for violin and piano in 1938 and 1939.