Préludes, Book I

Debussy composed his First Book of 12 piano Préludes (1909-10) with amateur pianists in mind: Much of the music is technically straightforward, so that average players can explore its remarkable range of sounds and moods for themselves. The collection includes the beautifully unaffected portrayal of “La fille aux cheveux de lin” (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair) and “La cathédrale engloutie” ("The Engulfed Cathedral"), a magnificent evocation of the legendary sunken Cathedral of Ys off the coast of Brittany. There is roguish humour in the street-musician antics of a group of “Minstrels”; desolate poignancy in “Des pas sur la neige” (Footsteps in the Snow); and a tumultuous evocation of the Atlantic Ocean in the technically more demanding “Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest” (What the West Wind Has Seen). The title of “Voiles”, like the harmony of the whole-tone scale on which it is based, is indeterminate: With the word’s gender not indicated, the meaning can be either “Sails” or “Veils”. About Debussy’s Préludes Debussy’s piano Préludes, composed between 1909 and 1913, were published in two books of 12 pieces each. They explore a range of moods and ideas, drawing on Debussy’s interests in literature, painting, classical antiquity and imaginary foreign lands; there are also sketch-like musical portraits, evocations of nature, and snapshot depictions of the surrounding world. Almost every Prélude is short, lasting less than four minutes; while some are technically difficult, most are easy enough for amateur pianists to enjoy playing. Each Prélude has a descriptive title placed at the end rather than the beginning, as if inviting a personal response to the music independently of the title itself.