Prelude (music)
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A prelude is a short piece of music, usually in no particular internal form, which may serve as an introduction to succeeding movements of a work that are usually longer and more complex. Many preludes have a continuous ostinato throughout, usually of the rhythmic and melodic variety. They are also somewhat improvisatory in style. The prelude can also refer to an overture, particularly to those seen in an opera or an oratorio.
The French harpsichordists, following Louis Couperin, developed a form of unmeasured prelude, in which the duration of each note is left to the performer. It was used until the first decade of the 18th century; Jean-Philippe Rameau's first printed piece (1706) is in this form.
In Baroque music, the prelude was often paired with the fugue. Beginning with Johann Sebastian Bach, composers often wrote preludes in sets of 12 or 24, sometimes with the intention of utilizing all 24 major and minor keys.
Ever since Frédéric Chopin composed his Preludes Op. 28, the prelude has been liberated from its original introductory purpose. Notable Romantic, Contemporary, and Modern composers have written preludes that serve as independent works that adhere to the structural characteristics common to the prelude. A performance of these preludes, such as Chopin's, entail playing all or a selection of preludes successively without pause for applause, intermission, or the like.
Notable Sets or Cycles of Preludes
- J.C.F. Fischer's Ariadne musica (1702), contained 20 preludes and fugues in 19 different keys.
- Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the two volumes of the Well-Tempered Clavier, (1722). Each volume contains 24 preludes, one in each of the major and minor keys, with each prelude followed by a fugue in the same key. The odd numbered preludes are in major keys, starting with C major and each is followed by a prelude in the corresponding minor key. The odd numbered preludes proceed up the chromatic scale (i.e No. 1 C major, No. 2 C minor, No. 3 C-sharp major, etc.).
- Ludwig van Beethoven wrote two preludes, Op. 39; each one cycles through all of the major keys of the piano
- Frédéric Chopin wrote 24 preludes, Op. 28, which cycle through all of the major and minor keys. The odd numbered preludes are in major keys, starting with C major and each is followed by a prelude in the relative minor key. The preludes proceed through the circle of fifths (i.e. No.1 C major, No. 2 A minor, No. 3 G major, etc.).
- Claude Debussy wrote two books of 12 Preludes, Book 1 (1910) and Book 2 (1913), for a total of 24 preludes. The title of the prelude is given at the end of the piece, while a roman numeral serves as the heading.
- Sergei Rachmaninoff, wrote a prelude, Opus 3 No. 2, Ten Preludes, Opus 23 and 13 Preludes, Opus 32, for a total of 24 Preludes.
- Paul Hindemith wrote Ludus Tonalis, (1940) a prelude, 11 interludes, and a postlude, all separated by 12 fugues.
- Alberto Ginastera wrote a cycle of 12 American Preludes (Doce Preludios Americanos) (1946).
- Dmitri Shostakovich wrote a cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues in 1951, as well as an earlier set of 24 Preludes for piano.
See also
cs:Preludium de:Präludium fi:Preludi fr:Prélude hu:Prelúdium it:Preludio ja:前奏曲 nl:Prelude pl:Preludium pt:Prelúdio zh:前奏曲