Symphony Atlas

Préludes, Book II, L. 123

191341 min

This guide follows Debussy’s Préludes, Book II, L. 123 (1913) in twelve parts: Brouillards, Feuilles mortes, La puerta del Vino, « Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses », Bruyères, « Général Lavine » – eccentric, La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune, Ondine (theme and variations), Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C., Canope, Les tierces alternées and Feux d'artifice.

Recording: Francesco Piemontesi (piano) (2024)

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AnalysisComments
  1. IBrouillards
  2. IIFeuilles mortes
  3. IIILa puerta del Vino
  4. IV« Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses »
  5. VBruyères
  6. VI« Général Lavine » – eccentric
  7. VIILa terrasse des audiences du clair de lune
  8. VIIIOndine · Theme and variations
  9. IXHommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C.
  10. XCanope
  11. XILes tierces alternées
  12. XIIFeux d'artifice
IBrouillards0:05–3:28

Marked “, extrêmement égal et ”. The fog is made of two layers played at once: white-note triads in one hand against black-note arpeggios in the other, which blur into grey while melodic break through. A static, syncopated idea arrives with the , the opening in the B section, and in A′ the ideas interweave and fade. The ends on an unresolved dissonance, which Roger Nichols notes is true of no other prelude.

  1. A:
  2. A:
IIFeuilles mortes3:35–6:43
IIILa puerta del Vino6:47–10:09
IV« Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses »10:23–14:03
VBruyères14:10–16:35
VI« Général Lavine » – eccentric16:43–19:09
VIILa terrasse des audiences du clair de lune19:27–23:53
VIIIOndineTheme and variations24:21–27:31
IXHommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C.27:41–30:11
XCanope30:24–33:16
XILes tierces alternées33:20–36:06
XIIFeux d'artifice36:13–40:40

Section boundaries in music are not always sharp; a transition may be felt over a pause or a held chord.

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In the catalog

Claude DebussyPianoModern periodTheme and variations

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