“Preludes” would seem to pieces with a sense of intention; they are pieces with a destination, pieces on a mission to introduce something else. Indeed, for centuries, preludes have functioned as improvisatory-sounding warm-ups for more formally structured fugues, as in the two volumes of Preludes and Fugues of J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, or as in the opening works of multi-movement suites, as in Schumann’s Carnaval. In the 19th century, though, composers like Frederic Chopin started to create cycles of preludes without any further compositional goal—preludes to preludes? Little by little, composers like Claude Debussy started using the term simply to refer to free-standing character pieces. In his two volumes of Preludes, in fact, Debussy provides titles to individual numbers at the end of each piece, like a sort of after-thought. His Preludes would seem to intend only what they evoke in retrospective. Read on for more programming details, and stay tuned for Rev. Meredith’s sermon for more thoughts about intentions and where they may or may not lead…..
Gathering Music: Adam Kent, piano
Prelude and Fugue in E Major, W.T.C. I
J. S. Bach
24 Preludes, Op. 28 (selections)
Centering Music:
Prelude in Ab Major, Op. 28, No. 17
Chopin
Opening Music:
Prelude in F Major, Op. 28, No. 23
Chopin
Musical Meditation:
“Des pas sur la neige” from Préludes, Book I
Claude Debussy
Interlude I:
“La terrasse des audiences au clair de lune” from Préludes, Book II
Debussy
Interlude II:
“La Puerta del vino” from Préludes, Book II
Debussy
Parting Music:
“Preambule” from Carnaval, Op. 9
Robert Schumann
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