Debussy's Preludes

[ana]

hi!  What is your favorite prelude by debussy, the most beautiful, in your opinion?  Also, what would be a good prelude to learn first, if you have never played anything by him before?  thank you so much for your suggestions.  i really appreciate it.

 

[bernhard]

Not necessarily my favourite, but arguably the most beautiful and certainly a very good one to start with :

“La fille aux cheveux de lin” (Book I)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[JamesS]

My favourite is la terrasse des audiences du clair de lune from book 2, this is one of the most beautiful pieces I have heard by any composer. I also love Ce que ve le vent d'ouest from book 1. In fact I love all of them!

J.

[jcromp78]

I don't see the preludes as being really "beautiful" pieces so to speak but rather atmospheric with shades of color. Impressionistic indeed. If you want a piece that sparkles try Feux D'artifice the very last one.

[nanabush]

I love Feux D'artifice, and even more Cathdrale Englouti.. it's so nice!

But I'm not fond of alot of his other preludes such as 'minstrels'

[brokenagraffe]

i love voiles from book one the best (out of the non-fast stuffs).

[JamesS]

I don't see the preludes as being really "beautiful" pieces so to speak but rather atmospheric with shades of color.

Interesting. I suppose it depends on how you define beautiful...

J.

[ana]

oh man i was looking at some of the faster ones, such as the very last one, "Fireworks" and i am so confused.  it looks like patterns, but the fingerings are so confusing.  there is also a glissando with just black keys.  do you know how to do that?  did anybody ever play that one before?  i might want to try it after i start with some of the more tranquil ones, but it looks so intimidating and impossible.

 i will start with "The girl with the flaxen hair" 

thank you Bernhard

[lostinidlewonder]

I play all of the Preludes myself, my favorite ones would have to be:
Bk1: 3,5,6,8,10,11,12
Bk2: 5,6,10,12

"Fireworks" and i am so confused. it looks like patterns, but the fingerings are so confusing. there is also a glissando with just black keys. do you know how to do that? did anybody ever play that one before?

You are probably confused because it is one of the harder preludes. I would personally suggest you go and do Bk1no6 Des pas sur la neige before the Hairy girl

I played the Bk2/12 for a concert a few months ago. It definatly is one of the harder ones if you haven't cracked your control of arpeggios since it is mostly constructed out of those! The black key gliss in Bk2/12 can be targeted two ways.

Some people open the entire hand and slide down the keyboard with all the fingers palm facing down. This works, although i find that it is a little unclear, messy.

I personally use 1 and 2 pinched together, fingers perpendicular to the notes. This is because later on there is a two note, black and white gliss in one hand which requires the same fingers, the thumb playing the white and the 2nd playing the black, so this creates sorta a standard early on.


 

[Barbosa-piano]

      I believe each one of them is unique and special, but my favorite is Terrace des Audiences au Clair de Lune.
                                                          Mario Barbosa.

[tariswerewolf]

Myself, I prefer "Des pas sur la neige", "Feux d'artifice", "La Cathedrale engloutie" and "La danse de Puck". They're all very nice pieces.

[nanabush]

What' weird is that Des pas sur la Neige I belive is grade 10 and Flaxen Haired girl grade 9 in Canada... Never saw Pas sur la neige,but is it easier than Flaxen Haired girl? Also what do you find to be the most difficlt part in CATHEDRALE englouti?   Is it the massive chords in one of the sections?  I find it to be easier than many of his other preludes...

[odsum25]

In the Sunken Cathedral I don't really think the difficuly lies in the notes.  I learned them very quickly.  However, getting the correct dynamic shadings, proper pedaling, correct tone, color, etc. is frustratingly difficult.  Take for example measures 42-45, going from piano to pie piano to pianissimo to piu pianissimo.  All of these need to be markedly different, but you can't let the piano start too loud.  It takes such nuance to play this well.  I have been working on it for awhile now, just trying to take care of these little details.  Debussy is always very specific in what he wants and the pianist must follow his directions exactly.

[nanabush]

I see exactly what you mean, and yes I am already frustrated, it's already so quiet, but you have to calm the notes even more... That and the chord cluster weird things, don't know what their called, Like a chord with filler notes in the middle, there's a bunch nearing the end, always have to stop to see the notes, better off just memorizng them eh?