Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 10/31/2006, uploaded on 01/09/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Claude Debussy composed his two books of preludes during a remarkably brief period—the first, between December 1909 and February 1910; and the second, during roughly the same period in 1912-13. Though totaling twenty-four in number between the two books, Debussy’s preludes do not follow the precedent established by J. S. Bach’s ubiquitously known Well-Tempered Clavier (namely, a prelude in each of the major and minor keys) and imitated by several other composers, including Frédéric Chopin, Charles-Valentin Alkan, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. However, this does not mean that Debussy’s preludes are without order, and the relationships that can be found among them indicate that their published order was, to a certain extent, quite purposeful, yet also designed with a degree of inherent flexibility. Debussy, in keeping with the artistic philosophy of his day, also composed each prelude with specific scene or image in mind. Yet, to partially disguise these intents from the listener and to allow his audience to discover them of their own accord, Debussy craftily placed his titles at the end of each prelude. Performance practice of the preludes varies. Early performances, even by Debussy himself, established a precedent of grouping the prelude in threes or fours, allowing performers to pick those in which they perhaps are most comfortable. However, some performers also choose to perform each book in their entirety.

Standing third in Debussy’s second book of preludes is La puerta del Vino, inspired by the Moorish Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain. Debussy captures the Spanish setting of the palace within the form of the habanera, a dance which originated in Cuba, made its way into European culture via Spain, and became quite popular in French and English salons by the latter decades of the 19^th century. The typical habanera rhythm is established in the opening measures of the prelude, sounded upon the pitches D-flat and A-flat, and which persists through much of the dance as a sort of harmonic pedal. Atop this rhythmic accompaniment the dance’s melody unfolds, at times coaxing and restrained, but becoming more passionate and fiery as the prelude progresses. The prelude’s climax is reached when, after a restatement of its opening measures, the static habanera bass suddenly descends a minor third, effecting a key change from D-flat major to B-flat. The intensity of this climax gradually wanes, leading into a last statement of the opening melody before the prelude’s quiet close.      Joseph DuBose

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a Puerta del Vino, III, from Préludes deuxième livre           Claude Debussy

Debussy, a French composer of the 20^th century, was one of its most remarkable personalities and a genius in creating his own world of music.  The Préludes exemplify his mastery in coloring combined with harmonic and dynamic changes.  Suggested as afterthoughts, the titles are placed at the end of each prelude in parentheses, as an added clue to interpretation.  Debussy frequently applied his perception of 'Spanish' music to many of his compositions, as in No. 3 (... La Puerta del Vino).  The Spanish-ness in Debussy's works is often a rendition of Spanish guitar strums and rhythmic elements, at times also reflecting a sensual quality.     Junghwa Lee

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.