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 19th 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
La Puerta Del Vino, from Préludes, Book II Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy’s two books of Preludes, implying homage to both Chopin and Bach, revel in the composer’s innovative piano techniques. Among French music’s most avant-garde expressions, they also contain some of Debussy’s most atonal sorties. The second book was published in 1913.
La puerta del vino is one of the several gates that allow access to the Alhambra, overlooking Granada, and evokes a habanera rhythm. Tanya Gabrielian
Classical Music | Piano Music
Claude Debussy
La Puerta Del Vino, from Préludes, Book II Play
Recorded on 08/10/2011, uploaded on 02/20/2012
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 19th 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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La Puerta Del Vino, from Préludes, Book II Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy’s two books of Preludes, implying homage to both Chopin and Bach, revel in the composer’s innovative piano techniques. Among French music’s most avant-garde expressions, they also contain some of Debussy’s most atonal sorties. The second book was published in 1913.
La puerta del vino is one of the several gates that allow access to the Alhambra, overlooking Granada, and evokes a habanera rhythm. Tanya Gabrielian
More music by Claude Debussy
La Puerta del Vino, from Préludes Book II
Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir, from Préludes, Book I
Soiree dans Grenade, from Estampes
Rapsodie (arr. Rousseau)
Arabesque in C sharp major
Beau Soir
Ondine, from Préludes Book II
La Cathédrale engloutie, from Preludes, Books 1, No.10
Estampes
Apparition, from Quatre chansons de jeunesse
Performances by same musician(s)
Papillons in C-sharp Major, Op. 2
Adagio from Organ Concerto, BWV 593 (after Concerto Op. 3 No. 6 of Vivaldi)
Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, From the Street
Feux d'artifice, from Préludes, Book II
Grave in c minor, from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33
Moderato in d minor, from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33
Non allegro - Presto in e-flat minor, from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33
Prelude from Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Fantasía Bética
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