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.
In the third prelude, Le vent dans la plaine (“The Wind in the Plain”), rushing sextuplet figurations depict a refreshing breeze across the world and a melodic motif heard in the middle of the texture perhaps calls to mind the movement of wildflowers or grain as they are caught in the rushing air. The vigorous wind in Debussy’s imaginative scene hardly lets up throughout the prelude except for three times (once at the beginning and twice at the end) when the sextuplets give way to a sudden passage of descending block chords in an eighth-note rhythm, as the picturesque scene of Debussy’s title slowly returns to its tranquil state before the next gust. Joseph DuBose
Le vent dans la plaine, from Preludes Book I Claude Debussy
Debussy published his first book of Preludes in 1910, which marks a turning point in his piano composition. In the 12 preludes he found new means of expression in sound, harmony and form, and created a whole new palette of colors for the keyboard.
Le vent dans la plaine - The third prelude is in constant motion, and is based on a minor second interval. The name is taken from a poem by Favard. Matan Porat
Classical Music | Piano Music
Claude Debussy
Le vent dans la plaine, from Preludes Book I Play
Recorded on 05/25/2011, uploaded on 01/05/2012
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.
In the third prelude, Le vent dans la plaine (“The Wind in the Plain”), rushing sextuplet figurations depict a refreshing breeze across the world and a melodic motif heard in the middle of the texture perhaps calls to mind the movement of wildflowers or grain as they are caught in the rushing air. The vigorous wind in Debussy’s imaginative scene hardly lets up throughout the prelude except for three times (once at the beginning and twice at the end) when the sextuplets give way to a sudden passage of descending block chords in an eighth-note rhythm, as the picturesque scene of Debussy’s title slowly returns to its tranquil state before the next gust. Joseph DuBose
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Le vent dans la plaine, from Preludes Book I Claude Debussy
Debussy published his first book of Preludes in 1910, which marks a turning point in his piano composition. In the 12 preludes he found new means of expression in sound, harmony and form, and created a whole new palette of colors for the keyboard.
Le vent dans la plaine - The third prelude is in constant motion, and is based on a minor second interval. The name is taken from a poem by Favard. Matan Porat
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)
Gavotte and Doubles, from Suite in A minor
Des pas sur la neige, from Preludes Book I
Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
Danseuses de Delphes, from Preludes Book I
Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest
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