24 Preludes for Piano These Preludes owe a great deal to other composers, in particular the preludes of J. S. Bach and Dmitri Shostakovich (the opus 87 cycle). #1 in C major: a little fanfare to open the cycle, tips its hat to the first prelude of both the Bach and Shostakovich cycles. #2 in A minor: a toccata that makes use of a chromatic wedge, similar to that in the E minor fugue from the first volume of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. #3 in G major: a louré in which the lower voice follows in canon at the tenth. #4 in E minor: a tribute to Shostakovich, this piece uses two of his devices—the signature rhythm from the Fifth Symphony, and the composer’s signature (DSCH, or D-Eb-C-B. #5 in D major: a little baroque suite movement in binary form, featuring the dotted-rhythms of the French Overture. #6 in B minor: a simple melody and accompaniment piece, with the melody moving from one hand to the other. #7 in A major: a character piece in quick six-eight time, which owes its character to the pedagogic works of Kabalevsky. #8 in F-sharp minor: a long searching melody, mainly in the left hand, accompanied by a gentle succession of thirds. #9 in E major: a grand chorale, quite lush and romantic in character. #10 in C-sharp minor: an agitated toccata, so chromatic that it was more efficient to dispense with the key signature. #11 in B major: a simple song in three-four time, accompanied by chords on the second and third beats, this piece is indebted to the pedagogic works of Bartok (For Children). #12 in G-sharp minor: a simple waltz in binary form. #13 in F-sharp major: a long-breathed melody based on a rising arpeggio, imitated freely and often in contrary motion (inversion). #14 in E-flat minor: a declamatory melody unfolds four times over a slow moving progression of chromatically descending chords. #15 in D-flat major: an elaborate melody, punctuated with gently repeating chords. #16 in B-flat minor: a theme with two variations achieved by diminution, this prelude is another tribute to Shostakovich, unmistakably recalling the B-flat minor prelude from his opus 87 cycle. #17 in A-flat major: a two-part invention, where the principal melodic material is mainly found in the lower voice. #18 in F minor: a “moment musicaux” after Schubert. #19 in E-flat major: a gentle meditation in triple time that features syncopated hemiola rhythms that lift the phrases out of a regular flow. #20 in C minor: a forceful evocation of the key of c minor as Beethoven presents it in his “Pathetique” sonata opus 13 and his 32 Variations in that key. #21 in B-flat major: a perpetual motion prelude accompanied by alternating seconds and sevenths. #22 in G minor: a melody of continuous eighth notes in nine-eight time, this piece recalls the simple slow movement textures of Bach’s instrumental sonatas and concertos. #23 in F major: a brief simple chorale that makes its way through some quite chromatic territory. #24 in D minor: the denouement of the cycle, this piece uses descending and ascending chromatic melodic material over pedal points.