Three preludes
The Three Preludes are three piano pieces by George Gershwin from 1926.
Emergence
Gershwin was very well known after Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and the Piano Concerto in F major (1925) and many popular songs and musicals. He planned a series of 24 preludes for piano with the working title The Melting Pot . This cycle remained incomplete due to his intense work on other projects and his untimely death. On December 4, 1926, Gershwin himself played the world premiere of the first five completed pieces in the Hotel Roosevelt in New York. In 1927 he selected three of these pieces for publication. Two preludes were later arranged for piano and violin by Gershwin - the so-called Short Stories. The Three Preludes are Gershwin's only published work for piano solo during his lifetime.
character
The first of the preludes is in B flat major and is in the Charleston rhythm. The left hand is characterized by a constant, harmonious rhythm , while the right hand is responsible for the topic .
The second piece is in C sharp minor and represents a kind of blues . The typical intonation of this musical style is also retained with Gershwin and is expanded to include a difficult harmony .
Prelude No. III is ultimately a fast foxtrot and is composed in E flat minor .
Overall, all three pieces reflect the closeness to Gershwin's symphonic compositions (e.g. Rhapsody in Blue ), which are also characterized by bold modulations and extended harmony in the form of style elements of jazz .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Author Andrew Eales: Gershwin: Three Preludes. In: Pianodao. February 11, 2020, accessed June 26, 2020 .
- ^ Three Preludes (George Gershwin). Retrieved June 26, 2020 (English).