Preludes, Op. 23 (Rachmaninoff)

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Ten Preludes, Op. 23, is a set of ten preludes for solo piano, composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1901. This set includes the famous Prelude in G minor.

[edit] Composition

Op. 23 is composed of ten preludes, ranging from two to five minutes in length. They are:

• No. 1 in F-sharp minor (Largo)
• No. 2 in B-flat major (Maestoso)
• No. 3 in D minor (Tempo di minuetto)
• No. 4 in D major (Adagio)
• No. 5 in G minor (Alla marcia)
• No. 6 in E-flat major (Andante)
• No. 7 in C minor (Allegro)
• No. 8 in A-flat major (Allegro vivace)
• No. 9 in E-flat minor (Presto)
• No. 10 in G-flat major (Largo)

The preludes were completed after Rachmaninoff's marriage to Natalia Satin; he premiered Nos. 1, 2, and 5 in February of 1903 and completed the other seven soon thereafter. Certain characteristics of the set, such as the recurrence of stepwise motion, common chords between adjacent preludes, and the relationship between the first and last preludes (both marked Largo, with the latter in the parallel major of the former) suggest that the works could be played as a set.

[edit] External links

• Preludes, Op. 23 was available at the International Music Score Library Project.
• (Russian) Piano.ru - Sheet music download
• (Russian) Chubrik.ru - Audio download

v • d • e Solo piano works by Sergei Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 · Morceaux de Salon, Op. 10 · Six Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 · Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op. 22 · Preludes, Op. 23 · Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 28 · Preludes, Op. 32 · Études-Tableaux, Op. 33 · Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36 · Études-Tableaux, Op. 39 · Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 Miscellaneous (lost, unpublished, others) List of compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff