Preludes (Messiaen)
The Préludes are a 1928–1929 set of eight pieces by French composer Olivier Messiaen, which were written when the composer was 20 years old and studying at the Conservatoire de Paris. Messiaen considered it to be his first work of any value. The compositions are based on Messiaen's modes of limited transposition, and betrays an influence of Debussy's preludes.
They were premiered by the composer in a private performance at the Concerts Durand in Paris on 28 January 1930. The first public performance was given by Henriette Puig-Roget on 1 March 1930, at the Salle Érard at the Société Nationale de Musique in Paris.
Table of contents
There are eight preludes, which take about thirty-four minutes to play in full:| Original title | English Translation | Description | |
| 1 | La colombe | The Dove | Orange, with violet veins. |
| 2 | Chant d'extase dans un paysage triste | Song of Ecstasy in a Sad Landscape | Grey, mauve, Prussian blue at the beginning and end; diamond and silver at the middle. |
| 3 | Le nombre léger | The Light Number | Orange, with violet veins. |
| 4 | Instants défunts | Dead Instants | Smooth grey with reflections of mauve and green. |
| 5 | Les sons impalpables du rêve | The Impalpable Sounds of a Dream | Polymodal, consisting of a blue-orange mode with a chordal ostinato and cascades of chords, and a violet-purple mode having a copper timbre. Note the pianistic writing, composed of triple notes, rapid passages in chords, canon in contrary motion, hand crossing, various staccatos, brassy louré, gem effects. |
| 6 | Cloches d'angoisses et larmes d'adieu | Bells of Anguish and Tears of Farewell | In memory of the composer's mother, poetess Cécile Sauvage. The bells combine several different modes: the "hum" and the upper harmonies of the bells sound with luminous vibrations. The farewell is purple, orange, violet. |
| 7 | Plainte calme | Calm Plaint | Smooth gray with reflections of mauve and green. |
| 8 | Un reflet dans le vent | A Reflection in the Wind | The small storm which opens and concludes the piece alternates veins of orange, and green with black stains. The central development section is more luminous. The second theme, very melodious, and wrapped in sinuous arpeggios, is blue-orange in its first occurrence, and green-orange in its second one. Violet, orange and purple dominate the entire piece. |