Five short preludes (1.5 to 2.5 minutes each) that explore various sounds and ideas.
Premiered February 1, 2008
The main idea of this prelude uses parallel fourths in the left hand with short, dissonant statements in the right hand. The contrasting second idea has a tonal bass line progression below a chromatic figure. The 3/8 time signature gives the piece a quasi-swing feel.
This prelude alternates between F major and Gb major, with slow reflective melodic statements over sustained roots. The statements gradually become shorter and shorter until the recapitulation.
This whimsical prelude uses a five-note synthetic scale throughout (1, m3, P4, m6, M7), but the scale modulates in a pattern that suggests a standard 16-measure blues progression. There is a repeating figure in the bass using the same modulating scale.
This slow prelude in 7/4 time has an ostinato bass line that never varies. The six notes of the bass line (Eb, E, F, Ab, A, Bb) form a synthetic scale from which the entire piece is derived.
This prelude uses the same six-note synthetic scale throughout (C, Eb, E, G, Ab, B). Harmonic motion is established through a repeated bass line, with chords built from every other note of the scale.