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The Prelude in A-flat major, Op. 23, No. 8, is a 1903 composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff. [1] [2] It is part of Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes, Op. 23.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2010) |
The Prelude in A-flat major, Op. 23, No. 8, is a 1903 composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff. [1] [2] It is part of Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes, Op. 23.
The work is three-part ternary; however, it assumes monothematic characteristics. The first occurrence Section A comprises measures 1–19, Section B of 19–43, Section A returns from measures 43–70, and the coda is placed at measures 70–78.
A right hand figuration extends over a descending quarter-note melody in the first two bars, outlining the A flat chord. This motive repeats, and then is varied in measures 5–8, in succession. From measures 9–18, the section is restated though a transient modulation to E major (at measure 15). An imperfect cadence in the tonic bridges the transitory gap in measure 18 to the B section in E flat.
Measures 19–20 introduce a variant of the main motive. Now in a new key, the bass melody changes, descending chromatically in an eighth-note figure.
Measure 19
A transition section comes together though the combination of ascending and descending chromatic scale fragments at measures 31–41. Measures 30 and 31 contain a subtle but clear motive (in the left hand) that reappears again (in a slightly different manner) in the 2nd Symphony (1st movement). Vertiginous modulations swing through E flat – G – C – F – A flat and B flat, before settling into E flat at measures 39–41.
Measures 32 and 33
The original statement occurs beginning at measure 42, and then a progression at measures 54–62 through F- B flat – D flat and F minor provides a link to measures 61–70, where the harmonies become vague and undistinguishable:
Measures 61 and 62
The coda exhibits a gradual breakdown of the forward motion, and, with a quarter-note progression in the final three bars, the A flat tonality is reestablished.
Measures 76–78
Some critics of this Prelude, such as John Culshaw,[ citation needed ] believe that the relentless, florid nature of the sixteenth-note figures extinguishes any expressive quality of the work. This could only be true for pianists who do not have mastery of clear and proper phrasing (which is abundant and well marked-out by the composer).
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but "spelled", or named differently. The enharmonic spelling of a written note, interval, or chord is an alternative way to write that note, interval, or chord. The term is derived from Latin enharmonicus, from Late Latin enarmonius, from Ancient Greek ἐναρμόνιος (enarmónios), from ἐν (en) and ἁρμονία (harmonía).
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The String Quartet No. 2 is a string quartet in D major written by Alexander Borodin in 1881. It was dedicated to his wife Ekaterina Protopova. Some scholars, such as Borodin's biographer Serge Dianin, suggest that the quartet was a 20th anniversary gift and that it has a program evoking the couple's first meeting in Heidelberg. Of its four movements, the third movement "Notturno" is the most famous.
Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2, is one of the composer's most famous compositions. Part of a set of five piano pieces titled Morceaux de fantaisie, it is a 62-bar prelude in ternary (ABA) form. It is also known as The Bells of Moscow since the introduction seems to reproduce the Kremlin's most solemn carillon chimes.
Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5, is a piece of music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, completed in 1901. It was included in his Opus 23 set of ten preludes, despite having been written two years earlier than the other nine. Rachmaninoff himself premiered the piece in Moscow on February 10, 1903, along with Preludes No. 1 and 2 from Op. 23.
Frédéric Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58, is the last of the composer's piano sonatas. Completed in 1844 and dedicated to Countess Élise de Perthuis, the work is considered to be one of Chopin's most difficult compositions, both technically and musically.
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The Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60, completed by Johannes Brahms in 1875, is scored for piano, violin, viola and cello. It is sometimes called the Werther Quartet after Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther. The premiere took place in Vienna on November 18th 1875 to an anxious public. Richard Wagner and his wife Cosima were in attendance.
Excursions, Op. 20, is the first published solo piano piece by Samuel Barber. Barber himself explains:
These are ‘Excursions’ in small classical forms into regional American idioms. Their rhythmic characteristics, as well as their source in folk material and their scoring, reminiscent of local instruments are easily recognized.
The Prelude in B-Flat Major, Op. 23 No. 2 is a composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff completed and premiered in 1903.
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The Prelude in D major, Op. 23 No. 4 is a 1903 composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is part of Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes, Op. 23.
The Prelude in E-flat Major, Op. 23, No. 6 is a 1903 composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is part of Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes, Op. 23.
The Prelude in C minor, Op. 23, No. 7 is a 1903 composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is part of Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes, Op. 23.
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