Preludes. 2nd Book
DEBUSSY

In 1913, three years after the publication of Preludes I, a new collection of twelve Preludes was published. Longer in length, the pieces in the second collection are more elaborate, in particular with regard to the range for which Debussy decides to use in most cases a notation on three staves. As in the first book of Preludes, the program is not revealed until the end of the play. The cycle ends in brilliant and virtuoso manner with Feux d'artifice, a piece of bravery in the literal sense of the word. The song Les tierces alternées (N ° 11) already prefigures, by its title and its content, the twelve Studies of 1915 (HN 390), the composer's pianistic testament.