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Classical Composer: Gershwin, George
Work: 3 Preludes
Year Composed: 1926
Instrumentation:  pf
Publisher: Warner Brothers Publications
Duration: 00:06:00
Period:  20th Century
Work Category:  Instrumental

Work Information

Available Recording(s)

Prelude No. 1 (Allegro ben ritmato e deciso) opens with an attention-grabbing five-note blues motif, which becomes the work's main theme. Its syncopated rhythms and flattened sevenths give it definite jazz overtones.

In three-part form, the Second Prelude (Andante con moto e poco rubato) opens with a melancholic melody above a steady bass line. Here, the harmonies and melodies are built around the blues scale's major/minor duality. After a central section in which a new melody appears in the left hand, the opening section returns and a long-drawn-out rising arpeggio brings the work to an end.

After a brief introduction, the main theme of Prelude No. 3 (Allegro ben ritmato e deciso) makes its entrance: two melodies representing a question and its response. The central section is highly syncopated and is followed by a reappearance of the main theme, this time in octaves.

Writer: Leon Bates

Recording(s) for 3 Preludes:
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