Description
The ten preludes of Op. 23 were written between 1901 and 1903. They come from the period when Rachmaninoff, who had withdrawn from composition after the disastrous 1897 premiere of his First Symphony, was recovering — the years that also produced the Second Piano Concerto. The set is dedicated to Alexander Siloti, his cousin and teacher.
In F-sharp minor and common time, marked Largo, the collection opens with this heavy, sunken piece. Broken chords rock continuously in the left hand's low register while fragments of melody drift above them. The dynamic stays subdued and only the harmony slowly changes colour; no climax ever arrives before the piece closes.
An advanced prelude. There is almost nothing fast in it, but it demands a balance that keeps the left-hand arpeggios even as accompaniment without letting the right-hand melody sink. Change the pedal at every harmonic shift: with a bass this thick, the smallest residue clouds the sound.
A collection of preludes not tied to a specific set, featuring short, evocative works by composers from Bach to more modern voices.
Browse all songs in Preludes →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer and pianist who represents the late Romantic era, later emigrating to Europe and the United States after the Russian Revolution. His music is marked by lush melody, dense harmony, and sonorities evoking Russian church bells, with his Piano Concerto No. 2 among his best-known works. His many Preludes are also cherished masterworks. This site includes nine of the Preludes from Op. 23 along with the C-sharp minor Prelude, Op. 3 No. 2, that made his name.
View all works by Rachmaninoff →