Description
Quintuplets run without pause through the right hand of the busiest of the Five Preludes, Op. 16, from 1894-95. Placed after the quiet first prelude, it gives the group of five its contour.
In G-sharp minor and 2/4, it lasts barely a minute. The left hand sketches the frame with long held notes and short decorations, playing fewer notes than the right and keeping strictly to support. The minor shadow is dark, but the tempo is quick and leaves no room to sink into sentiment.
Evenness in those quintuplets is the problem. Divide the five notes as four-plus-one and the floating quality goes. Fix the points where the left hand falls as the pivots of the beat and pour five equal notes between them. The piece is short, so finishing it section by section and then joining them is the quickest way in.
Preludes by Scriabin, tracing a path from early Chopin influence toward his own distinctive mystical style.
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Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)
Alexander Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist from Moscow known for developing a highly personal musical world tied to mystical philosophy. His early works show the lyrical influence of Chopin, but he gradually moved away from traditional tonality toward his own distinctive harmonic system. This site includes 8 of his works, including an early etude and preludes from Op. 11 and Op. 16.
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