Description
The fifth prelude closes the Op. 16 set. Written in 1894-95 and lasting around thirty-five seconds, it is the shortest piece in the group; placed after the dark fourth prelude, its job is to end the five on the bright side.
In F-sharp major and 3/8. In a key of six sharps the melody moves almost entirely on the black keys. Figures turn lightly over the short meter, and the piece ends wearing the same expression it began with, having developed nothing. The prelude as a form is used here simply as a vessel for presenting one mood.
A beginner-level piece — few notes, quickly over, and a good first encounter with Scriabin. Feeling each bar of 3/8 as a single beat is what gives it flow. The run of black keys makes for unusual spacing between the fingers, but once the hand shape is set it is if anything easier to play, and sometimes steadier than a piece on the white keys.
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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