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Late Romantic and Impressionist · prelude

La fille aux cheveux de lin, Préludes I No. 8

Claude Debussy · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A short prelude with a longer gestation. La fille aux cheveux de lin, Préludes I No. 8 is a prelude by Claude Debussy from the Late Romantic and Impressionist era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • prelude
  • Late Romantic and Impressionist
  • dreamy
  • gentle
  • block chords
  • voicing

Also known as CD 125 No. 8; Debussy - La fille aux cheveux de lin; Debussy, Preludes Book I No. 8, La fille aux cheveux de lin; L. 117 No. 8; La fille aux cheveux de lin: Préludes I No. 8; Préludes, Book I, No. 8.

History

La fille aux cheveux de lin belongs to a group of preludes for which a concert-programme account reports sketches from 1907 and 1908, before the book's final writing period. The source does not give one specific sketch year for this piece. The first book appeared in April 1910.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A melody without accompaniment

    The opening D-flat line falls through B-flat and G-flat to E-flat, then rises again. The lower staff is silent. Listen to one gently shaped phrase rather than equally accented notes.

  2. Harmony enters late

    The opening figure continues while the accompaniment waits until the last eighth of the bar. Notice how the late chord changes the colour without interrupting the melody.

  3. The phrase settles

    The melody descends through G-flat, F and E-flat to a longer D-flat. Sustained lower chords support that arrival; let the melody remain the clearest voice.

  4. A quiet continuation

    D-flat stays for two beats before E-flat and G-flat carry the line onward. The supporting chords release before those final notes, leaving more space around the melody.

How to practise it

Connect the opening line before the supporting voices arrive.

  1. Keep tied notes continuous.
  2. Let the supporting voices enter quietly.
  3. Hear the phrase through its shorter notes.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

The proposed intermediate target values a connected upper line and controlled supporting sonority. A restrained character is not evidence that accurate phrase shaping and balance are easy.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Claude Debussy, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
French piano colors
Licence
CC0
Source
musescore.com

More by Claude Debussy

  1. The Little Shepherd, Children's Corner No. 5Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Clair de lune, Suite bergamasque, L. 75Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. La cathédrale engloutie, Préludes I No. 10Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Connect the opening line before the supporting voices arrive.

Practise it in PlayPiano