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Late Romantic and Impressionist · prelude

Prelude in C major, Op. 11 No. 1

Alexander Scriabin · Level 7, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

Prelude in C major, Op. 11 No. 1 is a prelude by Alexander Scriabin from the Late Romantic and Impressionist era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 7, an estimate.

On this page
  • prelude
  • Late Romantic and Impressionist
  • Key of C major
  • joyful

Also known as 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 1 in C major.

History

A wager with Scriabin's publisher called for forty-eight preludes, but he divided the project between several opus numbers instead. Op. 11 kept the complete journey through the keys. Nicholls dates its opening prelude to Moscow, November 1893; Rubcova records the cycle's publication on 25 February 1897.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. Offset cells flow across the written grouping

    Five-note upper and lower figures overlap from the scaled pickup. Hear their continuous motion rather than accenting every source boundary.

  2. A recall reaches higher responses

    Opening-related figures return and expand higher. Listen for the familiar contour through the new register.

  3. Octaves broaden the opening recall

    The later return thickens the figure into octaves and heavier lower chords. Compare its fuller sound with the first flowing entry.

  4. Lower motion contracts into chords and rests

    The closing movement shifts lower before a shortened final unit. Hear its release without assuming every reference unit has equal duration.

How to practise it

Contrary register movement at the opening; wide leap into an upper arch.

  1. Learn each five-note contour separately, then hear the opposing directions together at a comfortable pace.
  2. Practise the 62-to-74 preparation, then connect the upper rise and fall without rushing the peak.

How hard is it

Level 7, estimated

The flowing broken-chord texture uses five-note duration scaling, displaced grouping and register changes. A stable larger pulse and clear phrase direction are needed even when the small-note patterns cross written boundaries.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Alexander Scriabin, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
The prelude gallery
Licence
Public Domain
Source
mutopiaproject.org

More by Alexander Scriabin

  1. Prelude in E-flat minor, Op. 16 No. 4 (Lento)Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 2 No. 1Level 6, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Two Pieces, Op. 59: No. 2, PreludeLevel 7, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Contrary register movement at the opening; wide leap into an upper arch.

Practise it in PlayPiano