View source for 24 Preludes, Op. 11 (Scriabin)

{{listen|type=music|header='''Préludes Opus 11'''
|filename=Skrjabin op 11 1.ogg|title=No. 1 in C major – Vivace|description=Played by Scriabin in 1910 for [[Welte-Mignon|Welte-Mignon player piano]] (1:46)
|filename2=Skrjabin op 11 2.ogg|title2=No. 2 in A minor – Allegretto|description2=Played by Scriabin in 1910 for Welte-Mignon player piano (1:47)
|filename3=Scriabin.11.04.sarefo.ogg|title3=No. 4 in E minor – Lento|description3=Played on Bösendorfer 290 (1:42)
|filename4=Scriabin.11.06.sarefo.ogg|title4=No. 6 in B minor – Allegro|description4=Played on Bösendorfer 290 (0:58)
|filename5=Skrjabin Prélude Opus 11 Nr 9 E-Dur Andantino.ogg|title5=No. 9 in E major – Andantino|description5=Performed by Axel Lange (1:31)
|filename6=Skrjabin Prélude Opus 11 Nr 10 cis-Moll Andante.ogg|title6=No. 10 in C-sharp minor – Andante|description6=Performed by Axel Lange (1:26)}}
[[Alexander Scriabin]]'s '''24 Preludes, Op. 11''' is a set of [[Prelude (music)|preludes]] composed in the course of eight years between 1888–96,<ref group="n">Scriabin did not write the 24 preludes chronologically, but instead in different places over the course of eight years. Prelude No. 4 was written in Moscow in 1888, followed by No. 6 in 1889 in Kiev. No. 10 was written in 1893–4 in Moscow, and No. 14 in 1895 in Dresden. Nos. 3, 19, 24 in 1895 in Heidelberg, and Nos. 12, 17, 18 and 23 also in 1895 in Witznau. No. 5 was written in 1896 in Amsterdam, Nos. 8 and 22 also in 1896 in Paris, while Nos. 1, 2, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 20 and 21 were written that same year in Moscow.</ref><ref name=Hwa-Young>{{cite book|last=Hwa-Young|first=Lee|title=Tradition and Innovation in the Twenty-Four Preludes, Opus 11, of Alexander Scriabin|year=2006|publisher=University of Texas|url=http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/2563/leed28789.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|9}} being also one of Scriabin's first published works with [[Mitrofan Belyayev|M.P. Belaieff]] in 1897,<ref group="n">Belyayev divided the preludes into four parts of six preludes each.</ref><ref name=Hwa-Young/> in [[Leipzig]], [[Germany]], together with his 12 Études, Op. 8 (1894–95).
Scriabin entered a wager with his friend, M.P. Belaieff that by April 1896 he could compose a cycle of forty-eight preludes twice traversing the major and minor keys. Although he had already completed forty-six of the pieces he distanced himself from this project and divided the preludes over several volumes and opus numbers (op. 11, 13, 15, 16 and 17).
Only opus 11, with its strict adherence to the circle of fifths to encompass each major and minor key, bears a resemblance to his original idea. Quite apart from the spiritual kinship with Chopin's art apparent in Scriabin's early music, both cycles are similar in construction, with the pieces arranged in parallel major and minor keys following the circle of fifths. However, Scriabin himself never mentioned a conscious attempt to imitate Chopin's set of preludes, and by this time he had put aside his early enthusiasm for the Polish composer's music.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rubcova |first=Valentina |title=24 Preludes Opus 11 |publisher=G. Henle Verlag |year=2006 |isbn=}}</ref>
==Structural analysis==
Scriabin's 24 preludes were modeled after [[Frédéric Chopin]]'s own set of [[Preludes (Chopin)#24 Preludes, Op. 28|24 Preludes, Op. 28]]: They also covered [[music written in all major and/or minor keys|all 24 major and minor keys]] and they follow the same key sequence: C major, A minor, G major, E minor, D major, B minor and so on, alternating major keys with their relative minors, and following the ascending [[circle of fifths]].
It is considered an outstanding set among Scriabin's early works, with easy-to-difficult numbers, among them No. 2 in A minor, No. 3 in G major, No. 6 in B minor, No. 8 in F{{music|sharp}} minor, No. 14 in E{{music|flat}} minor, No. 15 in D{{music|flat}} major, No. 16 in B{{music|flat}} minor, No. 18 in F minor, and No. 24 in D minor.<ref name="Friskin-Freundlich">{{cite book| last1=Friskin |first1=James |authorlink1=James Friskin |last2=Freundlich |first2=Irwin |authorlink2=Irwin Freundlich |title=Music for the Piano: A Handbook of Concert and Teaching Material from 1580 to 1952|year=1954|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|isbn=0486229181|pages=241|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=humFNAE595QC&q=scriabin+prelude+in+b+major+op.+11+no.+11&pg=PA241}}</ref>
==Tempo markings==
{{colbegin|colwidth=}}
*No. 1 in C major – Vivace
*No. 2 in A minor – Allegretto
*No. 3 in G major – Vivo
*[[Prelude in E minor, Op. 11, No. 4 (Scriabin)|No. 4 in E minor]] – Lento
*No. 5 in D major – Andante cantabile
*No. 6 in B minor – Allegro
*No. 7 in A major – Allegro assai
*No. 8 in F{{music|sharp}} minor – Allegro agitato
*[[Prelude in E major, Op. 11, No. 9 (Scriabin)|No. 9 in E major]] – Andantino
*[[Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 11, No. 10 (Scriabin)|No. 10 in C{{music|sharp}} minor]] – Andante
*No. 11 in B major – Allegro assai
*No. 12 in G{{music|sharp}} minor – Andante
*No. 13 in G{{music|flat}} major – Lento
*No. 14 in E{{music|flat}} minor – Presto
*No. 15 in D{{music|flat}} major – Lento
*No. 16 in B{{music|flat}} minor – Misterioso
*No. 17 in A{{music|flat}} major – Allegretto
*No. 18 in F minor – Allegro agitato
*No. 19 in E{{music|flat}} major – Affettuoso
*No. 20 in C minor – Appassionato
*No. 21 in B{{music|flat}} major – Andante
*No. 22 in G minor – Lento
*No. 23 in F major – Vivo
*No. 24 in D minor – Presto
{{colend}}
==Prelude in C major, Op. 11, No. 1==
[[Alexander Scriabin]]'s '''Prelude in C major, Op. 11, No. 1''', was composed in November 1895 in [[Moscow]].<ref name=Hwa-Young/>{{rp|9}} Here Scriabin's virtuosic [[sustain pedal]]ing assembles [[Tone cluster|clusters]] of up to seven different [[diatonic]] notes in an exquisite sonority that Scriabin himself used to describe as a "psychic shift".<ref name=Leikin>{{cite book|last=Leikin|first=Anatole|title=The Performing Style of Alexander Scriabin|year=2011|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0754660217|pages=35–54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6wodWg1phswC&q=scriabin+prelude+in+b+major+op.+11+no.+11&pg=PA35}}</ref>
The whole melody of this prelude consists of 240 [[Eighth note|eighth-notes]],<ref name=Leikin/>  being the opening chord of this piece C&ndash;D&ndash;E&ndash;F&ndash;G&ndash;A, with the C-major [[Tonic (music)|tonic]] in the bass.<ref name=Leikin/> The time value for each eighth note changes whenever the [[tempo]] flexes, as can be noticed in the second group of notes in the 2nd [[Bar (music)|bar]], which measures less than half the tempo of the second group in the 14th bar.<ref name=Leikin/> This piece has 26 bars and takes about one minute to be played with a ''[[Tempo#Basic tempo markings|Vivace]]'' tempo marking.
==Prelude in E minor, Op. 11, No. 4==
Scriabin's '''Prelude in [[Key signature names and translations|E]] minor, Op. 11, No. 4''', composed in [[Moscow]] in 1888, was the first of the 24 preludes, Op. 11 written by Scriabin.<ref name=Hwa-Young/>{{rp|8}} Intended originally as a [[ballade (classical music)|ballade]],<ref name="Rudakova-Kandinskiĭ">{{cite book|last=Evgeniia Nikolaevna Rudakova, A. I. Kandinskiĭ|title=Scriabin|year=1984|publisher=Paganiniana Publications|pages=48|isbn=9780866220064|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E5IZAQAAIAAJ&q=Ballad* |oclc=11735082}}</ref> the piece was reworked to its present form and entitled [[Prelude (music)|Prelude]].<ref name=Hinson>{{cite book|last=Hinson|first=Maurice|title=Anthology of Romantic Piano Music with Performance Practices in Romantic Piano Music: Book & DVD|year=2003|publisher=Alfred Music Publishing|isbn=0739032879|pages=16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xxZIES8ZJioC&q=Fantasie+in+B+Minor%2C+Op.+28+scriabin+who+wrote+that&pg=PA16}}</ref> Despite the fact that both hands have beautiful melodies indicated with [[tenuto]]s in [[bar (music)|bar]]s 1&ndash;3&ndash;9&ndash;11, and the [[alto]] voice in the 16, the one for the left hand seems to take the credit as the most beautiful between the two.<ref name=Hinson/> Tenths arpeggiated in bars 20&ndash;23 lead to the top note of the chord to fall on the beat.<ref name=Hinson/>
This composition's structural form is [[Musical form#Sectional form|A]] (bars 1&ndash;8), A repeated (9&ndash;14), [[bridge (music)|bridge]] (15&ndash;19), and [[Coda (music)|coda]] (20&ndash;24),<ref name=Hinson/> being that the second phrase repeats the first a fourth lower.<ref name=Adamenko>{{cite book|last=Adamenko|first=Victoria|title=Neo-Mythologism in Music: From Scriabin And Schoenberg to Schnittke And Crumb|year=2007|publisher=Pendragon Press|isbn=978-1576471258|pages=54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5yDogaxJuZwC&q=%22Prelude+Op.+11+No.+4%22+analysis+scriabin&pg=PA54}}</ref> It is 24 bars long with a ''[[Tempo#Basic tempo markings|Lento]]'' tempo marking, and it takes about two minutes to be played.
==Prelude in E major, Op. 11, No. 9==
Scriabin's '''Prelude in [[E major]], Op. 11, No. 9''', is 36 bars long and takes almost a minute and a half to perform, being played at an ''[[Andantino (music)|Andantino]]'' pace. Despite its key, the left hand voice often plays [[C-sharp minor|C{{music|sharp}} minor]] passages, while the right hand plays relatively consistently within the bounds of E major, giving the piece a unique tone colour.
The piece begins with a gentle left hand melody in C{{music|sharp}} minor accompanied by distinctly major right hand [[block chord]]s. The frequent [[major ninth]]s and [[major seventh]]s contribute luxurious tone colour of the piece. In the eighth bar, a [[chromatic scale]] rises back up to the C{{music|sharp}} to repeat the first four bars of the initial melody. This time, a [[Triplet (music)|triplet]] with a dotted rhythm is employed as an additional [[counterpoint]] in the right hand.
In the thirteenth bar, we see further development of the melody, using sweeping but short [[crescendo]]s and [[decrescendo]]s. The next four bars act as a bridge to the second section at bar 17, where a soaring tenor melody is accompanied by luscious harmonies in the right hand. This section continues until the 30th bar, when an A-major chord is played but then, when the [[Sustain pedal|pedal]] lifts, only the third C{{music|sharp}} is heard, and the initial melody is repeated, using the right hand harmony from the ninth bar. The piece ends with three block chords, in a very powerful [[Half cadence|dominant cadence]], with the concluding E-major chord, [[Arpeggio|arpeggiated]].
One of the critically acclaimed performances of this piece is that of [[Mikhail Pletnev]] on his disc ''Scriabin: 24 Preludes/Sonatas 4 & 10''.
==Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 11, No. 10==
Scriabin's '''Prelude in [[C-sharp minor|C{{music|sharp}} minor]], Op. 11, No. 10''', is 20 bars long and takes under a minute-and-a-half to be played. It is marked at ''[[Andante (tempo)|Andante]]''. It has two sections of mysterious [[major seventh]] intervals and [[tritone]] harmonies, split up by a lyrical [[E major]] section. Like many of Scriabin's slower pieces, it is played very [[rubato]].
The first section is, as mentioned, very mysterious, as Scriabin employs many tritones and seventh intervals which do not fall into the key of C{{music|sharp}} minor. The first 8 bars feature modulations to D{{music|sharp}} minor and F{{music|sharp}} minor. The ninth bar, marked ''con anima'', introduces an E major melody using more conventional harmonies, but the piece only delves yet again deeper into the depths of the mystery four bars later. Here, marked ''[[fortississimo]]'', the initial melody comes out in full force using the broad [[tessitura]] scope of the piano.
At the seventeenth bar, the piece calms to quiet [[block chord]]s of F{{music|sharp}} minor, C{{music|sharp}} minor-7, and B major-9 (without the bass B), finally resolving to an [[Arpeggio|arpeggiated]] final C{{music|sharp}}-minor chord, reminiscent of the ninth prelude immediately preceding this one. This shows Scriabin's ability to find commonality in his most diverse works.
One of the critically acclaimed performances of this piece is that of [[Mikhail Pletnev]] on his disc Scriabin: 24 Preludes/Sonatas 4 & 10. Another is the 1956 recording by [[Vladimir Horowitz]] found the RCA/Victor issue "Horowitz Plays Scriabin."
==Notes==
<references group="n"/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{IMSLP2|work=24_Preludes%2C_Op.11_(Scriabin%2C_Alexander)|cname=Preludes Op. 11 (Scriabin)}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypxCy9NqsJo Scriabin - Prelude Op.11 No.4] performed by [[Evgeny Zarafiants]] on [[YouTube]]
*[https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~craig/keyscape/scriabin/index.html Scriabin Prelude, Op. 11, No. 4 in E Minor] Keyscape analysis on Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at [[Stanford University]]
{{Alexander Scriabin}}
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[[Category:Preludes by Alexander Scriabin]]
[[Category:1896 compositions]]
[[Category:Compositions covering all major and/or minor keys|Scriabin]]