Prelude

Prelude – a short piece of music that does not have a strict form. During the birth of the prelude, always preceded the longer, more complex and strictly designed work (hence the name), but later composers began to write preludes and as independent works. Ostinato is often found in preludes, in general, preludes are similar to improvisation in style.
Prelude is an old genre and at the same time unusually sensitive to the latest requirements of the time, allowing many author decisions and interpretations. Its fate is unusual: having arisen in the XV century, the very word “prelude” repeatedly changed its meaning. Initially, a small instrumental introduction to a composition was sometimes indicated, sometimes written in advance, but most often improvised directly during the performance. Continue reading →