Complete Preludes, Books 1 and 2 (Dover Music for Piano) [Paperback]

Claude Debussy (Author), Classical Piano Sheet Music (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Music for Piano | Publication Date: April 1, 1989

These 24 works reveal Debussy's genius: "La Cathedrale engloutie," "Ondine," "La fille aux cheveux de lin," "Feuilles mortes," "Ce qu'a vu le Vent d'Ouest," many more. Glossary of French terms.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (April 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486259706
• ISBN-13: 978-0486259703
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Debussy
  • #2 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Modern & 20th Century
  • #19 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Opera

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential pieces for piano mastery, October 20, 2002

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Complete Preludes, Books 1 and 2 (Dover Music for Piano) (Paperback)

This is one of those sets that I think, if I were stranded on a desert island with a Steinway (and a good piano tuner), I could delve into for years with little other music.
These short pieces are excellent for sight-reading difficult passages with many key changes and unexpected accidentals, for intricate harmony and for expression of mood. The names are evocative of feelings and sights, such as an underwater cathedral, bells in the evening air, wind through heather and the like.

Though short pieces of a few pages, each provides a particular challenge to the piano student, as well as being appropriate for concert encores or intimate playing.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good for reading, bad for playing, December 9, 2003

By 

Davey Jay "Davey" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Preludes, Books 1 and 2 (Dover Music for Piano) (Paperback)

This is an affordable book that is fine for following along while listening to the music being played by someone else, but very frustrating to play from for oneself. The book does not open flat on a piano stand, and keeps falling when the pages are turned. It needs constant propping up by other books, which interrupts passages that have not been memorized (especially for non-professional pianists like me with a poor memory). The Schirmer editions are a bit better in this regard, and the Peters and Kalmus editions open even more flatly than the Schirmer volumes. I will not buy a Dover piano book again for playing -- only if I intend merely to follow a score while listening. Dover editions are cheap compared with those published by other companies, but you get what you pay for.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Composer, Great Value, August 2, 2003

By 

Alan Beggerow (Sterling, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Complete Preludes, Books 1 and 2 (Dover Music for Piano) (Paperback)

The Preludes of Debussy are from a different planet. The sounds that he got from the piano are still like no other composer, even after over 100 years since their composition. Dover yet again has printed a most economical edition that is very affordable for the pianist that would like to delve into these gems. Recommended!