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Home > Händel, Georg Friedrich > Prelude in E major E-Dur

Händel, Georg Friedrich : Prelude in E major E-Dur HWV 566

Work Overview

Music ID : 74594
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:prelude
Total Playing Time:2 min 10 sec
Copyright:Public Domain

Commentary (1)

Author : Ooi, Kazurou

Last Updated: October 17, 2024
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

This prelude was composed with improvisation as a fundamental premise; thus, the timing can be interpreted with considerable freedom, almost rendering bar lines and time signatures negligible.

Indeed, in the progression of chords, numerous voice-leading prohibitions, typically considered impermissible, are present. Consequently, certain passages are more appropriately interpreted as cadences rather than mere chordal connections. Wide leaps, such as those occurring from bar 9 to bar 10, and from bar 12 to bar 13, appear distinctly anomalous when the voice leading is traced horizontally.

For instance, between bars 12 and 13, two instances of parallel octaves are evident. Hypothetically, these passages could be interpreted not as continuations of a connection, but rather as the commencement of new sections.

Interpreting bar 12 as a cadence in B major (H-dur) and a point of conclusion, and subsequently considering bar 13 as the inception of a new section to be performed improvisationally, might alleviate the perceived incongruity.

Furthermore, it is generally accepted that the treatment of passages involving chordal resolution should differ from those incorporating non-harmonic tones. For instance, in bar 7, the chord A C# E G# B features a bass A that is part of the subsequent chord in bar 8. This premature entry of the A is considered a non-harmonic tone, specifically an anticipation. Consequently, the tension is elevated, and as it resolves in the subsequent bar 8, a nuanced approach is required, such as performing bar 8 with less intensity than bar 7.

Writer: Ooi, Kazurou
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