The Mystery of Chopin's Préludes

Chopin's twenty-four Préludes remain as mysterious today as when they were newly published, raising questions about sources, compositional intention and aesthetic appeal. In this monograph, richly illustrated with musical examples, Anatole Leikin combines historical perspectives, hermeneutic and thematic analyses, and a range of practical implications for performers to explore these questions and illuminate the music of one of the best loved collections of music for the piano.

Anatole Leikin is Professor of Music at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has published in various musicological journals and essay collections worldwide and recorded piano works of Scriabin, Chopin, and Cope. His book The Performing Style of Alexander Scriabin was published by Ashgate. He also serves as an editor for The Complete Chopin - A New Critical Edition.

Contents: Preface; The traditions, the innovations, and the predicaments; Lamartine's Les Préludes: the lyrics and the milieu; The Mallorca factor; Lamartine's Les Préludes and Chopin's Préludes; Deciphering the Préludes; Further thoughts; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.