prelude

A prelude is a short introductory piece that originally served to prepare the listener (and the performer's fingers) for a larger work. Bach paired preludes with fugues in The Well-Tempered Clavier, establishing the prelude-and-fugue as a standard pairing. By the Romantic era, the prelude had become an independent genre. Chopin's 24 Preludes, one in each major and minor key, are self-contained miniatures of extraordinary range and depth. Debussy later wrote two books of preludes that pushed the form further, each with an evocative title. The prelude's freedom from strict formal requirements made it a natural vehicle for musical experimentation.