The theme reappears in the tonic and in
octaves, and the tension becomes too great; the accumulated
passion discharges and dissolves in a fierce gust of double
chromatic thirds and octaves. Powerful, repellant, this prelude
is almost infernal in its pride and scorn. But in it I discern no
vestige of uncontrolled hysteria. It is well-nigh as strong, rank
and human as Beethoven. The various editorial phraseology is not
of much moment. Riemann uses thirty-second notes for the
cadenzas, Kullak eighths and Klindworth sixteenths.
Niecks writes of the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 45, that it
"deserves its name better than almost any one of the twenty-four;
still I would rather call it improvisata. It seems
unpremeditated, a heedless outpouring, when sitting at the piano
in a lonely, dreary hour, perhaps in the twilight. The quaver
figure rises aspiringly, and the sustained parts swell out
proudly. The piquant cadenza forestalls in the progression of
diminished chords favorite effects of some of our more modern
composers. The modulation from C sharp minor to D major and back
again--after the cadenza--is very striking and equally
beautiful.
Pages:
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252