Bela Hartmann
CHRISTMAS PRELUDES for piano
Goodmusic GM572
Three preludes on Christmas tunes for advanced pianists.
Prelude on "Macht hoch die Tur"
Prelude on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen"
Prelude on "A Sussex Carol"
The practice of using pre-existing melodies as the basis for new compositions can be traced to the dawn of European art music - indeed, in some ways it lay at the heart of the development of polyphony in the days of plainsong. J.S.Bach became the pre-eminent master of composing organ or orchestral and choral music around such chorales, sometimes supporting them within a sympathetic musical context, sometimes hiding them or placing them in a setting not obviously compatible with them. A celebrated instance of this would be the final number of the Christmas Oratorio, where a joyous and lively setting surrounds the melody more commonly known as the Passion Chorale, a musical depiction of Jesus's suffering. More conventional settings might include "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire) and "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (Sleepers awake). These modest Preludes of mine aim to follow those celebrated examples by immersing some well-loved Christmas hymns within sympathetic surroundings.
To the player it will be important to find the best balance between the principal melody and the textures around it. Following the baroque example I have kept performance indications to a minimum, leaving many decisions to the judgement of the performer. The distribution of the voices between the hands is also at the performer's discretion, the notation is chosen for its clarity rather than as an instruction. Bela Hartmann
Duration 7½ minutes
Prelude on "Macht hoch die Tur"
Prelude on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen"
Prelude on "A Sussex Carol"
The practice of using pre-existing melodies as the basis for new compositions can be traced to the dawn of European art music - indeed, in some ways it lay at the heart of the development of polyphony in the days of plainsong. J.S.Bach became the pre-eminent master of composing organ or orchestral and choral music around such chorales, sometimes supporting them within a sympathetic musical context, sometimes hiding them or placing them in a setting not obviously compatible with them. A celebrated instance of this would be the final number of the Christmas Oratorio, where a joyous and lively setting surrounds the melody more commonly known as the Passion Chorale, a musical depiction of Jesus's suffering. More conventional settings might include "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire) and "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (Sleepers awake). These modest Preludes of mine aim to follow those celebrated examples by immersing some well-loved Christmas hymns within sympathetic surroundings.
To the player it will be important to find the best balance between the principal melody and the textures around it. Following the baroque example I have kept performance indications to a minimum, leaving many decisions to the judgement of the performer. The distribution of the voices between the hands is also at the performer's discretion, the notation is chosen for its clarity rather than as an instruction. Bela Hartmann
Duration 7½ minutes
