Prelude No.16

Hello there!

Here is the latest installment of preludes, no.16. This one deals with a lot of two voice counterpoint and a relentless ramble on one theme.

As a personal side note, these have been a lot of fun to write, and it's been great simultaneously writing a bunch at once. I had a sporadic burst of ideas when I started this one, and it lead to a lot of spread out writing. I guess what I'm SAYIN' is... more to come! :D

Thanks for listening and reading... any comments of any kind are welcome!

P.S. some of those tempo markings are to mimic rubato, dunno I suck as an editor

Prelude No 16 - Score.pdf

Hallo @Thatguy v2.0,

this prelude is a piece I very loved and I wish I had composed it! 😀

It opens with a subject that – at the first glance – seems to be Baroque-like but introduces strong chromaticism in its second half, so that in mm. 5, when the second voice enters, it reminds me of Bach’s B minor fugue from the WTC I (BWV 869b).

But now, in mm. 9, comes the surprise. The mood changes to a more „romantic“ feeling with the arpeggios. And that unexpected change now reminds me at numerous preludes (or fugues) from Shostakovich’s op. 87.

I didn’t make an in-depth analysis, but I can see how you have constantly took benefit from using the initial thematic material, which for me emphasizes the effectiveness of counterpuntal technique. Even if I did not recognize more complete entries of the initial subject, I have the feeling that motifs from it recur, even sometimes in augmentation.

I enjoyed your effort on articulation, including the pedalling and the rubato, and also the key signature change to Bb minor (or is it Db major?).

All in all, a piece very much to my taste. Full of counterpoint, but not in the “Neo-Baroque” style, rather with contemporary harmonies and dissonances and a slight touch of Romanticism!

By the way, I’m very curious to know how you’re organizing your preludes (since this is No. 16). Is it a complete cycle based on 16 of the 24 keys? I’m really looking forward to hearing more of them—and have I perhaps already missed one?

Hey there Weiland!

Thanks for checking this out, it always means a lot to hear great feedback.

On 4/17/2026 at 4:44 PM, Wieland Handke said:

this prelude is a piece I very loved and I wish I had composed it!

❤️

On 4/17/2026 at 4:44 PM, Wieland Handke said:

All in all, a piece very much to my taste. Full of counterpoint, but not in the “Neo-Baroque” style, rather with contemporary harmonies and dissonances and a slight touch of Romanticism!

By the way, I’m very curious to know how you’re organizing your preludes (since this is No. 16). Is it a complete cycle based on 16 of the 24 keys? I’m really looking forward to hearing more of them—and have I perhaps already missed one?

Thank you, friend. I'm acutely aware of the style of each of these preludes, as I'm constantly thinking about the overall feel with each one, wanting them to possess their own unique character. One of my weaknesses as a composer has been counterpoint, or at least using it in the foreground versus just thinking about it with melody and harmony. I've posted the previous preludes on the forum (check the topics tab in my profile, I'm lucky enough to have @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu give his interpretations), and a style they lack was one that focused on a more contrapuntal foundation. Personal challenge accepted. 😄 I'll also say that it makes me bashful to hear you enjoyed the counterpoint, as your talent with it is drenched in the music I've heard of yours.

I wrote the first twelve a few years ago, with the intention of having each one focused on a different tonal center. The scales and approaches used varied a ton, at least that was the intention. There's blues, Chopinesque ones, soliloquys, video game character adaptations, etc. These next twelve started differently. I'm varying the tone centers, but maybe I repeat some here and there. Not sure yet, but the restriction this time is I'm limited to the 61 keys on the keyboard I'm using to brainstorm and workout things.

Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts, it means a lot!