Prelude XIII in F sharp/G flat major

My dear fellow composers, (exactly) a half year ago I presented my Fugue XIII in G flat/F sharp major.

Today is the right moment to post the corresponding prelude: The prelude againPraeludium-XIII-F-sharp-major-with-coversheet.pdf has the Ukrainian national anthem as its central thematic background (as it also appears in the fugue as additional „subject“, and – as a reference to the date - today is the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence).

Here in the prelude, however, the anthem appears in the lightest key of F sharp major with an optimistic character, light and playful in 3/8 time.

Some words about the structure or form of the piece:

00:00 (mm. 1-22)

Exposition of the „summer“ theme: A joyful, exuberant and perhaps dance-like theme, with accentuated rhythms and chords, although being composed as five-part voice leading.

01:01 (mm. 23-50)

The texture and rhythm of the „summer“ theme is continued, but somewhat more restrained in terms of dynamics. The second verse of the anthem is played in the upper voice.

01:43 (mm. 51-75)

The key signature changes to G-flat major, initially creating a peaceful atmosphere, much like that of a playground. However, this tranquility is suddenly disrupted by dissonances and tritone steps in the bass, symbolizing the horrors of war.

02:23 (mm. 76-94)

The fugue subject (“dona nobis pacem”) appears four times (tenor, mm. 76-79; bass, mm. 81-84; soprano, mm. 86-89 and alto, mm. 91-94), symbolizing hope and leading back to the key signature with sharps.

02:52 (mm. 95-114)

Recapitulation of the „summer“ theme, now in pianissimo and in the key of D sharp minor.

03:31 (mm. 115-140)

The repetition finally leads to the triumphant finale in the coda: The third verse of the anthem is sung, ending with a bright F sharp major chord after a minor plagal cadence, expressing confidence.

I hope, you'll enjoy it. Wieland

Hello,

What a wonderful piece. Obviously it's going to be a patriotic piece of music. I am assuming that you are Ukrainian and therefore, I am wishing your peoples the the very best during this very difficult situation for your country.

I am not too knowledgeable on fugues, so I can't speak to the counter point. I had a listen to the Ukrainian national anthem and I can clearly hear the inspiration behind your piece. I have some minor degree of interest in listening to different anthems in the world. Most anthems are a bit more bombastic and simple. I think you've taken something more simple and really made it something more, while retaining the original spirit of the theme!

Your explanations at the time stamps are very helpful. Overall the piece sounds very intricate to me. The sheet music is absolutely beautiful, you must have put a lot of effort into it!

at 2:47, there is a moment which reminded me of schubert...so much so that I just had to look it up. I believe that the notes are very similar (schubert repeats the E 3x, you repeat it 2x) @ 0:24 of the below youtube video:

Love the tremolo ending!

Bravo!