Debussy: Two Piano Preludes from Book 1 - Nos.VI Des pas sur la neige/XII Minstrels - symphonic wind (arr. Ray Thompson) by Claude Debussy Sheet Music for Performance Ensemble at Sheet Music Direct

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Two Piano Preludes from Book 1 - Nos.VI Des pas sur la neige/XII Minstrels

Two preludes from Bk 1 arranged symphonic winds: double wind quintet with contra bass and opt. trumpet and trombone.

No 6 Des pas sur la neige (Footsteps in the Snow)

The piece is one of four Debussy preludes in both books whose title origins are unknown. It has been suggested that the inspiration for the title could have stemmed from a painting depicting a snowy landscape. This was an extremely popular backdrop among Impressionist artist like Claude Monet or Alfred Sisley; the latter painted Snow at Louveciennes.

No 12 Minstrels

This is the final prelude of Book One.

Debussy delivers a surprising and humorous gem that is a tribute to the performing minstrel groups which started to appear in Europe around 1900.

The music of the minstrels included many contemporary jazz elements such as ragtime and blues, rhythms which were incorporated into the music of quite a few fascinated European composers.
This prelude cleverly captures the frenzy of the quick-change minstrel act and their rhythmic excitement, opening with a banjo-like theme supported by uncharacteristically blatant dominant to tonic pedals in G Major.
We also hear a brief sentimental song and a recurrent drum theme before the prelude comes to a satisfying close with a hymn- like plagal cadence.

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