Preluding

Preluding is the act or practice of performing or composing preludes. In music, a prelude is a relatively short instrumental piece that may serve as an introduction to a larger work such as a fugue, suite, or opera, or may stand alone as a miniature in its own right. The term derives from the Latin praeludere, via the French prélude and Italian preludio, meaning to play before or to precede.

Historically, preludes have served varied functions. In Baroque keyboard music, preludes often introduce a cycle of pieces, such as the well-known preludes and fugues that accompany a fugue in Bach’s works, while also functioning as independent, exploratory pieces. In later periods, composers expanded the form beyond mere introductions, producing collections of self-contained miniatures. Notable examples include Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 28; Debussy’s Préludes; and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 24 Preludes, Op. 23 and Op. 32.

Performance practice of preluding can emphasize improvisational aspects, especially in early music or in teaching contexts where pianists use preludes to explore key, texture, and mood before tackling larger works. In this sense, preluding encompasses both the traditional function of an opening piece and the broader creative impulse to experiment with musical material in a compact form.

Outside music, the term prelude is used to describe introductory passages or scenes in broader artistic contexts, though the noun form is far more common than the verb. Overall, preluding denotes the act of presenting or composing preludes, whether as preludial introductions or as autonomous musical miniatures.