preludes

A prelude is a short instrumental piece that may function as an introduction to a larger work or stand on its own as a brief, self-contained composition. The word comes from the French preluder, meaning "to play before," itself from Latin prae ludere "to play beforehand." In classical music, preludes have appeared in keyboard suites as introductory movements and in contemporary sets as standalone works.

In the Baroque period, preludes were common openings to suites or as preludes to fugues. In keyboard music, composers such as Bach used the prelude as a flexible, improvisatory-sounding piece that could accompany a larger tonal plan. The Well-Tempered Clavier pairs a prelude with a fugue in each key, illustrating how the form can serve as both preface and independent music. Organ and lute preludes often explore a mood or liturgical function before or alongside other sections.

From the Romantic period onward, preludes increasingly functioned as character pieces. Chopin wrote 24 preludes in Op. 28, each a compact mood or scene; Debussy published Préludes, Book I (1910) and Book II (1913), notable for their evocative titles and programmatic associations. Liszt’s Transcendental Preludes expand the concept to larger-scale, virtuosic works; later composers such as Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff also wrote collections simply titled Preludes.

Beyond keyboard music, the term is used for orchestral or vocal introductions and for opening movements in larger works, as well as for occasional pieces that precede a main work in programs, films, or stage productions. Preludes thus describe both a functional role and a diverse repertoire spanning several centuries.