Brouillards ("Mists" or "Fog") is the first prelude of
Claude Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
's
second set of preludes. It can be considered as the most harmonically complex of the entire series of preludes, hinting at
polytonality Polytonality (also polyharmony) is the musical use of more than one key simultaneously. Bitonality is the use of only two different keys at the same time. Polyvalence or polyvalency is the use of more than one harmonic function, from the same key, a ...
. The left hand mainly employs the
C diatonic collection
In music theory, a diatonic scale is any heptatonic scale that includes five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps, ...
,
modulating
In music, modulation is the change from one tonality ( tonic, or tonal center) to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature (a key change). Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as ...
shortly in the second theme and reverting in the
coda
Coda or CODA may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* Movie coda, a post-credits scene
* ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television
*''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...
, while the right hand uses the
A-flat minor
A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A♭ (musical note), A, consisting of the pitches A, B♭ (musical note), B, C♭ (musical note), C, D♭ (musical note), D, E♭ (musical note), E, F♭ (musical note), F, and G♭ (musical note), G. Its key ...
diatonic collection on
E-flat, like the left hand modulating briefly before returning.
[''The Piano Works of Claude Debussy'' by Elie Robert Schmitz]
References
Preludes by Claude Debussy
1913 compositions
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