Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 11, No. 10 (Scriabin)

Alexander Scriabin's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 11, No. 10, is 20 bars long and takes under a minute and a half to be played. It is marked at Andante. It has two sections of mysterious major seventh intervals and tritone harmonies, split up by a lyrical E major section. Like many of Scriabin's slower pieces, it is played very rubato. This Prelude, together with No. 9 in E major, can be played as neo-romantic, impressionistic, and twentieth-century repertoire in a Royal Conservatory of Music grade nine exam.

Structural analysis

The first section is, as mentioned, very mysterious, as Scriabin employs many tritones and seventh intervals which do not fall into the key of C♯ minor. The first 8 bars feature modulations to D-sharp minor and F♯ minor. The ninth bar, marked con anima, introduces an E major melody using more conventional harmonies, but the piece only delves yet again deeper into the depths of the mystery four bars later. Here, marked fortississimo, the initial melody comes out in full force using the broad tessitura scope of the piano. At the seventeenth bar, the piece calms to quiet block chords of F♯ minor, C♯ minor-7, and B major-9 (without the bass B), finally resolving to an arpeggiated final C♯ minor chord, reminiscent of the ninth prelude immediately preceding this one. This shows Scriabin's ability to find commonality in his most diverse works.

Recordings

One of the critically acclaimed performances of this piece is that of Mikhail Pletnev on his disc Scriabin: 24 Preludes/Sonatas 4 & 10. Another is the 1956 recording by Vladimir Horowitz found the RCA/Victor issue "Horowitz Plays Scriabin."

External links

• Preludes Op. 11 (Scriabin): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Alexander Scriabin
Orchestral works	Rêverie Symphony No. 1 in E major Symphony No. 2 in C minor Symphony No. 3 in C minor (The Divine Poem) The Poem of Ecstasy Prometheus: The Poem of Fire Mysterium
Concerto	Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor
Piano music	Sonatas No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 Études Étude in C-sharp minor Étude in D-sharp minor Preludes Prelude in C major Prelude in E minor Prelude in E major Prelude in C-sharp minor Prelude in F major Prelude in A minor Prelude Op. 59 No. 2 Prelude, Op. 74, No. 2 Other Fantaisie in B minor Nocturne in A-flat Sonata-Fantaisie in G-sharp minor Vers la flamme
Named for Scriabin	ANS synthesizer
Related articles	List of compositions Accarezzevole Color organ Julian Scriabin Mystic chord Russian symbolism Synesthesia in art Theosophy Unified field
Portal:Classical music