The First Minstrel (measures 1 to 8)

The first minstrel seems to walk with difficulty; we will call him the clumsy. Measures 1 to 4 - described by the composer as nervous and humorous - use a simple tonic and dominant harmony.

• The rhythmic motif on which the passage is based - reused throughout the prelude - gradually develops.
• Measures 1 to 4 repeat in measures 5 to 8.

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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The Second Minstrel

The second minstrel shows more agility than the first. We will call him the agile.

• The harmony of this passage is still mainly in G major's key but uses extensions and dissonances.
• The melodic material uses the G major pentatonic scale.
• Rhythmically, it uses the rhythm motif described above.
• On numerous occasions throughout the prelude, Debussy will reuse the melodic motif marked by the red box. We will identify it as motif m_p (for pentatonic).
• Debussy introduces a chromatic movement in the left hand on measures 16 and 17 and the chords of C and F sharp major in measure 18.
• At measure 19, the repetition of the second minstrel's song begins.

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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The second minstrel continues (measures 26 to 35)

• The repetition beginning at bar 19 is varied at bar 26. Debussy introduces G, A, and B flat notes, and at bar 27, he uses the E-flat pentatonic scale.
• Measures 28 to 31 are based on a series of E-flat major chords with an internal A-flat pedal.
• Measures 32 and 33 are an almost exact repetition of measures 11 and 12 but, the absence of the low G and the E suggest the E minor pentatonic scale.

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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Third minstrel (measures 36 to 44)

Debussy ascribes a mocking character (moqueur) to the third minstrel. We will call him the mocker.

• We find two harmonic planes in this passage: 1) the bass with the G pedal - E, and 2) a series of augmented chords in the upper voice.
• The dissonance between the harmonic planes and the interruptions of the 16th note motifs give the passage a mocking tone.
• From measure 39 on, Debussy alternates two hexatonic scales (red and blue squares).

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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The agile reappears (measures 45 to 49)

We hear the second minstrel (the agile) again:

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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Measures 49 to 57

• The m_p motif alternates with two passages that use different pentatonic scales.
• Measures 55 and 56 are similar to measures 51 and 52 but half a tone higher.

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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The minstrel with the drum (measures 58 to 62)

Enter the fourth minstrel with a D pedal that mimics a drum at bar 58:

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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The lyric minstrel (measures 63 to 77)

The fifth minstrel is the singer.

• We return to the G major key.
• Most chords have traditional tonal functions.
• The new lyrical theme appears in measures 63 to 77.
• The motif m_p of the agile minstrel interrupts in measures 70 and 74.
• The section ends somewhat abruptly with part of the theme of the mocking minstrel.

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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Final Measures

The final measures are a recapitulation. Measures 78 to 81 repeat measures 1 to 4 (the clumsy minstrel, A). Interrupt the drum minstrel (82-84, B), and we end with the agile minstrel (measure 85, C):

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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Complete Prelude

Paavali Jumppanen, piano
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0