Prélude Partitions

Preludes are short musical pieces with a non defined structure. They were originally conceived as introductory pieces, either to another more complex piece, to a suite of movements, or to a large scale work. The early preludes, usually written for keyboard, were highly improvisatory in nature. The prelude eventually evolved into a standalone concert piece, and Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the first collections of preludes organized by key. Many composers in subsequent years would emulate that idea.