Préludes, Les

views updated

Préludes, Les (The Preludes). Symphonic poem by Liszt, comp. 1848, rev. before 1854. Title from one of Lamartine's Nouvelles Méditations poétiques, but mus. was orig. comp. as ov. to Les Quatres Éléments, 4 male chs. with words by J. Autran and orch. by Conradi. Liszt's preface to rev. score states that life is treated as a series of preludes to the unknown after-life.