Preludes, Livre I. No. 10: La Cathedrale Engloutie (The Engulfed Cathedral or The Sunken Cathedral)

Unlike Bach and Chopin, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) wrote his twenty-four PR?LUDES for solo piano without a clearly organized pattern of key relationships. They were written from December 1909 to April 1913, in two sets, with twelve preludes to each volume. Jane Mortier delivered the premiere of the first volume on May 3, 1911, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. Walter Morse Rummel gave the first complete performance of the second volume on June 12, 1913, at the Aeolian Hall in London.  Prelude No. 10 from Book 1, LA CATH?DRALE ENGLOUTIE (The Sunken Cathedral) is here arranged for orchestra by Hubert Mouton.  Debussy took inspiration from an ancient legend about a submerged cathedral near the island of Ys, which is fabled to rise out of the sea with bells pealing, only to sink back eventually under the waves. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.1: 2.0.0.0: Timp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).