Prélude in B minor

Louis Couperin's Prélude in B minor is his most extended and celebrated unmeasured prelude — a large-scale piece of extraordinary harmonic freedom, encompassing a wide range of moods from brooding intensity to moments of great lyrical beauty. It is among the most impressive keyboard works of the entire 17th century: its harmonic language, its feeling for long-range architecture within a theoretically free form, and the quality of its emotional concentration are all exceptional. Virtually every performer who records the complete Couperin keyboard works treats this prelude as the culminating statement of the entire output.

The Prélude in B minor is best prepared by learning the harmonic progression from beginning to end before committing to any rhythmic interpretation. Play through it as slow, evenly-paced chords until you know every harmonic arrival and departure. Then — and only then — begin to add rhythmic shaping. The slur marks are your guide to groupings and breath points. Build the performance from an understanding of the harmonic structure, not from mimicking another player's rhythm. Every good performance of this piece sounds different and none of them is wrong.