Prelude, Op. 59 No. 2
Scriabin's Prelude, Op. 59 No. 2, is an advanced piece in 6/8, Octotune grade 7 of 8, from his late period: no key signature and no home key, with pounding low octaves, dense chords and fierce energy.
At a glance
| Composer | Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Advanced: grade 7 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: no sharps or flats |
| Time | 6/8 |
| Tempo | 126 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 62 measures, about 1:28 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | E3 to D6 |
| Left hand | C1 to C5 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Prelude, Op. 59 No. 2 | 7 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Alexander Scriabin began as a composer in Chopin's footsteps, and ended in a sound world entirely his own, built on unusual chords rather than keys. This prelude is from his late period: it has no key signature, and its harmony never settles into a home key. It is in 6/8, short and fierce.
How it is built. The left hand drives it with octaves that leap around the lowest part of the keyboard in quick sixteenths, then land on a chord. Over them the right hand plays dense chords and sharp melodic fragments. The opening gesture repeats straight away, so learning the first measures well is a big head start.
The tricky parts
- Accidentals. Sharps in nearly every chord. Learn each chord as a hand shape, and name its notes before you play it.
- Low octaves. The left hand's octaves leap among the lowest notes on the piano. Read them from low C, counting ledger lines.
- Big chords. Four and five notes, some spread wide. Keep the hand relaxed.
- Rhythm. 6/8, two beats of three eighths, with sharp dotted figures. Count through the rests.
Practice plan
- The first four measures, hands separately in Wait for me, until you know every chord.
- Section by section, the loop set to each, at 40–50% speed.
- Both hands, raising the speed only as the chords stay clean.
Before you start: the whole Octotune path, then Chopin's Preludes.
Questions
Is Scriabin's Prelude Op. 59 No. 2 hard?
Yes. It is an advanced piece, Octotune grade 7 of 8: dense chords full of accidentals, leaping bass octaves, and harmony with no home key to lean on.
Credits and license
- Music: Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915)
- Typeset by Federico Bruni for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece