Claude Debussy

This is the fifth of the 12 works that comprise Debussy's Book I of Preludes for piano. Typically, the pieces in both Books I and II deal with nature, with the earthy or contemporary world, or with legend. This is one of the set's nature pieces, but in a sense also partly falls into the second category, owing to its use of the theme from an Italian folk song. Les collines d'Anacapri (The Hills of Anacapri) is a playful, joyous work whose theme exudes the sunny, slightly exotic flavors of Italy. After a brief introduction mixing the slow and somber with the playful, a lively happy theme is presented in the upper register. It has an energetic, driven manner about it, but soon yields to a more moderately paced melody of Italianate character. Some listeners might even mistake it for a melody of Spanish origin, especially in its second subject, which divulges rhythmic features associated with that ethnic style. There follows a lively partial reprise of the themes and the piece closes amid bright colors and a sense of playfulness and joy. This Prelude typically has a duration of three minutes.