Prelude in Sea

Listen to Prelude in Sea

Performed by the Carlos Lalonde, piano

Program Note

Prelude in Sea was composed in just half an hour. After some light improvisation at the piano, I stumbled upon a sonority—a major seventh chord—that struck me as particularly lovely. I began alternating the notes of the chord in eighth notes, creating a motor rhythm centered around C and E. With the sustain pedal, the resulting ostinato blurred in beautiful, kaleidoscopic ways.

The main challenge was maintaining the pattern throughout. Any decent composer, after all, strives to explore their material to its fullest potential. What emerged from this spur-of-the-moment miniature felt very much like a prelude—reminiscent of Bach’s famous Prelude in C from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I. His approach—smooth voice-leading, arpeggiated chords forming compound melodies, and the courage to be simple yet profoundly beautiful—inspired me.

This prelude reminds me of the sea, a recurring theme in my music, with its undulating waves and eternal calm. Like Bach, I leave much to the performer: dynamics, tempo, pedaling, and other expressive elements are intentionally sparse in the score. I aim to give performers just enough guidance to make the piece truly their own.