Scriabin, Prelude, Opus 67 #2, Presto (piano solo)

[lonskilonski]

how did you record this? I really like the sound, so I'd love to know. thank you

[smalin]

@lonskilonski It's a synthetic piano, called Pianissimo, made by a company called Acoustica.

[Kibaoftheleaves]

Sounds like he was just warming up before a concert and someone interpereted this as a work of art and wrote down the notes.

[deathroman13]

@Kibaoftheleaves

Same thought here :)

[gsarci2011]

what key is this?

[smalin]

@gsarci2011 It is not "in a key" in the traditional sense; it ends on a chord that's based on the whole-tone scale (the notes in it are C, E, F-sharp, B-flat); there are no sharps or flats in the key signature, but the tonality shifts so much that whatever key signature was used, there would still be accidentals in almost every measure (so none is simplest). If one were forced to pick a key, C would probably be the best answer, but it's like asking "is gray closest to violet, orange or green?"

[venpresath]

@smalin That's amazing O.O

[bachopinberg]

@smalin I love this comment! (as I love Scriabin. Ciao!)

[gsarci2011]

it doesn't feel like presto...?

[Aritvvi]

Could you give me a hint of what am I supposed to feel through this piece?

Is it anger? passion? perfection?

I'm having a hard time understanding this, it sounds just like random notes.

[gotbass33727]

@Aritvvi

It sounds pretty.

[pr0llyn0t]

@Aritvvi Maybe what you're describing already, confusion.

[Holomorfo]

@Aritvvi why do you "have" to feel something.. can it be like the sense of perfection when you see geometrical patterns, but insted of seeing them you are hearing them?

[Aritvvi]

@Holomorfo Different aspects friend. I for one, try and understand what were the feelings of the composer while producing such a thing.

music is a wondrus thing.

[nannymac47]

@Holomorfo Hadn't thought of that before but your are right. It was more mathematical than trad. music. I kept listening for some thing familiar and thought I'd locked onto a thought and then... bam, off on another tangent. Full of surprises for such a 'little' piece.

[friendofKiwi]

The worst song I've ever heard in my life.

[mahler151]

People think this piece sounds random? It sounds really jazzy to me.

[cuntylishus]

@mahler151 Exactly! Scriabin was a hep cat *does jazz hands*

[Asgard314]

I haven't played the piano since the 3rd or 4th grade, and even I could tell that there was some serious fingerplay there... O.o Takes a bit, but the seemingly random notes starts to fit together, kinda like a Cubist painting. Taking a quick glance at one leaves you with nothing but random shapes, but if you concentrate you can see a clear and definite pattern...

[dodeiale]

this is beautiful

[ArtD42]

@dodeiale I agree completely. I didn't expect this piece of all pieces to have everybody all puzzled.

[arcanumi]

sounds extremely difficult to play on the piano

[lennic95]

This isn't what I imagined from the thumbnail.

[smalin]

@lennic95 The thumbnail shows the whole piece.

[lennic95]

@smalin Oh really? Cool :) I thought it was some baroque scale or something like that. Interesting to see how the piece works :)

[akatsuki45671]

@lennic95 I knowXD

[WindBreaker77]

@lennic95 LOL i agree with you. I was expecting to hear some epic music.. but it sounds like random notes played together. of course i know it's not, but that's just what it sounds like to a person who does not study in music.

[smalin]

@WindBreaker77 You don't have to study music to understand this; just keep listening to it. If you pay attention to it for 1:32 once a day for a month, you'll probably understand it.

[amadeus5889]

Wow, this is...something else entirely. The piece revolves around E-Flat Major but it flies all over the chromatic palette. It sounds like tidal ebb and flow: it surges forward, then recedes, then charges forward again. Very odd, but not in a bad way.

[miiwiiplay]

Hey Smalin, do you offer your program for mac? I'd like to use this animation to play along with some of my original compositions.

[smalin]

@miiwiiplay No Mac version at the moment; maybe later this year.

[shwawen]

what is the meaning of the colors? if there is any

[smalin]

@shwawen They just show the lines (two for each hand).

[yootesa1515]

that sounds jazzy, melodic minor ?

[iamalittlespy]

@yootesa1515 Scriabin did have a way with harmony. Some of his later pieces do indeed sound jazzy.

[Crzysex]

This is the sound of an arguement.

[LedKenji666]

Am i allowed to use your program to upload midi songs on youtube and use it as a graphical background?

[smalin]

@LedKenji666 Yes.

[iloveaircraftforever]

@smalin I hope you do Beethovens 9th Symphony

[smalin]

@iloveaircraftforever I did it a few days ago. (You might want to subscribe so that you don't miss my future uploads.)

[iloveaircraftforever]

@smalin I did subscribe :(

[PhoenixTheGreat]

It has a wonderful lazy sound to it. I really enjoy the effortlessness it seems to have.

[MangoPudding21]

what key? just kidding

[FrontCortex]

Herd of cats walking on a piano.

[bluemtnrep]

it reminds me of keith jarret

[nomukodonosor]

felt in love with its weirdness by the first time i heard it lol

[tanyc1173]

This sounds "crawly"

[smalin]

@tanyc1173 Yeah, doesn't it.  Cool, huh.

[Meskiagkasher]

@tanyc1173 this sounds uninspired.

[AveNoctis]

Not good enough

[sussumuTV]

This music feels like i just discovered that the love of my life it's dead. I don't feel happy or sad. I only feel the vacuum.

[trainz10]

@sussumuTV Well... The piece has no flats or sharps whatsoever as indicated on the key signature, so it could be Atonal (in an open key) (even though you got the key's C Major and A minor), so that probably explains your feeling of vacuum. :)

[bombaclart99]

@trainz10 it has flats and sharps all over the place as accidentals...

[xWatChYouRHeaDx]

wow this reminds me of jazz ...

[wawyt]

This song caught my interest when I saw the preview picture of your visualization of it, and I'm glad I listened to this. Such a cool song. I love it.

[apple1231230]

to weird for me

[smalin]

@apple1231230 If you can stand it (and you want to try the experiment), listen to it once a day.  I bet by the end of a month, it will sound a lot less weird.

[moochimichimoo]

@apple1231230

Yup, agree with you.

[thenameiskip]

Why am I creeped out all of a sudden?

[crayonoir]

What about Maple Leaf rag by Scott Joplin?

[xQsLxSpratty]

OverFjell I agree

[ITRecordStudio]

i fell in love with classic music...

[Know1956]

Have you considered doing the visuals with Rhapsody in Blue? I think that would be very interesting to see.

[smalin]

@Know1956 I'd love to, but there are copyright issues.

[OverFjell]

@smalin Debussy's Pour Le Piano would be nice to see graphically

[Know1956]

@smalin That's too bad. That would have looked great!!

[flippert0]

Sounds like a jazzy Rachmaninoff ;-)

[daytenmillion]

I liked it. Rather jazzy, I'd say. Never heard it before. For Agent 12803, all jazz musicians were called "cats" back in the day. For a real cool cat on the piano, he should try Dave Brubeck.

[agent12803]

Sounds like a cat playing the piano. WTF is this random shit

[smalin]

@agent12803  It's interesting that this kind of comment most often comes from males between the ages of 18 and 23.

[screechyknavery]

@smalin There are plenty of 13-23 year old males who like this music just fine.

[smalin]

@screechyknavery Sure, and lots of 50+ women who don't like it. But they don't leave the same kind of comments.

[screechyknavery]

@smalin That's probably true on the whole. But what's so interesting about it? Do you have a point other than to demonize 18 - 23 year old men?

[smalin]

@screechyknavery I wasn't trying to demonize agent12803; just embarrass him. Too young to know the fault is not with the music but with him, and too rude to hold his tongue. Does he think he's home watching TV? This is a public forum. If he attended a concert and I played this, would he say that kind of thing to my face afterwards? If not, why not (and why doesn't the same reason apply here)? Call me overly sensitive, but I don't like having my playing called "random shit."

[screechyknavery]

@smalin I can't say I much appreciated agent12803's comment either. But the implication that you've just made is that being a male between 18 and 23 is something to be ashamed about, and that's what I object to.

[smalin]

@screechyknavery No, not exactly. Being rude and insensitive is something to be ashamed of, and 18 to 23 year old males are more likely to be rude and insensitive than any other demographic. If anything, polite, civilized 18 to 23 year old males ought to be ashamed to have agent12803 among their number.

[screechyknavery]

@smalin Of course being rude and insensitive is something to be ashamed of. Neither of us is saying otherwise, and it's not relevant to the point that I'm making. As for the idea that young men who are neither rude nor insensitive should personally feel shame for the deeds of others, it seems we're just not going to agree on that point. Finally, I hope you'll reflect on the irony of your own insensitivity in indiscriminately casting aspersions on such a large and heterogeneous group of people.

[smalin]

@screechyknavery I don't believe I cast aspersions on 18 to 23 year old men, at least, not any more than you did. You began by saying you agreed that they're more likely to be rude than 50 year old women. My point was just that agent12803's comments had more to do with his age and gender (and lack of musical experience) than with this music. I was once that age, and when my male friends were rude and insensitive, I felt ashamed to be associated with them.

[ThatguycalledJoe]

Sounds vaguely evil.

[jbyjby1]

Could you do a version of this piece in the colors that Scriabin saw?

[god42theliveingdead]

i like classic dont like this it dose nothing for me

[krizzpKAMEkrunch02]

hearing it is like "i'm in a low mode right now" :) but who am i to speak. i need to learn more so i could do this.

[TheYtml]

why a 61 cent download? is it foreign currency?

[smalin]

@TheYtml No, it's just a number I picked at random.

[TheYtml]

@smalin oh, ok XD

[aghaanantyab]

This music sounded perfunctory / crudely

[KafeinBE]

Very jazzy (in a "sad" part) sound indeed imo. I understand many people don't like the dissonance.

[JosephEdwardMD]

Is it just me or this is good old jazz?

[PrepsAndEmosSuck]

I recognize the skill it takes to play this and record it. With that being said, I really do not like dissonance

[Icannottolerateit]

@PrepsAndEmosSuck I agree, it seems like an aesthetic mess that is just at attempt to be original.  It sounds "unnatural" if you know what I mean. (In the same manner post modern art is almost wholly garbage)

[MinorityMans]

Reminds me of Last Year at Marienbad somehow.

[ItWontMatterInTheEnd]

If someone would scream, "PORQUE!?!?" at the end of this, I am damn certain it would be just perfect.

[valhallaforever]

This reminds me of Satie (sp?) and I love Satie!

[goPistons06]

this looks like a mathematical function... i wonder what the derivative of the song would sound like

[smalin]

@goPistons06 I think Scriabin's music is already pretty derivative. ;-)

[klenock8]

@goPistons06 it would be exactly the lim h -> 0 [f(x+h)-f(x)]/h if f(x) was the function for the song :)

[mccliffton]

@goPistons06

wouldnt you agree that music is at its core nothing more than a mathematical function?

[goPistons06]

@mccliffton i couldn't agree more. many musicians and philosophers say that there is an intimate relationship between math and music

[1epic1]

@goPistons06 Thats because there is. Take the strings on the piano, each are mathmaticaly different in order to produce a perfect chord with each of its octaves, 3rds and perfect 5ths.

Sound is nothing more than sound waves, in order to produce a harmonic the waves of two, or more, sounds MUST be mathmatically accurate in ratio in order to produce a harmonic.

[smalin]

@1epic1 Actually, that's not quite accurate. The strings of a piano are only an approximation of perfect ratios. There's no way to tune all the intervals to accurate ratios, so instead, they're tuned to equal ratios (equal temperament). And, actually, for a piano, they don't even do exactly that, either, because the harmonics of piano strings are not exactly whole number ratios; so they stretch the tuning to make the higher strings better in tune with the low ones.

[BeanSand]

This seems to conjure inside me an image of a hole-in-the-wall jazz club. While an anonymous musician plays this piece, a woman and her date converse quietly, amorously, while the flickering light of a solemn candle casts dancing shadows across their faces. As she becomes disinterested with the man, she notices someone eyeing her from across the room. She looks away, then her eyes return, only to realize he is gone. In short, just another night out...

[parazti]

you guys should really download the mam player

[parquar]

This particular piece and probably many like it as well just leave me anxious for something good or at least interesting to happen that never does...

[Synsacrus]

Is this in octatonic? Or is it just chromatic?

[trainz10]

@Synsacrus It's Chromatic.

[1sedition1]

I love this piece!

[wenaolong]

Nice piece, quite jazzy, yet peaceful and happy at the same time. I could be in a brownstone apartment in busy city on the upclass side of town, light coming in the window on a mostly overcast yet not quite rainy day, savoring a hot cup of coffee while my cat plays with a toy mouse on the floor. I hear kids playing outside, saying "yaaayyy" but only occasionally. Mostly there is this blanket of calm silence letting me feel my own life force, letting me live and breath in the now.

[Lity10]

@wenaolong lol

[Pixnlix]

@wenaolong Damn! That was freakin poetic. But as I read your comment and listened to the piece, I started to feel the same way...

[wenaolong]

@Pixnlix Probably influenced you in some way. But probably also some "truth to it" by itself. Hard to hash that sort of thing out. It's good either way though. Each of us brings our own truth to things in the end, others only remind us of what we already know in a deep way, or help us find words for it. Glad I could be a positive inspiration! Thanks for the compliment, by the way! I needed one...

[trevjr]

I have the recording of Rudy late Scriabin I listen to before I go to sleep, this Prelude always baffled me. He plays it faster, but the structure is fascinating. Scriabin had the knack of creating sounds that didnt exist before. The last 3 chords are a question?

You have great taste in music Stephen! lol

[guadelupe]

This makes me feel like I'm walking through an M.C. Escher drawing.

[elrapido80]

What a quizzical piece of music :)

[Noxasja]

love this song, I find it.... unpredictable!

[alitalia5]

very nice... But too slow I guess. Presto!

[Nesoja]

really weird piece of music,different

[Meewosheq]

Co za kakafonia... Nie ma to jak "klasyczna" klasyka...

[immortalx50]

It's not cacophony at all, you'd never call this prelude cacophonous if you understood classical music

[Meewosheq]

I really think I do understand classical music. Mozart, Bach it is my all life. Other calassicists, as well. But this one is just ugly, in my opinion of course. I just meant, that even if it's complex and designed with a big portion of musical intelligence of composer, it isn't esthetic.

[Meewosheq]

Don't think I do not estimate others' right to enjoy this kind of music. I do estimate and do not criticize people that hear this. But I expressed my disapprobate for this kind of music. It is molesting my mind, not get inside softly as e.g. Mozart's music does.

[immortalx50]

All right, as you wish. Anyway, in my opinion,it's just beautiful and aesthetic, it has nothing to do with Bach's or Mozart's style, it's harder to understand, that's the problem (for some people) of late Scriabin's writing method, but it's truly astonishing, when you clearly see the idea of the opus, also it's not his 'hardest' work, it's rather melodic and easy. Don't get me wrong, but it's good to broaden your outlook. Good luck!

[Meewosheq]

Okay! I've never wanted anyone to get me wrong, too! Maybe I sounded too uncompromising... Simply: I just don't like this kind of music, although it isn't stupid, just not to my taste;) Good luck!

[wenaolong]

@immortalx50 It is beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, stimulating to the imagination without being overwhelmingly so, to the point that you may contibute the feelings and images which are native to your own sense of life. While my interpretation takes a happy tone (I commented on it here), I can easily imagine somber tones, romantic tones, or perhaps some abstract and intellectual movements lurking in this piece, as one may require.

[immortalx50]

It's his late work, he acquaints himself with eastern philosophy and meditation and becomes "mystic" composer, that's why you should listen to it more than one time, it's deeper than his early preludes, but it doesn't sound 'romantic'

[0123mandatory]

@immortalx50 I liked his earlier pieces better. but this is good too

[MattieSongbird]

Can you say Thelonius Monk?

[wolffrankenstein]

I don't think Thelonius Monk would play like this, but I understand why you'd bring him up... Kind of a similar feel. It's just too flowing for the more rhythm oriented Monk.

[MattieSongbird]

True.  I was thinking more in terms of his crazy harmonic sense. But yea, Monk was definitely more percussive.

[Zetha123]

I think the word noob is appropriate here.. so... Noob!

[smalin]

Appropriate in what way?

[subby33]

Well. I can understand why people hate on this. It doesn't exactly follow the "rules" does it? I absolutely love it. I feel like I know what he was trying to convey. Amazing piece IMO.

[OLarney87]

It sounds like Scriabin might have been inspired by Rachmaninoff's piano concerto #2 (Ist mvt, just after the climax)

[sutphoe]

That would be Greig :)

[stagesix6]

i think this one is your best video! thanks!

[alienhunter96]

short and sweet I see

[onixandY]

Sometimes, Skrjabin is too much level music for normal musicians. Remember, he was synesthetic, the way he understood the music was too different than others....

[onixandY]

ahhh... and that's not presto, I think.... but even so, we should skim the partiture

[skrodl]

Good, I like the visual, but not really Presto...

[smalin]

Yeah, maybe not.

Is there such a thing as Presto Moderato?

:-)

[skrodl]

Maybe so. And I do rather like the slower tempo anyway.

[Kan2209]

@skrodl Yeah kinda nutty for me as well.. Maybe it takes more than I have to give in understanding :p

[Fanatic4500]

this is not really to my taste - I am more partical to orchestral peices, I found the mix of quick sharp notes and slow notes bothering me, and the entire peice seemed to just run off of scales of sorts, this is my humble opinion. Please do not hold it to me.

[Vegatude]

Why don't you like it Glufius? I thought it was lovely.

[energycore345]

lovely like a black moth :-)

[julianhpike]

Ever think of doing "Black Angels" by Crumb?

[urpatellaisshowing]

maybe it's an aquired taste...

[Edenhyde246]

I love this, sounds a little like modern jazz.

[NefastusVII]

Thank you again for this video and for the other by Scriabin... Very nice...

[trainz10]

I finished tis piece, took me 4 days to learn it, and sounds very nice too! :)

[smalin]

Yeah, it's a cool piece; the more I listen to it, the more I like it.

[Glufius]

then we're driect oposits.

I hate it more and more...

[smalin]

And yet you keep listening to it ... interesting.

[Glufius]

it was the first time I heard it...

I met measured in seconds.

And it's amazing I made it through alive.

[attributo]

bella composizione....

[Blashyrkh22]

Very creative piece

[RectumPilum]

this is crazy, but good.

[19shed72]

Interessantissimo!

[danydj1986]

exelente!!!!!

[mahoose6]

nice stuff

if you guys want some amazing piano try listening to art tatum (try elegy)

[philateliceun]

Is this normally played by one person?

[philateliceun]

stupid me I couldn't just wait till the end :D

But still, F-ing amazing

[7papaverirossi]

sempre molto bello

[jasontkennedy]

I've loved all of the videos so far. Scriabin, for me, is an interesting person moreso than an interesting pianist. I'm glad you're covering some of his work. Just isn't my favorite.

[BlackCommentator]

I have a little suggestion. Maybe you could somehow visualise the loudness of every individual sound? Perhaps by representing it by brighter color for loud sounds and by darker for quiter ones? What's more, since every sounds desn't just abruptly disappear, but gradually fades away (with exponential speed, if I remember correctly), perhaps you could make white bars representing current notes sort of disolve too?

Just my 0.02 $.

Best wishes.

[smalin]

Yep, I'm working on it ...

[MoonBoy1200]

THE ORIGINAL BUCKETHEAD!!!!

[tinylittlesun]

haha! so right

[gre2g]

fascinating ascending and descending interval pattern and quirky Thelonious Monk like finish

[chickennugget882]

It sounds kind of George Gershwin-y.

[smalin]

Or, you might say that Gershwin sounds sort of Scriabin-y (since George was a sixteen-year-old when Alexander died).

[zeryx28]

Interesting chromatic step-wise motion in the accompaniment lines. It produces an interesting effect with the dark-sounding melody. Scriabin's style sure had changed drastically throughout his lifetime. =)

[smalin]

Yeah, Scriabin started out sounding like a Chopin wannabe, but he moved into his own territory ...