Prelude

In music, a prelude is a short piece, usually in no particular form.

An instrumental prelude was originally a short extemporised piece of music played before the piece to be performed. It developed out of the musician's natural tendency to play a few notes on his instrument before commencing, and eventually became a recognised art form in its own right, with publishers advertising books of pre-written preludes appearing in the 17th century.

In Baroque music, the prelude was often paired with a fugue. For example, Johann Sebastian Bach composed two sets of preludes and fugues in all twenty-four major and minor keys, called the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Likewise Shostakovich wrote a set of 24 Preludes and Fugues as well as an earlier set of 24 Preludes for piano.

Other composers who have written preludes for the piano in all twenty-four keys include Frederic Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Alexander Scriabin.

Prelude is also the name of a country-rock band best known for their 1974 a cappella rendition of Neil Young's "After The Goldrush".

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