Brouillards ("Mists" or "Fog") is the first prelude of

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

's second set of preludes. It can be considered as the most harmonically complex of the entire series of preludes, hinting at

polytonality Polytonality (also polyharmony) is the musical use of more than one key (music), key simultaneity (music), simultaneously. Bitonality is the use of only two different keys at the same time. Polyvalence or polyvalency is the use of more than one diat ...

. The left hand mainly employs the C

diatonic collection In music theory, a diatonic scale is any heptatonic scale that includes five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps ...

modulating In music, modulation is the change from one tonality ( tonic, or tonal center) to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature (a key change). Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, ...

shortly in the second theme and reverting in the

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

, while the right hand uses the

A-flat minor A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its ...

diatonic collection on

E-flat E-flat may refer to: * E♭ (musical note) * E-flat major * E-flat minor * E-flat tuning, on a guitar * "E Flat Boogie", a 1980 single by American funk band Trouble Funk See also * E-flat clarinet The E-flat (E) clarinet is a member of the ...

, like the left hand modulating briefly before returning.''The Piano Works of Claude Debussy'' by Elie Robert Schmitz

References

Preludes by Claude Debussy 1913 compositions {{classical-composition-stub