Op. 7 – ASPIRATION TO ENFOLD ALL, PIANO PRELUDES (2026) — ca. 80′
Cycle of preludes commissioned by concert pianist and contemporary music specialist Carlo Prampolini
Piano cycle · ca. 80′ · Thirty-two preludes in two books, followed by a postlude
Solo piano
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Companion texts: Listener’s guide · Tonal architecture and notation
Programme note:
Aspiration to Enfold All is a cycle of thirty-two piano preludes in two books, completed by a postlude, uniting newly composed movements with earlier materials within a single encompassing design. Though openly rooted in the tonal idiom, the work embraces modality, bold chromaticism, and remote harmonic relations, unfolding a language of considerable subtlety while affirming the enduring significance of tonality as a foundation of musical experience. In this sense, it stands in conscious relation to the great prelude traditions of Bach, Chopin, and Shostakovich, while pursuing a distinctly personal vision of tonal wholeness.
Underlying the cycle is a rigorously ordered tonal plan. Each book comprises eight pairs of parallel keys—major with its parallel minor, or minor with its parallel major—and these are arranged within a descending succession of alternating major and minor thirds. Within each pair, the tonic remains constant; between adjacent pairs, the mode is preserved. The result is a network of local affinities and large-scale harmonic motion, in which neighbouring pieces are bound by audible kinships even as the cycle as a whole unfolds through a broader descent by thirds. At the juncture between the two books, enharmonic reinterpretation allows the design to pass seamlessly into its second half, extending the architecture into a self-contained cycle of thirty-two preludes whose continuation would only reproduce tonal regions already traversed. The title is thus more than metaphor: it names the work’s aspiration to gather an ever-widening tonal horizon within a single coherent imaginative space. The postlude, Enfolding Horizon, stands outside that architecture as its epilogue, placing the completed cycle in a final, transfigured perspective.
Marked by brevity, lyric inwardness, pastoral inflection, and a disarming simplicity, the preludes bring early compositional materials into the perspective of artistic maturity. Earlier works are not merely assembled, but transposed, reordered, absorbed, and reauthored within a broader formal conception alongside newly composed movements. Memory and invention, youthful intuition and mature design, are thus drawn together into a single artistic statement. Dedicated to Carlo Prampolini, Aspiration to Enfold All represents not only a cycle of preludes, but the construction of a tonal world: intimate in utterance, comprehensive in design, and shaped by the desire to make multiplicity cohere.
Composition: Como, 15 May–01 Oct 2025 (original sixteen-prelude state, later Book II), mostly revision and consolidation from earlier sources (cf. Textual history / genealogy); 01 Jun–12 Dec 2026 (Book I, postlude, and revision of the complete cycle); final authorial text completed 12 Dec 2026.
Form/structure: 32 preludes, divided into two books of 16 each; followed by a postlude
Book I
I. Resurgence [C major]; II. Leafless Autumn [C minor]; III. Lagoon-Eyed [A-flat minor]; IV. Notarikon [A-flat major]; V. Dyophysis [F major]; VI. Intention to Know [F minor]; VII. Candlelights [D-flat minor]; VIII. Oneiric Lake [D-flat major]; IX. Pentecost [B-flat major]; X. Nostalgy [B-flat minor]; XI. Aspiration to Enfold All [G-flat minor]; XII. Blossoms [G-flat major]; XIII. Transubstantiation [E-flat major]; XIV. Lament [E-flat minor]; XV. Valediction [C-flat minor]; XVI. Transcendence [C-flat major]
Book II
XVII. Holy Mount Magdalen [G-sharp minor]; XVIII. The Light that Isn’t [G-sharp major]; XIX. Murmurs [E major]; XX. Remembrance [E minor]; XXI. Underwater Glow [C-sharp minor]; XXII. The Source [C-sharp major]; XXIII. Playtime [A major]; XXIV. Forbidden Passageways [A minor]; XXV. Downside of Devotion [F-sharp minor]; XXVI. Shivers [F-sharp major]; XXVII. Underworld to Surface [D major]; XXVIII. Passion and Oblivion [D minor]; XXIX. Mists over Water [B minor]; XXX. Lullaby [B major]; XXXI. Call of Wisdom [G major]; XXXII. Dancing Shades [G minor]
Postlude
Enfolding Horizon [D major]
Performing-medium series: PIANO CYCLE No. 2
Instrumentation: SOLO PIANO
Earlier performances of incorporated source works:
– Tre Miniature Poetiche — 08 Jun 2017, Puccini Hall, “G. Verdi” Conservatory, Milan; Mario Scucces (material later incorporated into the cycle as Nos. 23, 19), programme lost.
– Petite Suite — 16 Jul 2022, Salone da Cemmo, “L. Marenzio” Conservatory, Brescia; Claudio Sanna. Programme title and contents: Petite Suite, 7 miniature per pianoforte op. 1a — Intimo; Calmo solare; Voluttuoso; Misterioso; Tumultuoso; Larghetto; Adagio dolcissimo (material later incorporated into the cycle as Nos. 20, 26, 24, 32, 28, 19 and 17) [Programme] [Poster]
Note. Catalogue research identifies Petite Suite, Op. 1a—included in the Feb 2022 composite witness Due Suite per pianoforte, Op. 1a/1b—as the source used for the performance.
Textual history / genealogy:
The genealogy traces documented relationships among sources at the level of individual movements. The arrows mark genetic links involving transmission, reconfiguration, and eventual absorption of earlier material into the cycle. Individual movement genealogies include only witnesses associated with a significant textual or genealogical development; purely redundant transmissions may be omitted. Unless otherwise indicated, dates refer to the Patamu deposit dates of the relevant witnesses. Obsolete Op. numbers are reproduced, where available, as recorded in those witnesses and solely to aid identification; they carry no classificatory weight in this catalogue. Key indications give the tonal centre maintained throughout the source chain and the final tonal placement adopted in Op. 7. Both completed source works and unfinished drafts are included wherever dated documentation establishes their relevance to the present work.
Genealogical overview
Op. 7 emerged through interrelated processes of composition, revision, stabilization, aggregation, and architectural design. The following account concerns chiefly the inherited materials that formed Book II; Book I and the postlude belong mostly to the final expansion of 2026. The prehistory of Book II divides into two principal lineages.
The miniature lineage begins with Tre Miniature Poetiche (2017). From late 2018 onward, evidence points to a continuing impulse either to enlarge the set or to develop larger successor cycles from its model. A lost Dec 2018 manuscript of Call of Wisdom precedes the documentary record, which securely attests this process from 2021 in Quattro Epigrammi (21 Apr) and Cinque Epigrammi (06 May), successive expansions and retitlings of the earlier set. Two of those movements eventually passed into Petite Suite, while the remaining three were set aside when the newer set superseded the Epigrammi project.
The second lineage comprises more extended, formally articulated works. The ambitious Tre Pezzi project (Jun 2020), comprising a completed Intermezzo (2018) and two unfinished movements, attests an early attempt to develop this repertory on a larger scale. It was followed by Quattro Pezzi (Sep 2020), a complete four-piece piano cycle whose No. 3 – formerly Notturno – drew on material from the unfinished Fantasia (Tre Pezzi, No. 3). When, later that year, Casaccia was assigned a suite for string orchestra, the Intermezzo, already arranged for string quintet, offered a readily adaptable replacement for Quattro Pezzi, No. 1. Material from the two projects was thereby consolidated into a single four-movement work, the Suite Lirica for piano, which was then orchestrated for strings; the surviving piano and orchestral witnesses are dated 21 and 22 Apr 2021, respectively.
By late 2021, the two lineages were being developed in parallel within a shared compositional project: while composing a more expansive opening movement for Suite Lirica under the working title Toccata, Casaccia wrote a shorter companion, Toccatina, for the miniature set. The two pieces ultimately became Impulse-Echo and Passion and Oblivion. In Feb 2022, this parallel design crystallized under the composite title Due Suite per pianoforte, Op. 1a/1b, whose two divisions—Petite Suite and Suite Lirica—comprised seven miniatures and seven more extended lyrical pieces, related in style and period but differentiated by scale and genre. This 7+7 design provides an early structural precedent for the balanced duality later realized on a larger scale in the two sixteen-prelude books of Op. 7.
By 2023, the earlier materials had been reorganized into three clearly delimited source works. Petite Suite reappeared, reduced to six pieces, as Sei Preludi. A surviving copy of the set-aside Epigrammi enabled the three excluded pieces to be re-engraved; with the Larghetto withdrawn from Petite Suite, they became Quattro Miniature, restoring the miniature lineage as an autonomous four-piece source work. Suite Lirica, meanwhile, was retitled Suite Italiana without textual change. A revised opus scheme, documented across the 2023–24 witnesses, further separated the former halves of Due Suite per pianoforte: the Petite Suite lineage was reassigned to Op. 1, while Suite Italiana was designated Op. 2—more specifically Op. 2b, in relation to the unfinished orchestration Op. 2a. The title Preludes is genetically significant, establishing the genre identity from which the repertory subsequently expanded. Composer recollection attributes the designation to Federico Biscione, who, during an examination in February 2022, cut through Casaccia’s extended distinction between miniature and intermezzo lineages with a single word: “Preludes.”
The source witnesses deposited on Patamu (2020–23) can be consulted at DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23079022.
With those identities now fixed, the score titled Preludes for solo piano, Op. 1—uploaded to IMSLP on 27 May 2024—records the next stage: aggregation. It assembles fourteen items in their original keys: the six pieces of Sei Preludi; the four movements of Quattro Miniature, represented in three items; Call of Nature from Suite Lirica; the new Mists over Water and Lullaby; and unfinished drafts of Lagoon-Eyed and Leafless Autumn—without a demonstrable overall tonal or formal design. Mists over Water and Lullaby constitute the first expansion of the completed repertory since 2022, while the transfer of Call of Nature marks the first entry of second lineage material into the prelude repertory. The two unfinished pieces attest projected further enlargement. The score is therefore treated neither as an autonomous cycle nor as a textual state of Op. 7, but as a pre-architectural genetic witness. It also provides the earliest known instance in which every item bears an individual title and movements I and II of the Tre Miniature Poetiche lineage are merged.
In 2025, three further movements from Suite Lirica are absorbed into the newly devised sixteen-prelude architecture. Their incorporation forms part of a thorough revision of the inherited material, involving tonal reconfiguration, the rewriting of individual passages, and comprehensive re-engraving. Together with the newly composed Underworld to Surface, the revised materials complete the design later retained as Book II. The addition of Book I and the postlude produces the definitive form of Op. 7 in 2026.
Book I
I. Resurgence — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
II. Leafless Autumn — earliest trace: Preludes for solo piano, Op. 1, No. 16 Leafless Autumn, unfinished draft uploaded on IMSLP, 27 May 2024; completed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation. B → C minor
III. Lagoon-Eyed — earliest trace: Preludes for solo piano, Op. 1, No. 9 Eye of the Lagoon, unfinished draft uploaded on IMSLP, 27 May 2024; completed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation. C♯ → A♭ minor
IV. Notarikon — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
V. Dyophysis — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
VI. Intention to Know — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
VII. Candlelights — earliest trace: Tre Pezzi, No. 1 Preludio, unfinished draft (06 Jun 2020); completed in Jun 2026 and incorporated into Book I, during cycle consolidation. E → D♭ minor
VIII. Oneiric Lake — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
IX. Pentecost — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
X. Nostalgy — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
XI. Aspiration to Enfold All — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
XII. Blossoms — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
XIII. Transubstantiation — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
XIV. Lament — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
XV. Valediction — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
XVI. Transcendence — composed in Jun 2026, during cycle consolidation
Book II
XVII. Holy Mount Magdalen — Cinque Epigrammi, No. 5 Adagio, dolcissimo, a sotto voce (06 May 2021) → Petite Suite Op. 1a, No. 7 Adagio, dolcissimo (15 Feb 2022). F♯ → G♯ minor
XVIII. The Light that Isn’t — Intermezzo, complete engraved score by Jul 2018 (lost; the opening existed in manuscript by Feb 2018) → Tre Pezzi, No. 2 Intermezzo (earliest surviving witness, 06 Jun 2020; bears internal dating “Luglio 2018”) → Suite Lirica (four-piece), No. 3 Lento; più scorrevole; tempo I; poco più lento (21 Apr 2021) → Suite Lirica (seven-piece), Op. 1b, No. 2 (15 Feb 2022). E → G♯ major
XIX. Murmurs — Tre Miniature Poetiche, No. 3 Larghetto nostalgico; mosso e lirico (May 2017, circulated but lost; 19 May 2020, bears internal dating “Gennaio 2018”) → Quattro Epigrammi, No. 4 Larghetto nostalgico; più mosso (21 Apr 2021) → Petite Suite Op. 1a, No. 6 (15 Feb 2022) → Quattro Miniature, No. 4 (14 Feb 2023; reemergence of the miniatures as a separate set, Petite Suite reduced to six on 12 Feb 2023). E♭ → E major
XX. Remembrance — Petite Suite Op. 1a, No. 1 Intimo, un poco rubato; poco più animato (15 Feb 2022). Key retained
XXI. Underwater Glow — Suite Lirica (seven-piece) Op. 1b, No. 6 Misterioso; moderato; allegro (15 Feb 2022). Key retained
XXII. The Source — Quattro Pezzi, No. 2 Moderato; più mosso; a tempo (18 Sep 2020) → Suite Lirica (four-piece), No. 4 Allegro; andante; vivace precipitato (21 Apr 2021) → Suite Lirica (seven-piece), Op. 1b, No. 7 Allegro cantabile; moderato; vivace, precipitato (15 Feb 2022) → Preludes for solo piano, Op. 1, No. 12 Call of Nature (IMSLP witness, 27 May 2024; first transfer into the prelude repertory). B → C♯ major
XXIII. Playtime — Tre Miniature Poetiche, Nos. 1 and 2 Moderato; Vivace; allegretto (May 2017, circulated but lost; 19 May 2020, bears internal dating “Gennaio 2018”) → Quattro Epigrammi, Nos. 1 and 2 Allegretto; Vivace; più lento ma scorrevole (21 Apr 2021) → Quattro Miniature, Nos. 1 and 2 (14 Feb 2023; reemergence of the miniatures as a separate set, Petite Suite reduced to six on 12 Feb 2023) → Preludes for solo piano, Op. 1, No. 1 In the Evening/Playtime (IMSLP witness, 27 May 2024; first documented merger of Nos. 1 and 2). No. 1: A → D major; No. 2: A major retained, determining the prelude’s definitive tonal placement.
XXIV. Forbidden Passageways — Petite Suite Op. 1a, No. 3 Voluttuoso; languido (15 Feb 2022). Key retained
XXV. Downside of Devotion — Quattro Pezzi, No. 4 Moderato un poco agitato; mosso; quasi tempo I (18 Sep 2020) → Suite Lirica (four-piece), No. 2 Moderato un poco agitato; arioso; quasi tempo I (21 Apr 2021) → Suite Lirica (seven-piece), Op. 1b, No. 5 Moderato un poco agitato; arioso; quasi tempo I (15 Feb 2022). Key retained
XXVI. Shivers — Petite Suite Op. 1a, No. 2 Calmo solare; moderato; tempo I, cantabile (15 Feb 2022). G → F♯ major
XXVII. Underworld to Surface — composed in 2025, during cycle consolidation
XXVIII. Passion and Oblivion — Petite Suite Op. 1a, No. 5 Tumultuoso; adagio non troppo (15 Feb 2022). C → D minor
XXIX. Mists over Water — earliest completed witness: Preludes for solo piano, Op. 1, No. 5 Mists over Water (IMSLP witness, 27 May 2024); pre-consolidation.
XXX. Lullaby — earliest completed witness: Preludes for solo piano, Op. 1, No. 9 Lullaby (IMSLP witness, 27 May 2024); pre-consolidation.
Note. The 27 May 2024 witness numbers both Lullaby and Eye of the Lagoon as No. IX and subsequently continues with XI, XII, and XVI; these anomalous source numerals are reproduced as printed.
XXXI. Call of Wisdom — Misterioso, autograph manuscript (Dec 2018; lost); D minor, 2/4, ca. 2′; private premiere, 20 Dec 2018; Alexandre Casaccia, piano → Misterioso, digital autograph (Jun 2019; lost); No. 1 of a projected set of six miniatures, compressing the earlier material into fifteen opening bars, transposed to F (the opening eight bars of the present prelude) and adding a new contrasting section in the relative major; the binary design was shelved because it was felt to lack thematic unity → Quattro Epigrammi, No. 3 Misterioso; semplice, istesso tempo (21 Apr 2021), with the second section compressed and a coda–ripresa added, restoring the opening motive within the tonal and expressive context of that section → Quattro Miniature, No. 3 (14 Feb 2023). A♭ → G major
XXXII. Dancing Shades — Petite Suite Op. 1a, No. 4 Misterioso; più mosso (15 Feb 2022). A → G minor
– s. 1 (Oct 2025): completed digital autograph of the original sixteen-prelude state, titled Aspiration to Enfold All, later incorporated as Book II of the definitive thirty-two-prelude cycle; privately circulated.
– s. 2 (Dec 2026): revised digital autograph of Book II, contemporaneous with the finalisation of the complete cycle; final authorial text of Book II.
Postlude
Enfolding Horizon — written in Jul 2026 as the concluding epilogue of the cycle
Publications:
– Casaccia, Alexandre. Aspiration to Enfold All, piano preludes, Op. 7. Score. Self-published edition, 12 Dec 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17833503; also available on IMSLP (internal ref. number IAC 13)
Notational note. In Nos. 7, 11, 15 and 18, parallel-mode signatures with complementary accidentals were used through the completion of Book I—for example, the signature of C♭ major was used for C♭ minor. Full theoretical key signatures were adopted during the final revision of the complete cycle for publication, making explicit in the signatures the tonalities already established by the governing plan. The first edition also includes these four movements in their earlier working notation as appendices, providing authorised performing alternatives that preserve the same pitches and tonal spelling.
Supplementary texts:
– Ferrari, Lili. A Listener’s guide to Aspiration to Enfold All. Companion text to Alexandre Casaccia, Aspiration to Enfold All, Op. 7. Prepared in collaboration with the composer. English, Italian, French and Russian versions. Self-published edition, 28 Jun 2026; revised and expanded, 21 Sep 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21001449
Note. First issued under the title A Listener’s guide to the Thirty-Two Preludes; subsequently retitled and expanded to include the postlude Enfolding Horizon. The repository metadata give the English title A Listener’s guide to Aspiration to Enfold All.
– Ferrari, Lili. Enfolding All. Theoretical Considerations on the Tonal Architecture of Op. 7. Analytical companion text to Aspiration to Enfold All, Op. 7, with diagrams of the cycle’s tonal design and comparative notational examples illustrating theoretical key signatures and the corresponding practical notation retained in the appendix. English, Italian, French and Russian versions. Self-published edition, 22 Sep 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22895020
Rights: © 2026 Alexandre Casaccia. All rights reserved.