Op.4 – ASPIRATION TO ENFOLD ALL, PRELUDES (2026) – ca. 30′
Cycle of preludes commissioned by and dedicated to concert pianist & contemporary music specialist Carlo Prampolini
Composition: Como, Apr 2025–Jan 2026, revision/consolidation from earlier sources (cf. Genealogy); final authorial text completed 10 Jan 2026
Form/structure: 16-movement cycle — I. Holy Mount Magdalen, II. The Light that Isn’t, III. Murmurs, IV. Remembrance, V. Underwater Glow, VI. The Source, VII. Playtime, VIII. Forbidden Passageways, IX. Downside of Devotion, X. Shivers, XI. Underworld to Surface, XII. Passion and Oblivion, XIII. Mists over Water, XIV. Lullaby, XV. Call of Wisdom, XVI.Dancing Shades
Instrumentation: SOLO PIANO
Premieres (partial, of earlier completed works):
– Tre Miniature Poetiche — 08 Jun 2017, Puccini Hall, “G. Verdi” Conservatory, Milan; Mario Scucces (Nos. 7, 3)
– Petite Suite — 16 Jul 2022, Salone da Cemmo, “L. Marenzio” Conservatory, Brescia; Claudio Sanna (Nos. 4, 10, 8, 16, 12, 1)
Textual History/Genealogy (movement-level sources & key changes —dates refer to Patamu witnesses, Op. to obsolete numbering):
I. 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♯ m → G♯ m
II.The Light that Isn’t — Suite Lirica (4-piece set), No.3 Lento; più scorrevole; tempo I (21 Apr 2021) → Suite Lirica (7-piece set) Op.1b, No.2 (15 Feb 2022); earliest trace: Tre Pezzi (unfinished set, 06 Jun 2020). E → A♭
III. Murmurs — Tre Miniature Poetiche, No.3 Larghetto nostalgico; mosso e lirico—s.1 (May 2017, circulated but lost), s.2 (19 May 2020; slightly revised autograph, bears internal dating “Jan 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, s.3 (14 Feb 2023; reemergence of the miniatures as separate set, Petite Suite reduced to six on 12 Feb 2023). E♭ → E
IV. Remembrance — Petite Suite Op.1a, No.1 Intimo, un poco rubato; poco più animato (15 Feb 2022). E m → E m (key retained)
V. Underwater Glow — Suite Lirica Op.1b, No.6 Misterioso; moderato; allegro (15 Feb 2022). C♯ m → C♯ m (key retained)
VI. The Source — Quattro Pezzi, No.2 Moderato (18 Sep 2020) → Suite Lirica (4), No.4 Allegro (21 Apr 2021) → Suite Lirica Op.1b, No.7 Allegro cantabile; vivace, precipitato (15 Feb 2022). B → C♯
VII. Playtime — Tre Miniature Poetiche, Nos.1–2 (merger) Allegretto; Vivace; più lento ma scorrevole — s.1 (May 2017, circulated but lost), s.2 (19 May 2020; slightly revised autograph, bears internal dating “Jan 2018”) → Quattro Miniature, No.1–2, s.3 (14 Feb 2023). A → D (No.1) | A → A (No.2, key retained)
VIII. Forbidden Passageways — Petite Suite Op.1a, No.3 Voluttuoso; languido (15 Feb 2022). A m → A m (key retained)
IX. Downside of Devotion — Quattro Pezzi, No.4 Moderato un poco agitato (18 Sep 2020) → Suite Lirica (4), No.2 (21 Apr 2021) → Suite Lirica (7) Op.1b, No.5 Moderato un poco agitato; arioso; quasi tempo I (15 Feb 2022). F♯ m → F♯ m (key retained)
X. Shivers — Petite Suite Op.1a, No.2 Calmo solare; moderato; tempo I, cantabile (15 Feb 2022). G → G♭
XI. Underworld to Surface — composed in 2025 (during cycle consolidation).
XII. Passion and Oblivion — Petite Suite Op.1a, No.5 Tumultuoso; adagio non troppo (15 Feb 2022). C m → D m
XIII. Mists over Water — composed in 2024 (pre-consolidation).
XIV. Lullaby — composed in 2024 (pre-consolidation).
XV. Call of Wisdom — Quattro Epigrammi, No.3 Misterioso; semplice, istesso tempo (21 Apr 2021) → Quattro Miniature, No.3 (14 Feb 2023). A♭ → G
XVI. Dancing Shades — Petite Suite Op.1a, No.4 Misterioso; più mosso (15 Feb 2022). A m → G m
Note. A score titled “Preludes for solo piano (Op.1)”, uploaded to IMSLP on 27 May 2024, gathers thirteen miniatures in their original keys – specifically the Petite Suite (6 pieces), the Quattro Miniature (3 pieces, I/II merged), together with two new pieces (Mists over Water; Lullaby) and two unfinished pieces – with no demonstrable global tonal or formal design. It is treated here neither as an autonomous cycle nor as a textual state of Op.4, but as a minor pre-architectural genetic witness.
Publications:
– Casaccia, Alexandre. Aspiration to Enfold All, preludes (Op.4). Score. Self-published edition, 10 Jan 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17833503; also available on IMSLP (internal ref. number IAC 3).
License: © 2026 Alexandre Casaccia. Released under CC BY-SA 4.0.
PROGRAM NOTE
Aspiration to Enfold All is a cycle of sixteen piano preludes composed in 2025-26 drawing on older sources. While openly rooted in the tonal idiom, the preludes incorporate modal scales, chromaticism, and distant chord relationships, demonstrating a complex, nuanced harmonic language while asserting the continued relevance of tonality as a core phenomenon of musical experience. The cycle thus honors the rich prelude tradition of Bach, Chopin, and Shostakovich through a shared embrace of harmony, lyricism, and structural compression.
Beneath the surface lies a unifying harmonic design: eight pairs of parallel keys—minor with its parallel major, then major with its parallel minor—arrayed along a descending chain of alternating thirds (major, then minor, and so on). The sequence is designed so that paired keys share a tonic, while adjacent ones share the same mode. This audible like-with-like juxtaposition binds neighbors as strongly as the long descent by thirds unifies the whole. The resulting pattern is symmetrical and self-contained: after sixteen steps, any further move would return to a previously used key.
Marked by brevity, pastoral inflections, and disarming simplicity, the preludes evoke a multifaceted “creative childhood,” uniting early compositional materials with the perspective of artistic maturity. The set is dedicated to concert pianist and contemporary music specialist Carlo Prampolini, in gratitude for his commitment to performing and recording the composer’s piano works.
SCORE
PERUSAL SCORE available below | SCORE available upon request