Martin Frank. 8 Preludes pour le piano

Wien: Universal Edition, 1949. — 30 p.Frank Martin (15 September 1890 – 21 November 1974) was a Swiss composer, who lived a large part of his life in the Netherlands.
Grave
Allegretto tranquillo
Tranquillo, ma con moto
Allegro
Vivace
Andantino grazioso
Lento
VivaceFrank Martin wrote the Eight Preludes for Piano for the pianist Dinu Lipatti, one of his closest and dearest friends. Before he began work on the pieces, he intended to write twelve preludes, but in the course of composing he changed his mind, and wrote only eight. At the time he was working on the Preludes, Martin had Lipatti’s playing and his unusual touch in his ear, and these were a great inspiration to him.
When Martin had completed the Preludes he gave them to Lipatti when they met in London, and it was here that the pianist gave his first recital in the Wigmore Hall in the spring of 1948. The composer wrote a poetic dedication in the manuscript:
To take your ten magic fingers for a walk
I would have needed twelve magic gardens.
Now there are but eight, and poor pieces for a fairy.
For the Muse punished me in my slow search for sounds
Too oft with contempt for my syntheses.