Preludes_for_Piano_(John_Ireland)
Preludes for Piano is a set of four short pieces for piano solo composed by John Ireland between 1913 and 1915. They were published in the latter year.[1][2][3]
The pieces, with typical timings, are:
- The Undertone (3 minutes) [4]
- Obsession (3 minutes) [5]
- The Holy Boy (composed on Christmas Day 1913; subtitled A Carol of the Nativity; 4 minutes) [6]
- Fire of Spring (2 minutes) [7]
The Holy Boy is one of Ireland's best-known works, along with his setting of the hymn "My Song Is Love Unknown". It has been arranged for a variety of forces. One version is the Christmas carol "Lowly, laid in a manger / With oxen brooding nigh" with words by Herbert S. Brown.[8]