The Prelúdios by Gilberto Mendes form a set of five piano preludes composed between 1945 and 1953. These are among the composer’s earliest works, written in his early twenties. The Prelúdios reflect Mendes’s initial, largely self-taught development, steeped in late Romanticism and influenced by his elder compatriot Heitor Villa-Lobos. The first prelude dates from 1945, when Mendes was just 23, and the fifth was completed in 1953. Originally conceived as independent pieces, Mendes later gathered them into a coherent cycle, published only in 2005 — a testament to his enduring affection for these youthful works.
The five Prelúdios reveal a rapid stylistic evolution over less than a decade. Prelúdio No. 1 (1945) is clearly Romantic in inspiration: Mendes himself noted that it begins with harmonies based on tonic, subdominant and dominant functions, before modulating to the relative minor (A minor). The piece features a lyrical melody over an arpeggiated accompaniment, recalling the influence of Chopin and Schumann.
With Prelúdio No. 2 (1950), Mendes begins to explore a more modern language. The piece opens with a repetitive motif built on triadic chords (D major, then C major), which gradually evolve into more colourful harmonic sequences, eventually returning to the original motif transposed up a whole tone.
Prelúdios Nos. 3, 4, and 5 (1952–53) continue this exploration. The third introduces modal inflections and augmented intervals, subtly foreshadowing atonality. Prelúdio No. 4 (1953), dedicated to maestro I. Tabarin, was reportedly adopted by a Brazilian conservatoire, suggesting its local popularity in the 1950s. The final prelude, often cited for its harmonic delicacy, brings the cycle to a quiet, introspective close.
As a whole, the set retains an intimate, poetic tone. Critics have described them as “superbly poetic preludes with a formally Romantic inspiration.” Each prelude is short (ranging from under a minute to two or three) and establishes a distinct mood — nostalgic, restless, or contemplative. Harmonically, the works remain largely tonal, yet Mendes frequently blurs tonal clarity through unexpected modulations and occasional polytonal passages — likely influenced by Villa-Lobos’s harmonic audacity.
Technically, the Prelúdios are accessible (intermediate level), which has certainly contributed to their popularity among pianists.
Though composed in the 1940s and early ’50s, the Prelúdios gained public attention only after their official publication in 2005. Pianists had, however, begun performing them as early as the 1980s and ’90s. The Argentine-Brazilian pianist Beatriz Balzi included some in her concert programmes as part of her extensive work on Latin American composers, helping to bring them out of obscurity. Pianist Antônio Eduardo recorded at least four (Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 5) on a 1998 album, while José Eduardo Martins more recently recorded the complete set, capturing the distinct character of each prelude with sensitivity.
Today, the Prelúdios are appreciated as elegant reflections of post-war Brazilian aesthetics. Critics have noted the blend of folk inspiration — with melodic traces reminiscent of modinhas and choros — and European cosmopolitanism, particularly the shadow of Debussy in the later pieces. Their relative simplicity and melodic charm have led to comparisons with Mompou’s Preludios and Guarnieri’s Intuições.
In short, these Prelúdios offer a gentle introduction to Mendes’s musical world, standing in marked contrast to the radical experimentalism he would embrace in the years to come.
Dra. Claudia Deltregia, Professor at Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (Brasil) kindly gave us the Braille files of the two first Prelúdios? Feel free to download and distribute them :
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