The first of Debussy’s larger piano works was published in 1901. The slow middle movement had already been written in 1894. This grave Sarabande in the old style was published in a newspaper supplement in 1896 in its first version (regarding this early version see HN 846, Images 1894) and was slightly revised for Pour le piano. The Sarabande soon became popular and was later orchestrated by Ravel. The first movement, Prélude, evokes Javan music with ringing gongs; and the virtuoso Ricardo Viñes even had to repeat the motoric Toccata at the première.
德布西的第一部大型鋼琴作品於1901年出版。其中緩慢的中間樂章早在1894年就已完成。這首莊嚴肅穆的舊式薩拉班德舞曲最初於1896年以報紙增刊的形式發表(關於這個早期版本,參見HN 846,Images 1894),後經略微修改後出版為鋼琴曲集。這首薩拉班德舞曲很快就流行起來,後來被拉威爾改編為管弦樂版本。第一樂章前奏曲以清脆的鑼聲喚起人們對爪哇音樂的聯想;在首演時,演奏家里卡多·維涅斯甚至不得不反复演奏其中節奏強勁的託卡塔。