A second set of preludes from the second period, composed of four pieces :

No. 1 in E Major
No. 2 in F Sharp Major
No. 3 in C Major
No. 4 in A Flat Major

This contrasting set opens with two charming and tender pieces, marked by great delicacy and quasi-impressionistic colors. The two that follow are harsher, filled with innovative dissonances and powerful intensity—the ending of the fourth prelude achieves an imperious force comparable to that found in larger works like the Fantaisie Op. 28.