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.

The pieces, with typical timings, are:

1. The Undertone (3 minutes)
2. Obsession (3 minutes)
3. The Holy Boy (composed on Christmas Day 1913; subtitled A Carol of the Nativity; 4 minutes)
4. Fire of Spring (2 minutes)

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.